NASCAR Gets a New Drama with Carson Hocevar's Blatant Last-Lap Wreck
Carson Hocevar continues to make no friends on the race track as he t-boned Josh Berry at Watkins Glen. On the final lap, Hocevar got into turn 1, where Berry cut right in front of Hocevar. "Not clear," Hocevar bitterly said without remorse on his radio. The action had Hocevar t-bone Berry, spinning him sideways.
The incident ultimately mattered little on the leaderboard. Hocevar completed the race unaffected by the incident in 28th place. Berry dropped a few spots, resulting in 32nd place.
> View the in-car camera view of the Hocevar-Berry wreck.
The incident left Hocevar with little to do. As per the in-car camera, Hocevar seemed to be stuck tight behind Berry. Hocevar could have stepped out of line and conceded the spot. The only other option was to either shut off the gas or nail Berry. As we know, Hocevar is an aggressive driver; he did what we all would expect - wrecked Berry.
If Hocevar were running much higher in the field, one might assume the incident might have gone differently, in a more conservative, concessionary fashion. Yet, that is for debate, knowing the racecraft of the young Spire Motorsports driver.
> Watkins Glen Race Results & Takeaways
Fan Reactions
- "Berry wrecked himself."
- "Josh Berry took out Josh Berry."
- "His spotter probably said 'left, still there'"
- "Berry cleared him..."
The broad opinion is that of Berry making an ill-advised move into turn 1. Entering the final lap, with drivers outside the Top-25, it would be smart to run soft and conservative. Instead, a minor disgust with each other could be brewing.
Key Takeaways
The likelihood that NASCAR takes any penalizing action is very low. The incident had a low impact on the race. It was also one of the toughest races on a road course, with new tire packs added to the Turn 1 track limits.
There were zero post-race comments from either driver. Surely, either party may take to social media at any given moment, just as John Hunter Nemechek and Kyle Busch went at each other last week on X.
The odds of any in-race moments between the two are probably quite small. However, they are non-zero. If Hocevar and Berry find themselves racing closely in the coming weeks, it is worth noting that the drivers now have a history, even if minor. They could get testy upon racing closely. That adds something to watch as soon as next week's All-Star Race at Dover.
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This story was originally published May 10, 2026 at 5:21 PM.