After Sunday’s race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. expressed his anger toward Carson Hocevar, stating,
“I’m going to beat your ass when we get back to the States.”
The confrontation stemmed from two earlier collisions caused by Hocevar, first at Nashville Superspeedway and then again while a lap down during the Mexico City race. Both drivers are now back in the United States, with the upcoming Pocono Raceway event marking their next meeting. Despite the recent incidents, Stenhouse has since admitted he has calmed down somewhat.
Stenhouse Shares Frustration Over Unnecessary On-Track Contact
Reflecting on the contact, Stenhouse described the situation as “really frustrating” especially because the spin occurred during a part of the race where there was little to gain competitively. Speaking on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, he said,
“I’ve calmed down a little bit. My wife talks me off the ledge sometimes. She does a good job of that. But it doesn’t change the fact that you get spun out for no reason.”
Stenhouse explained how the spin felt costly, estimating it dropped him about seven positions.
“We didn’t wreck like at Nashville, but we put ourselves in a spot,”
he added. Throughout the race, they faced multiple spins but continued fighting to regain track position. In the final long run, Stenhouse believed there were still three to four spots within reach before losing an additional four or five places.
He also addressed the ongoing tension with Hocevar:
“Just frustrating, obviously, when you got someone a lap down that had ran into you a couple weeks before that. Our talk after Nashville — he said, ‘Hey, I’m going to run you a lot different,’ which hey, at Mexico City, he waved me by. I was like, ‘Alright, things are looking up.’ And then, he missed his marks and came from pretty far back and ran into us. Again, I know he wasn’t racing us. But it’s really frustrating for my team and our partners and myself to get spun at a stage like that where there was nothing to be raced for.”
Current Standings and Changes Ahead of Pocono Raceway
With only ten regular-season races left, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is struggling to remain in playoff contention. Recent on-track incidents with Hocevar have affected his position, causing him to fall outside the playoff cutoff. Until recently, Stenhouse was safely above the cutline, but those standings shifted after being spun out at Nashville and Mexico City. In fact, he has placed 20th or worse in his last three starts and currently holds 21st in the points rankings.
Adding to the challenges, Stenhouse announced a change in his spotter ahead of this weekend’s race at Pocono Raceway. After the firing of Tab Boyd, who had been with him since the start of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, the team has brought in Clayton Hughes as the new spotter. Hughes brings experience as a former spotter for Martin Truex Jr., with whom he won a Cup Championship in 2017. This adjustment aims to support Stenhouse’s efforts as he fights to improve his performance in the closing stages of the season.
What This Means for Stenhouse’s Playoff Hopes
With tensions cooled but frustrations remaining, Stenhouse’s circumstances reflect the urgency to turn his season around. The combination of conflicts on the track and the pressures of falling behind in points makes upcoming races vital. The new spotter pairing with Clayton Hughes may provide fresh perspective and improved communication, but Stenhouse still faces a steep climb to secure a playoff spot. A win is nearly essential at this point, underscoring the stakes at Pocono and the races to come.
