With a fifth-place finish at Michigan, Carson Hocevar earned his best career Cup finish at his home state track on Sunday. However, the Hurricane left a trail of wreckage in his wake, triggering a nine-car crash during a mid-race restart. Among the wrecks was Bubba Wallace’s car, facing the results of getting in Hocevar’s path for the second race in a row. But Wallace wasn’t ready to take it on his chin.
As NASCAR’s rite of passage deems, the veteran took Hocevar to the pit wall at the Michigan International Speedway and animatedly explained why what he does is wrong. While many, like Dale Earnhardt Jr., prefer the entertaining energy Hocevar brings to the track, Wallace has one simple take:
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“Suarez is going to run you really, really hard and force you into bad spots,” Wallace said on Door Bumper Clear. “Carson is just going to put it into a hole that’s not there and either almost wreck you, (or) wreck you..
“Hocevar is a hard racer. I told him this; he’s a fast racer. But he races stupid.”
On the Lap 83 restart at Michigan, Carson Hocevar tried to force his No. 77 Chevrolet into a three-wide opening entering Turn 1 but struck the right-rear bumper of John Hunter Nemechek’s No. 42 Toyota. The contact spun Nemechek across the track and triggered a nine-car pileup that collected Bubba Wallace, Ty Gibbs, and Denny Hamlin, and ended the races of Tyler Reddick and Austin Dillon.
With 38 laps remaining, Suarez and Hocevar restarted near the front and battled each other for the lead. Suarez chose to maintain his position and preserve his equipment, while Hocevar pushed aggressively in an attempt to clear the No. 7 car. This allowed Denny to draft past them to take the win. Suarez eventually finished sixth, one spot behind Hocevar in fifth. Hocevar, however, did come clean on what he did at Michigan.
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“I was like, ‘Man, I didn’t mean to do that,’ ” Hocevar said. “I obviously feel bad that I wrecked them and everything, but my intention wasn’t to wreck anybody, really. So next time I’ll know what to do a little differently.”
Then, too, Wallace maintained the same stance on Hocevar.
“He’s one of the fastest in the field, and that’s his natural ability,” Wallace said then. “I’ve got to give respect to it. But at the same time, Kevin Harvick told me four or five years ago, ‘Stop hitting (stuff), and your finishes will show.’ And that’s what I simply tried to tell (Hocevar), man. He’s going for every move, every second. Not worth it.
That conversation Wallace had with Hocevar ended with a few nods and a couple of smiles from the third-year racer before he patted Wallace’s shoulder to defuse the tension. Not everyone, though, feels the same way as many drivers do. One of them is Dale Earnhardt Jr., who encourages Hocevar’s approach.
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While he blamed the driver for starting the Michigan wreck, he also said that NASCAR benefits from having personalities willing to push limits.
“I don’t want him to really change,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “As a fan and as a broadcaster, what he did today was make the race unique.
“I kind of like the drama that he brings,” and made a point that Hocevar’s willingness to force the issue makes races more entertaining, even when it leads to mistakes.
Earlier this year, Dale Jr. compared Hocevar’s approach to that of Dale Earnhardt Sr., saying NASCAR needs drivers who stand out rather than become “invisible.” Whether he runs after the definition of controversy or the word itself sees him as a synonym is unclear. One thing, however, is evident: Carson makes moves and rarely ever doubts them.
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The post “He races stupid” — Bubba Wallace Fires Back at Dale Jr.’s Carson Hocevar Hype Despite Garage Frustration appeared first on EssentiallySports. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
