Carson Hocevar, Zane Smith Say NASCAR Meeting Changed Nothing
· Yahoo Sports
NASCAR hoped a Saturday meeting with Carson Hocevar and Zane Smith would cool one of the Cup Series garage’s most talked-about rivalries.
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Instead, both drivers left EchoPark Speedway making it clear very little had changed.
The meeting came one week after the latest flashpoint between the two drivers at Chicagoland Speedway, where contact reignited an already tense relationship. NASCAR chose not to issue penalties following the race, but series officials did summon both drivers to meet before Sunday’s Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart.
By the time qualifying wrapped up Saturday, it was obvious the conversation had not produced much common ground.
Zane Smith didn’t hide how he feels
Smith was blunt when asked whether the meeting had improved the situation.
“I just don’t like him,” Smith told reporters.
Asked what came out of the discussion with NASCAR officials, Smith replied:
“I think we both understand where we’re at with everything, but it doesn’t change how much he dislikes me and how much I dislike him.”
Smith was later asked whether he believed the two could race each other without another incident.
“No,” he answered.
When pressed on whether his issues with Hocevar stem from his aggressive driving style, his personality, or both, Smith responded simply:
“It’s both.”
Smith added that he has no problems with other competitors but made it clear he would respond if Hocevar crossed the line again.
“I have no problem with anyone else, and I’m not going to go create the trouble,” Smith said. “I believe in racing people like they race me. But if he brings that to me, we’ll go from there.”
Carson Hocevar was equally surprised by the meeting
Hocevar, meanwhile, questioned why NASCAR felt a meeting was necessary in the first place.
“I’ve never been called to the hauler after getting wrecked,” Hocevar said. “It’s funny. It seemed like a racing deal.”
Asked whether he could move forward without another incident involving Smith, Hocevar indicated he already had.
“I already did. I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “I told the guys in the NASCAR hauler, if you expect it to continue, I don’t know if I would have picked this week. We’re going to Atlanta. If we were going to Martinsville or something, yeah, it makes sense. I don’t know if you could wreck anybody intentionally here at Atlanta. It will be hard to do.”
Hocevar also defended the competitive tension between the two drivers.
“That’s what drives the sport, passion and clashing,” he said. “It’s good.”
Taken together, the comments painted a clear picture. NASCAR may have hoped Saturday’s meeting would ease tensions before another race weekend, but neither driver sounded interested in changing his opinion of the other. With both competitors leaving the conversation standing firmly behind their positions, one of the Cup Series’ most closely watched rivalries appears far from over.