Denny Hamlin and Carson Hocevar collided repeatedly in the battered Ford Crown Victorias of Cleetus McFarland’s 2.4 Hours of LeMullets race in Bradenton, Florida, turning what was meant to be a low-key exhibition into a chaotic spectacle. The event on Friday, 13 November, just five days after the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, saw the drivers trading spins and contact that kept fans talking long after the checkered flag.
Hocevar and his teammate Cleetus McFarland emerged victorious, taking their second straight win at the event. Hamlin, paired with Alex Presley, finished third after a rough night that left his car heavily damaged. Hamlin posted a video on X showing the battered vehicle and joked, “Hit everything but the lottery,” according to Heavy.com.
The weekend’s raw aggression came amid ongoing consequences from the closing stages of the Cup season. Hocevar was suspended for the championship race at Homestead-Miami following an incident during the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Data showed Hocevar brake-checked Austin Cindric multiple times, causing terminal damage to Cindric’s car. NASCAR handed Hocevar a $100,000 fine and docked 25 driver points. Spire Motorsports replaced him with Justin Haley for the finale.
Jeff Dickerson, co-owner of Spire, described the suspension as the toughest decision of his career during an appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. He said the punishment was meant as a lesson. “Well, yeah, I mean for a race car driver, I don’t think there’s any worse punishment than having to sit there and watch your car go around in circles,” Dickerson said. He compared the situation to taking car keys away from a teenager who missed curfew.
While Hocevar faces repercussions, Hamlin has turned his attention to the return of Kasey Kahne, who will race full-time again in 2027 after an eight-year absence. Hamlin expressed skepticism about the advantage Kahne’s experience might bring. “Experience will work against him,” Hamlin said, as reported by AOL.com. He pointed out that younger drivers like Riggs and Honeycutt have recent data and race notes from their trucks, whereas Kahne will have to catch up. Kahne’s previous record includes five wins in six Truck Series starts, but the gap in actual racing time presents a challenge.
The aggressive style that Hocevar displayed this weekend remains a subject of debate within Spire Motorsports. Dickerson acknowledged the team appreciates Hocevar’s fire but drew a clear line regarding his conduct at Martinsville. “That’s not what we saw at Martinsville. We don’t want to race like that. Badasses don’t back into people, right?” he said. The team expects better control and discipline going forward.
The LeMullets race revealed that despite the season ending, the drivers are far from cooling off. Hamlin and Hocevar handled the physicality of the Crown Victoria battle with gusto, but the suspension and fines from the Cup Series serve as reminders that NASCAR’s rules continue to govern driver conduct. With Kahne returning to a sport that has evolved during his hiatus, Spire Motorsports will be watching closely to see how the veteran adapts in 2027.
According to Yahoo Sports.
