Did You Notice? … The criticism of Carson Hocevar seems to only be getting more ridiculous?
Let’s be clear here — this piece is not to ignore Hocevar’s mistakes or continue to draw comparisons to The Intimidator, Dale Earnhardt. Comparing anyone to Earnhardt still feels inappropriate.
But at the same time, recent jabs thrown at the young phenom have only aroused a double standard within NASCAR from multiple groups.
The hottest question over the past decade is how, if ever, will NASCAR return to its peak?
To be clear, the answer is that it likely won’t happen, though a boom is certainly within reach. Casual viewership, attendance and interest across sports has dropped overall, an effect of several factors like social media, content at your fingertips, and changing business models that have caused controversy.
But there have been internal contingencies that have impacted NASCAR in a negative way, and one of the largest factors is the marketability of drivers. Walk up to a non-viewer on the street, and chances are that they can’t name five active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series. Even then, the ones they can name likely are because of off-track matters.
Drivers haven’t lost personality or the ability to connect with fans, but the lack of marketability of the sport’s stars is a result of brand image in relation to sponsor expectations, NASCAR’s and the team’s image and internal restrictions of what drivers can do in the public eye. The parity of the Next Gen car and close quarters of its spec features has decreased star power as well, though cracks are starting to emerge in that wall.
For years now, fans, media, and even industry personnel have yearned for more flavors to a rather vanilla landscape. Even the drivers have expressed a strong desire to allow them to show more personality outside of the car.
Enter Hocevar into the equation. The third-year driver has many of the qualities that divert from the status quo. He’s immensely talented, connects with young fans, enjoys life off the track, is extremely active on social media and doesn’t really seem to care what others think about him.
That last characteristic has been the focal point of his arsenal as of late, ruffling the feathers of several of his competitors, team owners and even television personalities. And in doing so, a rift has even been created in the fan base on how to view Hocevar.
Let’s present the most recent example: Sunday’s race at Sonoma Raceway (June 30).
On lap 64, Hocevar was following Denny Hamlin into the tight confines of turn 7 when the field stacked up. Alex Bowman got into the back of Brad Keselowski, who proceed to get into Hocevar’s rear bumper. The accordion effect shoved Hocevar into Hamlin, spinning the No. 11 and sending Hamlin to the tail of the field with race-hindering splitter damage.
Quickly, blame was assigned to Hocevar by viewers. However, a deep dive into the contact reveals that if there was any blame to place, it wasn’t on Hocevar. Was he a part of it? Absolutely, but there is clearly no intent from him to drive in and take out Hamlin.
Here’s the issue: the blame placed on Hocevar continues a string of recent criticism that, while sometimes is warranted, continues to achieve the adverse effect of what NASCAR has needed.
Even in addressing the incident on social media, Hamlin didn’t fully unload the blame off Hocevar’s shoulders, though he didn’t fully point to him for causing the incident.
The newest page of drama follows quips Kyle Larson made about Hocevar on an episode for Bussin’ With The Boys in which Larson praised Hocevar’s talent but took a shot at his maturity.
“For me, he’s young, but he’s more immature than what his age is,” Larson said on the episode. “I have his little Twitch stream thing pop up on my Instagram feed every now and then, and I’m like, ‘Dude, this guy is like an eight-year-old.”
Larson later went on to say, “I think once he definitely harnesses himself some and kinda dials back that aggression a little bit, and manages a race better, I think he can win multiple races a year, and he’s close to that. He’s definitely gotten better over the last couple of years.”
Sure, some of Larson’s assessment is fair, and as a champion of the sport, it should be respected.
Here’s the thing though: Hocevar’s Twitch stream connects with a younger demographic that NASCAR has struggled to reach compared to the 50-plus audience. How many other drivers are moving the needle forward on that front? Criticizing a driver’s on-track behavior is one thing, but taking aim at one’s off-track actions that has gained him fans? That’s not a great look.
And in true Hocevar fashion, he was unphased by Larson’s critique after qualifying second for the Sonoma race.
In the pre-race coverage, Hocevar expanded further by telling TNT Sports “I think some of these guys take things way too seriously at times. I like just having fun, I don’t know. Yeah, it’s so easy to get a lot of them riled up.”
Yes, there is a time and place where Hocevar needs to sit and listen to the advice of his veteran colleagues. And there’s no denying that he’s made his share of mistakes. Which driver hasn’t?
The problem lies in the fact that a driver who isn’t afraid to push the limits on the track, show his wit on camera, or even goof off with buddies off the track is constantly being pressed to answer for his actions. Again, there’s a time and place where maturing and growing take place, but it can’t be forced either.
What is also striking about Hocevar is what TNT Sports broadcaster Steve Letarte said on the pre-race show, saying what he sees in Hocevar is someone who is authentic — something his fellow analyst Jamie McMurray appeared to disagree with.
Is Letarte wrong? As he mentioned, you’d be hard pressed to find a reason why Hocevar is not genuine. From purchasing old race cars (and trucks) to sharing videos of old races, Hocevar loves racing. He absolutely consumes it, and there isn’t enough appreciation for that in a time where many athletes treat their profession as a nine-to-five job.
He’s also not afraid of the limelight, evidenced by the fact that he was the first driver to attend the Met Gala since none other than Jeff Gordon in 2010. Additionally, he was named to Time Magazine’s TIME100 most influential people in sports. The only other driver named to the list was Hamlin.
If we want personalities to be relatable again within the sport and to see drivers unafraid to make bold moves on and off the track, the reins need to be pulled back on the criticism of Hocevar.
But why listen to me when a recent NASCAR Hall-of-Fame inductee put it the best, perhaps. That is Kevin Harvick.
When addressing Hocevar’s on-track approach in his Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast, Harvick said “I would encourage him to keep going because mentally, it doesn’t bother him […] You can’t take a guy that drives like that and try to make him somebody different. They have to learn on their own in trying to put themselves in the right spot and manage those little situations.”
Consider the old bike analogy. If you’re going to learn how to ride a bike, you can’t have someone holding onto you the whole time. Likewise, you can’t be the one holding on to one’s bike every time. At some point, you have to let them go and learn. Guidance and advice are important, but there is value to self-learning in those situations as well.
Hocevar is going to continue to learn, and he has to if he wants to win. The fanfare around him is fresh and exciting, and it will only grow if he capitalizes on more races and molds into the superstar he’s been touted to be.
The other layer of intrigue is the prospects of a budding rivalry. Sports need natural rivalries to add extra incentive, and there continues to be an ongoing one between Hocevar and Corey Heim.
Now, don’t get me wrong, social media feuds have certainly not been extinct in the past decade. But banter like this and what seems a clear dislike for each other makes the future of the Cup Series even more exciting to realize.
This isn’t a campaign for one to go vote for Hocevar as the most popular driver this year. And Hocevar is not going to be the last driver who shows both personality and talent. But he is someone who, if successful, can reinvigorate energy into the fan base while bringing in new fans. Shutting him down or forcing him to change his style in the wrong way will only hinder the sport.
Did You Notice … Quick hits before taking off …
- The regular season title fight appeared to have been narrowed down to Hamlin and Tyler Reddick, but don’t sleep on the three drivers behind him. Despite Ford’s struggles, Ryan Blaney has earned six consecutive top 10s, and in doing so, he’s cut the deficit to the points lead from 174 points after Nashville Superspeedway to 104 after Sonoma. That’s still a tall order, but with multiple short tracks coming up as well as a pair of superspeedways, he’s certainly not out of the fight. Ty Gibbs (-130) and Larson (-148) are even more long shots, but both have had the speed and finishes to make a run should Hamlin and Reddick open the door. With belief that the champion is likely to come from the top six in points, there’s an elite list of candidates shaping up to make a run at the title.
Luken Glover joined the Frontstretch team in 2020 as a news writer before elevating to a columnist, where he served as the longtime writer for The Underdog House. Currently, he is an editor for the site and conducts feature interviews. Glover has covered several forms of racing for the site including NASCAR, CARS Tour, and SRX events.
A 2023 graduate of the University of the Cumberlands, Glover is a promotional writer, elementary athletic director, and basketball coach. He is passionate about serving in his church, playing/coaching a wide variety of sports, and researching motorsports history.
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