Christopher Bell gives icy answer when pressed on Carson Hocevar incident at Atlanta a week removed

Carson “Hurricane” Hocevar more than lives up to his nickname as arguably NASCAR’s most aggressive driver, a reputation that’s already caused plenty of controversy this young season. In fact, it sounds like Hoceaver is building quite the enemies list along pit row after wrecking Christopher Bell on the final overtime lap to secure his first NASCAR Cup series last weekend in Atlanta.

Hocevar sent Bell’s No. 20 Toyota into the outside wall when he attempted to split the gap between Bell and then-race leader Bubba Wallace on the first overtime restart of Sunday’s Autotrader 400. After originally declining to discuss the wreck, or the cause, Bell recently provided a particularly cold response when asked again about his reaction to what happened with Hocevar last weekend in Atlanta.

“Yeah, certainly I’ve gone back and looked at it. So, I’ve got my perception of what happened, and he has his, so that’s it,” Bell recently told The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck. “Everyone handles situations and conflicts differently, and I have my ways of going about it and he has his ways of going about it, so that’s what I’ll say on that.”

Interesting choice of words for Bell, who isn’t necessarily known for seeking retribution on the track, but could certainly make room for the occasional exception.

Hocevar has taken plenty of criticism this week after Atlanta, including from NASCAR veterans Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney, who offered the controversial driver advice on how to clean up his act on the racetrack. Other members of the NASCAR community, such as legend Richard Petty, have compared Hocevar’s aggresive style to “The Intimidator” Dale Earnhardt Sr.

Earlier this week, Hocevar defended why he chose not to extend an olive branch to Bell following the race and explain his actions that led to Bell wrecking.

“I feel like we’re racing,” Hocevar said on the Gluckcast. “I don’t know what me saying anything would do for him. I don’t really like the conversation stuff. I feel like if he has to race me harder, me saying anything is not really going to change that. … I feel like everything is on the racetrack, and the rest is just noise.”

Hocevar then explained why he sent a text to Blaney after also running him into the fence at Atlanta.

“I texted Blaney because I don’t like that stuff, even when I’m on the receiving end,” Hocevar continued. “Actions mean a lot more on the racetrack. I texted Blaney mainly because I was fighting demons in my race car at that point, and I pounded the fence in front of him. I just wanted to let him know why I did that. I was like. ‘I’m so sorry. I had to make them change my car, I was really, really tight, I knocked the fence down three times myself because I was so bad in dirty air.'”