Carson Hocevar and Chase Elliott exchanged blows several times during Stage 2 of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series playoffs opener at Darlington Raceway. Hocevar, who is currently in his sophomore season in the series, called out the Hendrick Motorsports driver following an on-track spat.

The 367-lap race, named the Cook Out Southern 500, marked the opening race of the 2025 playoffs. Towards the end of Lap 1, a bruising wreck unfolded, causing Elliott to get squeezed down the track while looking for a lane in the process.

Hocevar was turned sideways, which left him fuming at the former Cup Series champion. Quoted by journalist Matt Weaver, Hocevar told the reporters,

“F*ck him. I don’t care who he drives for.”

Hocevar wasn’t ready to cut Elliott any slack, even though Hendrick Motorsports happens to be the source of engines for the former’s team. The duo will meet again next week for the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway. Scheduled for September 7, the 240-lap race will be televised on USA (3 pm ET) with radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Chase Elliott isn’t the first driver Hocevar has had issues with this season. The Spire Motorsports driver ruffled feathers with other Cup Series regulars like Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Zane Smith, and Brad Keselowski due to his aggressive driving style.

Hocevar didn’t qualify for the playoffs this year, unlike Chase Elliott, who made the cut through his win at Atlanta in June. The Dawsonville native now sits seventh in the Championship standings, with a seven-point cushion above the cutoff line and 19 points behind the current points leader and his teammate, Kyle Larson.

When Chase Elliott broke the silence on his beef with Kyle Larson

Rumors surfaced that Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson were not on good terms since there were multiple collisions between the Hendrick Motorsports teammates at Iowa Speedway on August 3. Larson had to settle for a disappointing P28 finish that day, while Elliott was able to salvage a top-15.

Ahead of the following week’s race at Watkins Glen, Larson was asked about the rumored beef with the #9 driver. Larson said,

“Everybody’s making a big deal about Chase. I really wasn’t that mad at Chase, and too, after seeing the replays and stuff, I was less frustrated. I move on from things quickly. I don’t really even think that there was a need for a conversation. I’ve ran into him way more, so no, I’m all good and moved on from it.”

When asked about the same, Chase Elliott said that he wasn’t aware that there was an issue and that they would talk if they needed to. That being said, Watkins Glen didn’t go any better for the HMS duo, as Larson finished 39th and Elliott finished 26th.