SPEEDWAY, Ind. — There’s a new rivalry blossoming in the NASCAR Cup Series and it appears poised to last for many years into the future.
Dating back to their days in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Corey Heim and Carson Hocevar have had more than their share of run-ins and they’ve made it very clear they don’t like each other.
But that rivalry took another step forward during Sunday’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as the pair had a run-in on the track and traded barbs after Heim won the race in one of the biggest upsets in Brickyard 400 history.
Durin the first half of the race, the two drivers were on separate pit strategy with Heim running mere feet ahead of Hocevar, who believed Heim was holding up his progress.
When Heim pitted, Hocevar pulled alongside and smoothly flipped Heim the bird.
Heim went on to lead the final 34 laps of the race and collect his second Cup Series victory. Hocevar finished ninth.
“I’m just a fan, wanted to wave. He’s number one. He won,” Hocevar told NASCAR.com. “It’s fine. We don’t like each other, but we race really hard and his stuff’s super fast, obviously. Yeah, the car he’s in, but he does a really, really good job with it. I’m looking forward to, when we get our stuff a little better, being in front of him, and maybe holding him off.”
During post-race interviews, Heim acknowledged he was trying to keep his rival behind him.
“I was blocking him, not really too bad, I thought,” Heim said. “I mean, I was trying to just hold my position, and I never threw like a bad block. I was just trying to protect my entry, and he didn’t like it, but he lost, and I won, so I don’t really care.”
Heim, 24, is running a part-time Cup Series schedule for 23XI Racing before joining the series full time next season. Hocevar, 23, is in his third full season in the Cup Series racing for Spire Motorsports.
Heim was not concened about the incident with Hocevar.
“Where did he finish today?” Heim asked. “You guys love talking about a guy who finished ninth. I mean, holy crap,” Heim said. “Yeah, I mean, all I did was make sure he stayed behind me, and I did, and I finished in front of him. I don’t worry about a narrative or a genre.
“Like, he’s got a ton of talent, and he’s going to win a lot of races, and I’m focused on myself and trying to do the same. That’s really all there is to it.”
Stay tuned.
