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Carson Hocevar Sends Strong Message to Rival Drivers Amid 'On-Track Aggression'

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Andrew McCarty | Last updated Feb 24, 2025 9:54 AM ET

Over the weekend 22-year-old driver Carson Hocevar earned his best-ever finish in Sunday’s Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

NASCAR described Hocevar as using his "on-track aggression" to finish second in the race - but also ruffle a few feathers along the way. Hocevar was involved in a number of close calls during the race, eventually causing Ryan Blaney to spin out after the young driver bumped him in a turn.

“I wasn’t slowing,” Blaney said after the race. “He was drafting to me, and he didn’t lift and just gave me a shot when I’m turning into [Turn] 1, and it spun me out. I was just happy I didn’t hook a right back into everybody and was able to stay on the apron.”

Hocevar, meanwhile, doesn't seem too concerned with the opinions of other drivers.

“We’re here to win races, not be a boy band and love each other and play on the playground together,” Hocevar said after the race. “So obviously, there’s learning lessons. You don’t want to piss anybody off or frustrate anybody, and there’s things I would clean up for sure. But it’s just going to come with learning."

He suggested he's normally near the back of the pack during a race, waiting for other cars to wreck so he has a chance to move up. With his No. 77 running well, he wanted to take full advantage of his opportunity.

“Again, I’m normally 40th, waiting for them to crash and hoping they crash, and I finish in the teens. So, to be up front and get stage points in both stages and have a shot to win is something to hold my (head) high. … And I’ve always said I’m a really bad superspeedway racer, so this at least gives me a little bit more confidence.”

Hocevar did admit there's a few things he needs to clean up, but didn't offer apologies to his rival drivers.

“Again, there’s things I would clean up,” Hocevar said. “But you’re not gonna make the right decisions every time, especially with how fast we’re going and how many runs is happening, and I can only apologize and say I’m gonna get better.”

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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