Ricky Stenhouse Jr. didn’t enter 2025 with a silver spoon or a superteam behind him. Driving for a mid-pack team that often feels like it’s playing catch-up, he’s had to fight for every point. And, he played it smart all season, until Nashville, where he was on track to score big again before a clash with 2024’s most polarizing rookie derailed everything.

That rookie is none other than Carson Hocevar; NASCAR’s newest agent of chaos . Whether it’s fiery comments or on-track scuffles, Hocevar keeps finding himself in the spotlight. But this time, his run-in with Stenhouse Jr. didn’t just stir drama; it ended a playoff bid. And now, as Dale Earnhardt Jr. sees it, this incident goes beyond just points; it’s about respect.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. predicts playoff tensions

During the Cracker Bar

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