Dropping the Hammer: The Wait for Carson Hocevar

HAMPTON, Ga. — For the first 20 minutes after Sunday’s (Feb. 23) NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the man of the hour wasn’t typical.

It was not Christopher Bell, who won his first career superspeedway event after NASCAR put out the caution on the final lap of an overtime restart following a Josh Berry crash.

It also wasn’t Kyle Larson, the Hendrick Motorsports superstar who finally earned not just his first top five, but his first top-10 result since Atlanta became a drafting track.

And no, all of the eyeballs and cameras on pit road were not patiently waiting to talk to Ryan Blaney, who had spun with 27 laps left in regulation and then roared through the field on fresh tires to a fourth-place finish.

Instead, the largest crowd of media members was found next to the No. 77 of Carson Hocevar, which had been in second place when the cautions light blinked on, inches ahead of Larson.

A dozen or more people waited to talk to the 22-year-old.

It was a long wait.

There was a short list of competitors who needed to have a word with the Spire Motorsports driver.

As Hocevar stood beside his car, taking off his safety equipment, Ross Chastain was on the other side.

He stood maybe 10-feet deep in the infield turf, his arms behind his back.

Hocevar, still wearing his helmet, looked over at the Trackhouse Racing driver. With his right hand, Chastain motioned for Hocevar to join him. Hocevar complied.

The site of Chastain with Hocevar is not new. Both are alumni of the Craftsman Truck Series team Niece Motorsports. For the last few years, Chastain has served as a mentor to the younger driver, trying to guide him through some rough patches.

And there have been plenty.

“I’ve gotten to know Carson and tried to give him advice for things I’ve done and mistakes I’ve made and good things I’ve done,” Chastain said last year at Martinsville Speedway. “There’s going to be so many decision made on and off the track, (I want) to help him make one less mistake.”

After a chaotic race where Hocevar consistently, and aggressively, made his presence known — especially in overtime – a time to mentor or provide tough love had arrived.

I saw the 77 slide the 8 at the end of the stage, causing Kyle Busch to lose several positions.

I went to MAX to watch the replay and caught a classic Kyle Busch rant.

*caution: language* pic.twitter.com/b46SY6jD6O

— Eric Estepp (@EricEstepp17) February 23, 2025

For more than two minutes the drivers talked. Chastain shook his head a lot. Hocevar talked with his hands, explaining his side of things. At one point, Chastain placed his left hand on Hocevar’s shoulder and leaned in closer as he emphasized some unknown point.

Toward the end of it, the two shook hands and began going their separate ways.

However, Chastain was still talking and it was clear he wasn’t happy.

Before the throng of media could grill Hocevar about the private meeting, Hocevar was intercepted by Blaney.

The Team Penske driver’s spin in turn 1 on lap 233 had been a result of contact from behind with Hocevar while running in the top 10.

On his team radio afterward, Blaney called Hocevar a “weapon” and a “moron.”

His words were less harsh once he was on pit road.

“I think you’ve seen it for a couple years,” Blaney said after the race. “His overaggressiveness gets him in a lot of trouble. He’s done some things that I haven’t been a fan of, hooking guys and wrecking guys on purpose. I wouldn’t say that’s just being young. I mean, it’s just not being smart. You know what I mean?

“He’s got a lot of talent, he just has to harness it a little bit better.”

Bell echoed Blaney’s criticism of Hocevar.

“He’s been around enough now that you know he’s going to be the aggressor,” Bell said. “If there’s a hole, he’s going to take it. If there’s not a hole, he’s going to make one.”

Blaney’s conversation with Hocevar lasted only 30 seconds and wasn’t nearly as intense.

“I just said, ‘Hey, you got to calm down,'” Blaney shared. “I told him a couple moves that he made earlier in the race that were really, really sketchy. Obviously, me getting spun. He should know better than to hit me in that spot. You can’t just run into my bumper as I’m turning into the corner.”

Finally, the media got their turn with Hocevar.

To start, Hocevar said it was “unfortunate” being the driver to give Bell the push that ultimately gave him the win.

He then observed his change in fortunes from a week earlier, when he finished the Daytona 500 in 30th due to a fuel pressure problem.

“Ultimately, if you put yourself in a spot to win a race, the second race of the year (is good),” Hocevar said. “I don’t even know if anybody knew we were in the race at Daytona for how bad we were with the fuel pump and everything.”

He initially had jokes when asked about his conversations with Chastain and Blaney.

“They just wanted to know [about] the new Triple Dipper at Chili’s,” Hocevar said. “So we’ll probably meet there later.”

But seriously.

“I apologize to (Blaney),” Hocevar said. “He finished fourth, so he was able to rebound, and luckily, he didn’t tear anybody else up. There’s a few things that I probably need to clean up on, but normally I’m riding 38th and trying to put myself in a decent spot to just finish in the teens.

“So this is the first time I’ve ever really been up front, especially at a superspeedway, pushing and doing everything. And I felt like I did some things right, just obviously, not everything.”

Pressed about what Chastain wanted to say to him, Hocevar went back to the jokes.

“It was literally just honestly about the Triple Dipper at Chili’s,” Hocevar said. “Obviously, that’s not true, but that’s for me and him to discuss, and if anything, maybe I’ll invite him to Chili’s.”

Asked about Chastain’s role as a mentor, Hocevar said “sometimes you agree and disagree [about] things, and ultimately I felt like I made the decision that was to win the race. And I think we’ll be able to continue to talk about it, because, obviously, we have each other’s phone numbers.”

Asked again what specifically Chastain was upset about, Hocevar again avoided the topic.

“That’s for him to tell y’all or explain,” Hocevar said. “I can only explain my side.”

Of his many run-ins on Sunday, Hocevar was asked if he felt like he hadn’t done himself any favors.

“[I finished] second,” Hocevar said. “We’re here to win races, not be a boy band and love each other and play on the playground together. 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 going to come with learning.”