Carson Hocevar caused a major collision that ruined Austin Cindric’s race at Martinsville Speedway. The NASCAR Cup Series event ended with a chaotic pile-up on the final lap, all due to the actions of Spire Motorsports’ young driver. This unfortunate incident completely disrupted the race for Team Penske’s Austin Cindric, who had previously won the Daytona 500 in 2022. The damage sustained by Cindric’s Ford car was extensive.
The collision occurred when Carson Hocevar made a mistake and collided with Front Raw Motorsports’ driver. This contact then led to Austin Cindric becoming involved in the accident. Despite the severity of the incident, NASCAR officials did not display a caution flag, further compounding the issues faced by Cindric and his No:2 Ford Mustang team.
The significant damage suffered by Cindric as a result of this incident transformed what could have been a top-15 finish into a disappointing 23rd-place position. This outcome was particularly disheartening for the young driver, as a top-15 finish would have provided much-needed momentum. Since achieving a fourth-place finish in the second race of the season at Atlanta, Cindric had not been able to secure a similar result.
Following the race, Austin Cindric expressed his thoughts on the pile-up caused by Hocevar. The Team Penske driver emphasized that the incident was completely out of his control and lamented the unfortunate manner in which the race concluded. Cindric had been running inside the top 15 and had shown promising performance throughout the weekend, making the damage sustained even more devastating for his No:2 Ford Mustang Dark Horse team.
Cindric also acknowledged that he believed he had good speed throughout the NASCAR Cup Series weekend, but a poor strategic decision further hindered his race. The disappointment of this result was amplified by the fact that his championship-winning teammates finished in the top 10. Cindric remains determined to bounce back in the next NASCAR Cup Series race in Texas.