NASCAR star Carson Hocevar issues official response after being hit with HUGE punishment

Carson Hocevar has issued a lengthy statement after being handed a major punishment by his Spire Motorsports NASCAR team.

The 22-year-old caused an uproar after making insensitive comments about Mexico City on a live stream, where he was caught using derogatory language about the destination of the Viva Mexico 250.

Ahead of the first international points-paying race in the Cup Series in the modern era, Hocevar labelled Mexico City a 's**thole', and having been held accountable by Spire Motorsports since, the No.77 driver has now issued a response to the punishment.

Taking to social media platform 'X', Hocevar wrote: "Whoa everybody, the truth is the truth. I said something that not only was wrong, I said it without even laying my own two eyes on CDMX or turning one lap in an actual race at an amazing facility that welcomed me with open arms and I go and say that?

"Thank you for the support but I’m not sure we’re on the same page. You guys want me to be me? It was me who said it and it was me who apologized after actually taking the time to explore the city and feel the passion of every fan in attendance. I appreciate the opportunity to learn and I knew before this weekend what respect means to this organization and I didn’t meet the standard so I got what I deserved.

"I hate learning these lessons in the public eye and bringing any negative attention to Spire or me. We’ve been fast just about every week and I’m sure I have plenty of mistakes left in me.

"I appreciate growing up in front of all of you and you guys get to see the good and the bad. I’m just me. I’m trying. It just doesn’t always go the way I want and I bring a lot of this on myself.

"However, I love being in this garage, with this team surrounded by the best drivers and fans in the world. See you in Pocono," he concluded.

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How have Spire Motorsports responded to Hocevar's livestream comments?

NASCAR team Spire Motorsports responded to the footage of Hocevar's comments on Twitch with a statement of their own, laying out the many layers of the multi-faceted punishment they had decided was suitable for their driver.

After reviewing his live stream comments about Mexico City, the team announced that Hocevar would be fined $50,000, with the money be split between three organizations which benefit Mexican communities.

Additionally, the No.77 driver will have to attend mandatory cultural-sensitivity training and bias-awareness training to ensure his actions in the future align with the team's core values of 'RESPECT'.

After laying out the punishments awaiting Hocevar, Spire Motorsports also confirmed the suggested disciplines had been submitted to NASCAR, with the governing body reportedly content with the team's handling of the incident.

Spire Motorsports' own social media statement concluded: "We look forward to turning the page by racing hard, representing our partners, and living our values on and off the track."

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