Star NASCAR driver suspended by own team for final race of season

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (WBTV/Gray News) - A star NASCAR driver has been suspended by his own team for the final race of the 2026 season.

Drivers in all three of NASCAR’s top series will wrap up the racing slate this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

However, Carson Hocevar, driver of the No. 77 car, will not be among them.

Spire Motorsports announced on Tuesday that Hocevar would be suspended for the Nov. 8 season finale race.

The team-induced suspension comes after some accused Hocevar of intentionally spinning himself to cause a caution during the Nov. 1 race at Martinsville.

The 23-year-old also had a run-in with Austin Cindric as he upheld his reputation as an aggressive driver.

“A decision like this has a lot of variables and a cascading effect across an organization like ours,” Spire Motorsports said in a statement. “The easy thing would have been to leave this in NASCAR’s hands. To us, however, this isn’t about money or points. We believe in respect. Our integrity matters. This is the right decision. Sometimes the right decision for someone you care about hurts in the short term.”

NASCAR veteran and former Spire driver Justin Haley will race in Hocevar’s place.

In a statement of his own, Hocevar called the suspension “an embarrassing day” for him.

“I let the people down that gave me the opportunity of a lifetime to drive a Cup car,” he wrote. “I crossed the line with my on-track actions and gave [owner] Jeff [Dickerson] and Spire Motorsports no option but to put someone else in the 77 car this weekend.”

Hocevar became one of NASCAR’s more popular drivers this season, in part because of his aggressive driving style and charisma.

But he has had numerous incidents involving other drivers in his young career, and was also involved in a viral brawl at Bristol in September.

Hocevar earned his first Cup race win at Talladega on April 26, and advanced to NASCAR’s postseason for the first time this season.

In 35 races this season, Hocevar won a race and recorded 12 top-10 finishes and six top-fives. He sat 12th in the points standings heading into the final race.