Denny Hamlin Breaks Silence on Carson Hocevar Hijacking his Nickname

Carson Hocevar has emerged as one of the better young drivers on the NASCAR grid. The 22-year-old has a bright future ahead of him if he keeps up with a similar killer racing attitude on the track. Although Hocevar has faced his fair share of backlash on his driving style, his performance at Iowa gave him the ‘Hurricane Hocevar’ title, one that was previously held by Denny Hamlin. Now, the JGR veteran opens up about his feelings on having his nickname stolen.

Carson Hocevar‘s risky performance at the Iowa Corn 350 received a lot of mixed opinions from people in the sport. The 22-year-old received a lot of harsh comments from Zane Smith and Co. after the culmination of the race on Sunday. Although Hocevar started in P7 and ultimately finished in P8, he still managed to drive through multiple accidents and keep his car in the race.

As Carson Hocevar tried to charge the grid for a top-five finish at Iowa, the NBC announcer labeled him as ‘Hurricane Hocevar’. This nickname overshadowed Denny Hamlin‘s nickname, which he has been holding onto since his early karting days. The 44-year-old asserted that his nickname had been around for ages, even though no one got the hang of it in NASCAR.

Denny Hamlin asserted that ‘Hurricane Hamlin’ was initially his nickname, which he held onto for years. Hamlin even has proof of ownership of the title. The JGR veteran revealed that he had t-shirts with this nickname printed on them, which further proved that he was the rightful owner of the nickname. However, there isn’t much the 44-year-old could do in the matter as no one really called him ‘Hurricane Hamlin’ in NASCAR.

Hurricane Hamlin. It’s been around for years. I’ve got t-shirts.

Denny Hamlin said on Actions Detrimental podcast.

Denny Hamlin ‘doesn’t give a s**t’ about having his nickname stolen

Denny Hamlin is excelling in his career, especially in the 2025 season. The 44-year-old has amassed four victories in this year alone as he continues his hunt for his maiden Cup Series championship in NASCAR. While many strong contenders will not make Hamlin’s life easy in the playoffs, he is ready to give it his all. Keeping in mind his success in the Cup Series, the JGR star insisted that he did not care about Carson Hocevar and his new title.