​Front Row Motorsports’ Zane Smith did not hold back during his appearance on the Bussin with the Boys podcast, where he bluntly voiced his opinions about Carson Hocevar. The two had a high-profile incident at Chicagoland last weekend, when Smith collided with Hocevar from behind and then crashed into the wall himself in a separate incident involving Spire Motorsport’s Hocevar. The two drivers were previously teammates at Spire, adding another layer to the ongoing tension.
The episode, which also featured Riley Herbst of 23XI Racing, opened with the hosts showing a lineup of Cup Series stars and asking the panel to describe each driver in a single word. When Hocevar’s photo appeared, Smith did not mince words: “Bumf***,” he said. The comment sparked a deeper discussion about Smith’s issues with Hocevar and what he perceives as Hocevar’s dual demeanor.
Smith claimed Hocevar tries to strike up conversations after races, telling people he doesn’t talk to anyone on the track, while simultaneously projecting a different image. “He’ll try to talk to you after the race, saying, ‘I don’t talk to anybody out there’—he’s full of crap,” Smith asserted. “He tries to be your buddy, and then he’ll go and screw you. So it’s like, don’t even talk to me in the first place, because one, I don’t like you, and we’re going to eventually have a run-in together, so let’s just not talk in the first place.”
Smith admitted to putting on an act himself and pointed to a past Iowa incident as an example. He described an exchange in which Hocevar spun him out, causing a nose-to-nose conflict. He explained that Hocevar would later appear to make amends in the race, yet would go on social media to post harsh messages, which Smith interpreted as cowardly behavior. “If you’re going to be the guy hiding behind social media, that’s a coward in my opinion. Act that way in person. Say that to my face—but don’t be one way in person and then hide behind your phone,” Smith said on the podcast.
The conversation touched on the broader online reaction to the Chicagoland clash. Hocevar’s growing fan base has been vocal on social media, and Smith described the online support as intense and unwelcome. He likened Hocevar’s supporters to the infamous South Park “huge guy typing on the keyboard” character, suggesting they are emblematic of the keyboard-warrior culture he finds frustrating.
When the topic moved to whether Hocevar has the worst fan base in the Cup Series, Smith did not hesitate. He indicated that Hocevar’s supporters are, in his view, the strongest example of the online contingent he finds most difficult to deal with. The discussion underscored a broader theme in motorsports: the tension between on-track rivalry and online personas that can amplify conflicts outside of the race track.
For readers seeking more insights into NASCAR and related developments, Motorsport.com provides extensive coverage and analysis across its site, including features on payback scenarios, driver dynamics, and the evolving relationships within the Cup Series. This episode and its content illustrate how in modern racing, rivalries extend beyond the track into social media and public perception, influencing teams, drivers, and fans alike.