Hocevar Suspended, Fined $100K After Martinsville Meltdown

NASCAR Championship Schedule: When & Where to Watch, TV Timings, Lineup, Race Odds, Purse & More

The NASCAR season is down to one final weekend, and three championships are about to be decided under the Florida sun.

Homestead-Miami Speedway returns as the host of the season-ending showdown for the first time since 2019, bringing the Cup, O’Reilly Auto Parts and Craftsman Truck Series title races together at one venue.

With practice, qualifying and championship battles spread across three days, fans will have plenty to keep track of.

Here’s everything to know about the Homestead weekend, including the schedule, TV timings, lineups, race odds and prize money.

As reported by Bob Pockrass on X, the action begins Thursday, November 5, with Truck Series practice at 6:30 p.m. ET on NASCAR Channel.

Friday, November 6, brings a packed schedule, starting with Truck Series qualifying at 2:30 p.m. on FS2.

O’Reilly Series practice follows at 4 p.m. on the CW App and ESPN Unlimited, before Cup Series practice gets underway at 5:30 p.m. on truTV.

The Truck Series Championship race closes the day at 7:30 p.m. on FS1, with drivers tackling a 30-30-74 lap stage format.

Saturday, November 7, begins with O’Reilly Series qualifying at 1 p.m. ET on the CW App and ESPN Unlimited.

Cup Series qualifying follows at 2:30 p.m. on truTV, setting the starting order for Sunday’s title decider.

The O’Reilly Series Championship race takes place at 5:00 p.m. on The CW, with a 45-45-110 lap stage format.

The weekend then reaches its biggest moment Sunday, November 8, when NBC broadcasts the Cup Series Championship at 3:00 p.m. ET.

The 267-lap race will feature an 80-85-102 stage format.

The Cup Series title fight appears to be Kyle Larson’s to lose.

He enters Homestead with a 67-point advantage over Christopher Bell and a 70-point advantage over Denny Hamlin.

Larson needs just nine points to secure his third championship in six seasons.

NASCAR’s Racing Insights projects his title chances at 99.4%.

The O’Reilly Series battle is much tighter.

Justin Allgaier leads the standings, but Jesse Love trails by only 22 points.

Corey Day is 23 points back, followed by Carson Kvapil at 31 and Sheldon Creed at 42.

All five remain mathematically eligible heading into Saturday’s 200-lap showdown.

In the Truck Series, Kaden Honeycutt holds a 20-point advantage over Layne Riggs.

Both drivers are chasing their first championship, making Friday night’s 134-lap contest particularly important.

The entry lists include 40 Cup cars, 38 O’Reilly Series cars and 35 Truck Series entries.

Qualifying will determine the starting order for each championship race.

But the biggest story entering Homestead is not about points or practice times.

It is about a driver who will not be racing at all.

Carson Hocevar has been suspended by Spire Motorsports and fined $100,000 by NASCAR following incidents at Martinsville Speedway.

The penalty comes after the Truck Series race at the Virginia short track, where Hocevar was involved in multiple on-track altercations.

NASCAR officials reviewed the incidents and determined the actions warranted a significant penalty.

Spire Motorsports, Hocevar’s team, went a step further by suspending him from driving for the organization.

This means Hocevar will not participate in the season finale at Homestead.

The suspension and fine effectively end his 2026 season early.

NASCAR’s rulebook gives the sanctioning body broad authority to penalize drivers for actions deemed detrimental to the sport.

Section 12.8 of the NASCAR Rule Book covers behavioral penalties, including fines, suspensions and loss of points.

A $100,000 fine is among the larger monetary penalties NASCAR has issued in recent years for on-track conduct.

The suspension means Hocevar is barred from competing in any NASCAR-sanctioned event during the suspension period.

Spire Motorsports has not released a detailed statement explaining the internal suspension beyond confirming the action.

NASCAR typically does not comment further on penalties once they are announced, leaving the ruling as the final word.

The incidents at Martinsville drew attention because of the championship implications.

Hocevar was competing in the Truck Series race, which had playoff implications for several drivers.

His actions on track affected the running order and possibly the outcome of the race.

Martinsville Speedway is known for its tight, flat layout that often leads to contact and tempers flaring.

But NASCAR determined that what happened went beyond typical short-track racing incidents.

The fine and suspension serve as a warning to other drivers about the consequences of aggressive or retaliatory driving.

For Spire Motorsports, the decision to suspend their own driver reflects a zero-tolerance approach.

Teams sometimes take internal action to demonstrate to NASCAR and sponsors that they hold their drivers accountable.

Hocevar’s absence from Homestead means Spire will have to field a substitute driver for any Truck Series commitments.

The team has not announced who will replace Hocevar for the finale.

Hocevar, 22, has been a rising figure in the NASCAR Truck Series, known for aggressive driving and strong results.

He has multiple wins in the series and was considered a contender in races this season.

This penalty is the most significant of his career.

The Martinsville race was part of the buildup to the championship weekend at Homestead.

Now, instead of preparing for the finale, Hocevar is watching from the sidelines.

The Homestead weekend will proceed with the remaining Truck Series championship contenders.

Kaden Honeycutt and Layne Riggs are the two drivers in position to win the Truck Series title.

Neither is directly affected by Hocevar’s suspension, but the incidents that led to it occurred during their championship race.

The O’Reilly Series and Cup Series championships will be decided as scheduled.

NASCAR’s season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway marks the first time since 2019 that the track has hosted the championship weekend.

The track features progressive banking, with turns banked at 18 to 20 degrees, allowing multiple racing grooves.

Homestead has historically produced close finishes and dramatic championship moments.