Hard-charging Carson Hocevar doesn't want to 'have regrets' in NASCAR career

LONG POND, Pennsylvania — For better or worse, Carson Hocevar has been in the headlines nonstop for the past month. 

Flashes of brilliance in races at Charlotte, Nashville and Michigan have been matched by a pair of incidents with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at Nashville and Mexico City and a $50,000 fine for derogatory comments he made about Mexico City on a livestream. 

As a lifelong NASCAR fan, Hocevar has seen just about every conceivable story play out, save for his own. His career is one that, in just its second year, has already produced enough memorable moments for a decade. 

Hocevar's uber-aggressive driving style and his abundance of pace have clashed several times in his young career. That's not exactly a brand-new story in NASCAR history, but it's one that Hocevar isn't shying away from. 

"I've been a fan forever," Hocevar said. "You always saw the rookie get pushed around (and) have to pay their dues. I was just like, 'man, if I'm ever in that spot, I'm never going to get pushed around.' That's how you lose opportunities. You never know how long you're going to be in the garage. None of us have a shot clock waiting on us." 

That sense of urgency makes Hocevar want to take advantage whenever an opportunity presents itself, even if his eventual actions are ill-advised. 

"I want to take advantage of every opportunity out there," Hocevar said. "(I want to) have no regrets of the effort I put in. Maybe at times, instead of not letting myself get pushed over, I'm trying to push other people over and that was the wrong decision and wrong mindset at times. I didn't want to leave anything on the racetrack.

"As long as I was putting 100 percent, I wouldn't have any regrets on how anything turned out. Sometimes when you're going 110 (percent), there's times when you're like, 'I didn't really need to do that'."

Hocevar's aggression and speed are a dangerous combination. Whether that definition is positive or negative depends on who you ask. 

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.