The rivalry between Carson Hocevar and Corey Heim took a fascinating turn on Sunday afternoon at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Videos by FanBuzz
This battle featured frustration behind the wheel, a middle finger out the window by the entrance to pit road, and Heim getting the last laugh after he won his first crown jewel race.
"Yeah, I handed him a big fat L after that one," Heim said during his post-race interview with TNT Sports.
— Skid (@WhoisSkid) July 26, 2026
This comment referenced an unexpected moment early in the Cup Series race. Hocevar, the early leader in Sunday's Brickyard 400, had made his pit stop under green flag conditions. He fell one lap down, but he could get his lap back by simply passing Heim.
This did not happen despite Heim racing on older tires. The 23XI Racing driver continued to aero block his rival, keeping him trapped and sparking angry comments from Hocevar.
As Heim went to pull off the track to make his pit stop, the Spire Motorsports driver veered very close to the commitment line and the pit road wall. He drove one-handed while flipping off Heim for several seconds.
LAMBERT: “We’re not going to win the race on Lap 89 passing Corey Heim.”
HOCEVAR: “Yeah, he’s irrelevant to me.”
Hocevar running hot on the radio, being held up (one lap down) by Heim, who has yet to pit.
He will still be P3 when everything cycles through. #NASCAR
— Cole Cusumano (@Cole_Cusumano_) July 26, 2026
"(Hocevar) didn't really like it," Heim later said during his post-race press conference. "But he lost and I won, so I don't really care."
This conflict between the two drivers is nothing new. They have butted heads since their days in the Craftsman Truck Series, especially so since the 2023 championship race at Phoenix Raceway.
Heim had the lead in the championship battle, and it appeared that he would defeat fellow contenders Ben Rhodes, Grant Enfinger, and Hocevar. Yet, Hocevar made an aggressive move to the inside and wrecked Heim, knocking him out of contention for the title.
Heim responded by later wrecking Hocevar to ensure that he would not win the title. Rhodes ultimately won his second championship.
They mostly parted ways as Hocevar moved up to the Cup Series while Heim continued dominating in the Truck Series. Yet, their rivalry bubbled up again on Naval Base Coronado this season.
Heim spun Hocevar in the closing laps. He went on to win his first Cup Series race in what was only his 13th career start. Hocevar went from contending for the win to finishing 19th.
"I haven't raced him a whole lot in the last three years, but at the end of the day, I mean, he wiped me out for a championship," Heim said during a June appearance on The Gluckcast.
"So I'm always going to kind of hold that grudge against him."
Make no mistake — this rivalry will only continue over the next several years. Heim will move up to the Cup Series on a full-time basis in 2027. Hocevar already has a guaranteed spot at Spire Motorsports after signing a long-term contract extension.
These two drivers will continue to race around each other frequently, especially if their respective teams continue to show the same speed. This will certainly lead to fireworks on the track while adding some spice to the sport.
