Carson Hocevar had admitted earlier this season that making friends in the NASCAR garage has never been his priority. And now it’s looking more accurate by the week.
The Spire Motorsports driver has always shown his win-at-all-costs mentality in the Cup Series, and at 23 years old, that approach has helped making him as one of the sport’s most naturally gifted young talents.
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Week after week, Hocevar continues to show he has the speed to run with NASCAR’s best. But his speed was never the problem. The problem is that the garage believe his decision-making hasn’t caught up to that talent yet. At what point doest aggressive driving stop being a youthful enthusiasm and starts being a real problem?
Michigan may have been the latest example. Hocevar found himself at the center of another controversial moment Sunday when contact with John Hunter Nemechek triggered a multi-car accident during Stage 2. The wreck collected many other cars and frustration was immediate from drivers throughout the field.
Austin Dillon was among the first to voice his displeasure. “I hope at some point he figures it out. I know I’m not going to show anything to him for a long time,” Dillon said over his team radio.
The frustration wasn’t limited to drivers.
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Richard Childress offered his own colorful assessment after the incident.
“Any time their eyes are that close together, it means they’ve got a small brain,” Childress said.
Criticism has become a familiar storyline for Hocevar. While the Michigan native has never hidden the fact that winning matters more to him than popularity, the list of frustrated drivers is growing with every incident.
John Hunter Nemechek, whose race was heavily impacted by the crash, didn’t hide his feelings.“You can count on Hocevar to junk up s-”.
Even drivers who escaped major damage spoke up.
“Seems like he’s at least good for a few of those each week,” William Byron said.
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Carson Hocevar’s Talent Has Never Been the Question
Carson Hocevar No.77. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
His driving is frustrting because many of Hocevar’s peers openly acknowledge how talented he is. Bubba Wallace was honest about it.
After finishing third at Michigan, Wallace sought out Hocevar for a long conversation on pit road. The discussion appeared intense from a distance, but Wallace later explained that it was more about helping him understand what is holding him back.
“I said ‘I’m jealous of how fast you are, kid.’ No doubt, he’s one of the fastest in the field, and that’s just natural ability.”
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But Wallace then shared an advice he once received from Kevin Harvick.
“Stop hitting shit, and your finishes will show.”
Wallace believes Hocevar already has the speed needed to become a race winner and championship contender. What he lacks is the consistency and patience that veteran drivers develop over time.
“He’s fast, he’s going for every move every second, and it’s not worth it. He’s creating a lot of enemies. This is the same old story, same old Hocevar.”
That’s the challenge facing Hocevar moving forward.
The speed is there. The results are startging to show. He left Michigan with a top-five finish, earned his first ever Cup win at Talladega a few weeks earlier and is in the playoff conversation.
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But if Hocevar truly isn’t concerned with making friends in the garage, the reactions after Michigan show the other side of that equation. Every controversial incident makes it a little harder to earn the trust and respect of the drivers he races against every week.
After all, it is his third season at Cup Series level. At some point, the NASCAR garage stops viewing aggressive driving as youthful enthusiasm and starts viewing it as a problem. Right now, Hocevar is dangerously close to that line.
And judging by the reaction after Michigan, some believe he’s already crossed it.
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