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NASCAR Drops The Hammer On Carson Hocevar And Josh Berry With Points Penalties And Big Fines

November 3, 2026  ·
  John Trent

NASCAR dropped the hammer on Carson Hocevar and Josh Berry after the two brake-checked opponents during the NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway.

The sanctioning body announced that Carson Hocevar was fined $100,000 and docked 25 driver points for “actions detrimental to Stock Car racing” and “multiple violations of the code of conduct.”

As for Berry, he was fined $50,000 and also docked 25 points simply for “actions detrimental to Stock Car racing.”

Finally, Ryan Preece’s team was also penalized for the broken wheel during the race. Pit crew members James Price and Samuel Wright were suspended for the next two NASCAR Cup Series events that include the season finale at Miami-Homestead Speedway and The Clash at Daytona on February 13, 2027.

In a blog post, NASCAR shared that the penalties were related “to wrecking or spinning another vehicle, whether or not that vehicle is removed from competition as a result.”

On Sunday at Martinsville, Hocevar brake checked Austin Cindric at least four times ultimately ending his day with a 36th place finish.

The blog post also mentioned Hocevar’s single-car spin that brought out a caution on lap 198 as he was put a lap down by leader William Byron.

As for Berry, he brake-checked Ryan Blaney on Lap 253 of the race that significantly damaged Blaney’s car resulting in a 35th place finish for a driver who was once in the hunt for the Championship.

The announcement of the fine and points penalty comes in the wake of Spire Motorsports announcing that it had suspended Carson Hocevar for the final race of the season.

Spire Motorsports Co-Owner Jeff Dickerson explained, “A decision like this has a lot of variable and a cascading effect across an organization like ours. The easy thing would have been to leave this in NASCAR’s hands and let them decide what any penalty should be. To us, however, this isn’t about money or points. We believe in respect. Our integrity matters. This is the right decision for Spire Motorsports.”

“Everyone here loves working with Carson, and we’ve enjoyed watching him thrive alongside our team. Sometimes the right decision for someone you care about hurts in the short term. The way Carson conducted himself at Martinsville doesn’t meet the standard we set for our drivers, team members or employees, and there are consequences for that. That doesn’t mean we don’t love him and support him,” Dickerson continued. “Racing at the Cup level is a privilege, and it comes with an expected level of professionalism from everyone who represents Spire Motorsports. We’ll go to Homestead united and compete as an organization. After that, we can get ready for Daytona in February with the right mindset to contend for a championship.”

Hocevar reacted to the suspension writing, “This is an embarrassing day for me. I let the people down that gave me the opportunity of a lifetime to drive a Cup car. I also let down my team, sponsors, and fans. I crossed the line with my on-track actions and gave Jeff and Spire Motorsports no option but to put someone else in the 77 car this weekend at Homestead. I’ll be rooting for the entire organization this weekend and look forward to coming back in 2027 as a better driver, competitor and teammate.”

NEXT: Kenny Wallace Blames Austin Cindric After He Got Brake Checked Multiple Times By Carson Hocevar

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Author: John Trent