Spire Motorsports has elected to internally reprimand NASCAR Cup Series driver Carson Hocevar, following insensitive remarks that were made about Mexico City in a recent livestream on Twitch.
In a statement released on Tuesday evening, the organization states that it will be fining Hocevar $50,000 – a fine which will be equally donated between three charities serving Mexican communities (Mexican Red Cross, Un Kilo de Ayuda, and United Way Mexico).
The 22-year-old driver will also be required to attend a mandatory cultural-sensitivity and bias-awareness training course.
This past weekend’s Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City marked the first NASCAR Cup Series event to ever be held in Mexico, and the first points-paying event to be held outside of the United States since 1958.
In the lead-up to the highly-anticipated event, Hocevar was asked on a Twitch livestream his thoughts about NASCAR traveling to Mexico City, to which he responded: “This whole experience, if the travel was better, if getting here was easier, if you felt safer getting to and from everywhere, if it wasn’t such a shithole, if the track limits were a little better enforced, if it was going to be a little better race and it [didn’t] feel so locked down, like you can’t leave anywhere, it would be an absolute great experience. If you take all those out, it’s unbelievable. It’s great.”
According to Spire Motorsports, these disciplinary actions “are consistent with Spire Motorsports’ core value of RESPECT, which is something [they] proudly display on every race car, team uniform, trackside hauler, and digital channel.”
“Respect is not a slogan. It is a daily expectation that we ‘walk the walk’ in how we speak, compete, and serve the communities that welcome our sport,” the statement reads. “Carson Hocevar’s recent comments made during the livestream fell short of that standard. They did not represent the views of Spire Motorsports, our partners, or NASCAR.”
“He has acknowledged his mistake publicly, and his prompt, sincere apology demonstrated personal accountability. We now take this additional step to underscore that words carry weight, and respect must be lived out loud.”
The organization says that it has run these penalties by NASCAR and that they have appeased the sanctioning body’s requirements for situations like these.
After 11:00 pm ET on Sunday, Hocevar posted an apology to his social media, which starts with: “Maybe a kid that had never been out of the country until Thursday should ever give an opinion about what any place is like other than Portage, Michigan.”
Maybe a kid that had never been out of the country until Thursday should ever give an opinion about what any place is like other than Portage, Michigan.
When I answered that question on a stream, I was skeptical about the trip so far and believed everything I read or heard…
— Carson Hocevar (@CarsonHocevar) June 16, 2025
Hocevar did not have his best showing Sunday in Mexico City, finishing 34th after multiple run-ins with Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., which led to a post-race discussion between the two drivers after the race.
