That short track at Martinsville always leaves a mark, but the fallout from Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series Chase race has reached the wallet and the standings in a serious way. NASCAR didn't waste time on Tuesday, dropping the hammer with major fines and point deductions for both Carson Hocevar and Josh Berry following a wild afternoon of racing.
Hocevar copped a brutal 25-driver-point penalty alongside a $100,000 fine for multiple violations of Sections 4.4a of the NASCAR Rule Book covering penalty options and actions detrimental to stock car racing. Spire Motorsports backed that up by announcing a suspension for Hocevar for the upcoming season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. SMT data proved that Hocevar deliberately brake-checked Austin Cindric during Stage 2, destroying the No. 2 Team Penske Ford with terminal damage. If that wasn't enough, Hocevar also triggered a caution on Lap 198 with a single-car spin while race leader William Byron was putting him a lap down.
Berry wasn't spared either, picking up an identical 25-driver-point deduction and a $50,000 fine for the exact same rule violations. Berry pulled a similar stunt on Lap 253, brake-checking another Team Penske driver in Ryan Blaney. That move left Blaney with heavy front-end damage before spinning him out in Turn 1 to bring out another caution. Interestingly, Berry currently pilots the No. 21 Ford for Wood Brothers Racing—a team that shares a technical alliance with Penske—ahead of his move to Legacy Motor Club for the 2027 season.
The garage trouble wasn't limited to the brake-checkers, as the No. 60 RFK Racing Ford outfit also caught the ire of official enforcers. During a restart on Lap 225, driver Ryan Preece lost a right-rear wheel when it improperly separated from the machine, triggering yet another caution. That mechanical failure cost crew members dearly under Sections 8.8.10.4 A&D for tires, wheels, and safety violations. Consequently, jackman Samuel Wright and rear tire changer James Price have been slapped with suspensions covering the next two Cup Series events, carrying through to the Wheatley Vodka Clash exhibition race on Feb. 13, 2027, at Daytona International Speedway.
