Carson Hocevar will not drive the No. 77 car this Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. His own team, Spire Motorsports, pulled the plug on his 2026 season just days before the final race. The 23-year-old driver was accused of intentionally brake-checking Austin Cindric at Martinsville on Nov. 1. Spire co-owner Jeff Dickerson decided to suspend Hocevar for the finale on Tuesday, Nov. 3, rather than wait for NASCAR to issue a penalty.
This move is rare in professional racing. Teams usually want their best drivers in the car for the last race, especially when points are on the line. Hocevar sat 12th in the standings with a chance to climb higher. Yet the team chose to bench him to send a message about behavior. Justin Haley, a veteran who races for Spire in the Truck Series, will take the wheel this weekend.
The Martinsville Incident
The trouble started during Stage 2 of the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville. Hocevar was running nose-to-tail with Cindric. Cindric, driving the No. 2 Ford, was behind Hocevar in the No. 77 Chevrolet. According to NBC Sports, Cindric radioed his team that Hocevar “had a mental breakdown” during the incident. Hocevar denied hitting Cindric on purpose, claiming he “got lost there for a second.” The damage to Cindric’s car was severe, forcing him out of the race with a 36th-place finish.
Spire Motorsports did not wait for the league to decide the punishment. Per NBC Sports, the team stated that “racing at the Cup level is a privilege, and it comes with an expected level of professionalism.” Dickerson felt the team had to act on its own to protect its values. He told the organization that the easy path would be to let NASCAR handle the penalty. Instead, the team decided to make the call themselves.
A Decision Based on Integrity
The suspension was not about money or points for the team. The team acknowledged that Hocevar has been a popular driver this season due to his aggressive style. However, his conduct at Martinsville crossed a line they would not tolerate.
Hocevar admitted his mistake in a public statement. 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.” He also noted that he let down the people who gave him the chance to drive a Cup car. The team said they still support him, even though this short-term pain was necessary.
Spire Motorsports noted that “A decision like this has a lot of variables and a cascading effect across an organization like ours.” The team wants to head to Homestead united. They plan to compete as one group without the driver who caused the controversy. To contend for a championship, they plan to prepare for Daytona in February with the proper mindset following the final race.
Haley Steps In for the Finale
Justin Haley is the replacement driver for the season finale. He is a NASCAR veteran and a former Spire driver. Haley will drive the No. 77 car at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, Nov. 8. This is a significant change for the team with only one race left in the 2026 season. The team believes this is the best way to handle the situation moving forward.
Hocevar had a strong season despite the controversy. At Talladega on April 26, he secured his initial Cup race victory. In 35 races this season, he recorded 12 top-10 finishes and six top-fives. He advanced to NASCAR’s postseason for the first time this season. His aggressive driving style and charisma made him one of the most popular drivers, but the incident at Martinsville proved too much for his team to ignore.
The team will move forward with a clean slate for the next season. Dickerson said the way Hocevar conducted himself at Martinsville “doesn’t meet the standard we set for our drivers, team members or employees.” There are consequences for that behavior. United as an organization, the team will head to Homestead to compete. They will not let the incident define their future in the sport.
