That is a steep price for a post-race temper tantrum. Zane Smith has been handed a $50,000 fine by NASCAR officials following an incident with Carson Hocevar after the NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway.
The penalty lands under Section 10.5.2.5a of the NASCAR Rule Book, dealing with violations that compromise participant or event safety, alongside Section 4.4a regarding general behavior guidelines. The fallout traces directly back to the Freeway Insurance 500, specifically a Lap 296 battle on a late-race restart where Ross Chastain made contact entering Turn 3 while fighting around 10th place.
That shove sent Hocevar sliding up the track into both Smith's No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford and Josh Berry’s No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford. When the checkered flag flew, Hocevar finished 12th and Smith placed 15th. As the field rolled out of the throttle on the cool-down lap, Smith accelerated straight into the rear bumper of Hocevar’s No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, following him all the way down to pit lane to show his anger over the earlier on-track contact.
Unfortunately, this is far from a fresh disagreement. The two drivers carry a long-standing feud that previously sparked contact during a July 5 race at Chicagoland Speedway. NASCAR officials even intervened, meeting with both competitors at EchoPark Speedway a week later to warn them off further trouble, but that sit-down clearly failed to mend any fences between the rivals.
Looking ahead to the upcoming weekend, Hocevar arrives at Talladega Superspeedway sitting 11th in the points standings while making his first appearance in The Chase presented by Mobil 1, standing 158 points behind series leader Kyle Larson. Hocevar also carries the tag of the most recent Cup Series winner at Talladega. Meanwhile, Smith heads to the same venue positioned 26th in the points standings.
