23-year-old NASCAR driver sits out season finale after team suspension

Spire Motorsports announced on Tuesday that Carson Hocevar will not drive the No. 77 car in the Nov. 8 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The team suspended the 23-year-old driver, leaving him out of the final race of the 2026 NASCAR schedule.

The decision follows accusations that Hocevar intentionally spun his car to trigger a caution flag during the Nov. 1 race at Martinsville. He also had a physical interaction with Austin Cindric, an incident that reinforced his reputation for aggressive driving.

Justin Haley, a NASCAR veteran and former Spire driver, will take Hocevar's seat for the weekend. The team said it made the call because the situation was not solely about points or financial considerations.

"The easy thing would have been to leave this in NASCAR’s hands," Spire Motorsports stated. "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."

Hocevar called the news "an embarrassing day" for himself. He acknowledged that he crossed the line with his on-track actions, which gave owner Jeff Dickerson and the team no other choice but to replace him.

"I let the people down that gave me the opportunity of a lifetime to drive a Cup car," Hocevar 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 earned his first Cup Series victory at Talladega on April 26 and qualified for the postseason for the first time in his career. In 35 races this season, he recorded 12 top-10 finishes and six top-five results. He enters the final race 12th in the points standings.