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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Criticizes NASCAR Driver's Racing Strategy

Originally posted on The Spun | By Chris Rosvoglou | Last updated Jun 12, 2025 10:40 AM ET

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s transition from NASCAR driver to TV analyst has been a successful one because he's not afraid to be brutally honest. He proved that again this week.

With last Sunday's race at Michigan International Speedway in the books, Earnhardt shared his thoughts on Carson Hocevar's performance. The talented Spire Motorsports driver settled for 29th place despite landing top-10 finishes in Stages 1 and 2.

On this week's episode of the "Dale Jr. Download," Earnhardt shared his thoughts on Hocevar falling short of a victory at Michigan.

"They had another week where they had a chance to win the race. I can’t really say, though, he had a chance to win," Earnhardt said, via On3. "They didn’t have the fuel. If they ran long enough and the caution comes out and everybody’s like 'Ah, enough laps left, we all go to come get tires,' then maybe he’s got the track position and there’s a chance to win. But if the race goes green, he didn’t have the fuel."

Earnhardt then made it clear that he didn't really like Hocevar's aggressive driving style last weekend.

"Hocevar lost 14 points to the bubble. I’m not sure where they might have ended up if they didn’t make that gamble, but he’s 18 points out of the playoffs, lost 14 to the bubble. If they take the 10th or the 12th or the eighth place… He didn’t have the fuel to get to the finish. Anybody with a top-15 or top-20 car could have tried that strategy and led the race and looked just like him."

Just over a week ago, Earnhardt compared Hocevar to his late father because of his driving style.

"I think the guy reminds me of like a 1979 Dale Earnhardt - fast, not scared to use his front bumper, doesn't care if someone gets mad about it," Dale Jr. said on his podcast. "I say that to maybe encourage Carson to continue what he's doing because Dale Earnhardt ended up becoming a seven-time champion, and that aggressive style was something that endeared him to a lot of people."

Does this mean Earnhardt is out on Hocevar? Not exactly. He just wants the 22-year-old driver to learn how to throttle back at times.

Earnhardt isn't the only prominent figure in the NASCAR community who believes Hocevar has some learning to do this season. The winner of last weekend's Michigan race, Denny Hamlin, offered him some advice.

"Absolutely, just a superstar when it comes to actual raw talent," Hamlin said, via NASCAR.com. "When he figures out how to harness that, pick and choose the moments where he is aggressive, he’s going to put it all together and just be the next whoever

Hocevar will try to bounce back this Sunday when the Cup Series heads over to Mexico City.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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