Inside The Garage: What Drivers Really Think Of Carson Hocevar’s Popularity

Kansas Speedway (Kansas City, Kan.) — After Ryan Blaney and Carson Hocevar traded fisticuffs last week at Bristol Motor Speedway, fans cheered Hocevar … … as he stood by his car … … as he did interviews … … as he left the track. Hocevar ate it up, and it is fair to say the majority of the crowd ate it up, too. Which brings to mind: How can a driver who has captured the hearts of the NASCAR fan base also be the one who lacks the respect of many of his competitors? “The disconnect between the two is the fan only cares about the entertainment side of things,” Cup team co-owner and driver Denny Hamlin told me and other reporters Saturday. “The drivers — these are their careers. And if you feel like someone hampers your ability to get your best result in your career, you’re going to feel more upset.” Upset they’ve been. It’s gotten to the point where they aren’t afraid to throw shade at Hocevar because of the number of incidents he has been involved in during his young career. In fact, he got a reputation in trucks for being a driver who would retaliate quickly. Hocevar, though, has matured. He’s no longer criticized for retaliation. It’s now more about his aggressive driving (that’s often considered reckless) and getting involved in incidents for positions early in a race or jockeying for a spot mid-pack where patience could be a virtue. “He’s different than all of us,” defending Cup champion and current series points leader Kyle Larson said during a news conference Saturday. “He acts different, talks different, dresses different. He’s just different. I think that’s refreshing for fans. “He drives more aggressive and willing to do crazier things than the rest of us probably are. … I’m not jealous of any exposure he’s getting from it because he’s doing a good job with it.” Many drivers are so focused on what they’re doing and on trying to win the title that, when it comes to social media, Hocevar seems to be more engaged than others. Others aren’t going to troll their competitors by selling merchandise at a discount based on the car number of the last driver to tangle with him. And at least in the Blaney situation, their on-track tangle was more a 50-50 racing incident battling for second. “The fans are going to take a liking to whoever they want and that’s their own opinion,” Blaney said at a news conference Friday. “People like who they like. People dislike who they dislike. “I can’t tell you why a fan likes a certain person. It’s just that person’s personality that might draw them, or they like their stuff on track. So it doesn’t surprise me.” Chase Elliott, who has been the sport’s most popular driver the last several years, said Hocevar’s popularity doesn’t frustrate him. “I don’t view that to be frustrating,” Elliott told me and other reporters on Saturday. “People gravitate to their own personal choice and they have a right to do that. There’s excitement or what have you. It’s natural for people to gravitate to that direction.” Ryan Preece indicated that he has a code he races to and Hocevar has a different code. And he’s OK if the fans like Hocevar’s code. “For some fans, entertainment for sure,” Preece told me and other reporters Saturday. “I don’t want to be that. I don’t want to disrespect my competitors in a certain way. I want to do things the way I want them done, and he wants to do things the way he wants to. “That’s completely fine.” Three-time Cup champion Joey Logano hears his fair share of boos and he has stopped trying to figure out how to turn those to cheers. Going for his fourth title, he has said “Four The Haters” during this Chase. “I hate talking about this because I don’t think I’m a villain in any way,” Logano said in his pole news conference Saturday. “I’m the most smiling villain you have ever seen. … I don’t see the villain side that people try to put on me. “I guess it’s the way we’ve won our championships [in the elimination system] and that’s what it is.” One driver who has been surprised by the fan reaction is Bubba Wallace, who has been seen talking to Hocevar after a race, telling him he has speed but needs to work on how he manages races. “I am [surprised],” Wallace said in a media availability last week about Hocevar’s popularity. “It’s interesting how the sport works out. He’s playing into the media side and the hype and all that for his brand. “And good for him. He’s doing it better than anybody else. We’re in a spot in the sport where a lot of drivers get booed and you finally have somebody going in and wrecking the drivers that gets booed and the next thing you know, that driver is getting praised for it.” Wallace pointed out what nearly every driver and analyst says. And that’s that Hocevar can’t win a championship if he doesn’t have the respect of his competitors, as he won’t get the room he needs in 50-50 situations. “He’s definitely making it hard on himself with everything that goes down, whether his fault or not. …. His name seems to be a part of an on-track incident a majority of the time, his fault or not,” Wallace said. “That’s where a lot of the frustration comes from the driver. It is what it is. We’ll continue to worry about ourselves and move on.” Hocevar will do the same, and the crowd will likely follow. “He’s just different and people like different,” Larson said. “You have to keep your eye on him when you’re on the race track. But as a fan, I can see why he’s likable in that aspect.” In The News — Erik Jones signed a contract extension with Legacy Motor Club that will keep him with the team for the “foreseeable future.” The organization’s 2027 lineup will be Jones, Josh Berry and Riley Herbst. Legacy Motor Club also announced it has hired former Brad Keselowski crew chief Jeremy Bullins to crew chief Herbst next season. — Austin Dillon crew chief Richard Boswell will move to a vice president of competition role starting in 2027. The team did not name a new crew chief for Dillon. — Arrow McLaren announced the car numbers for its new drivers in 2027. Scott Dixon will drive the No. 6 car while Felix Rosenqvist will drive the No. 7. — Sam Mayer will move from Haas Factory Team to JR Motorsports (where he has driven previously) for the 2027 O’Reilly Series season. — Former Cup Series owner George Gillett Jr. died Tuesday at age 87. An owner of several sport teams, Gillett was a former co-owner at Gillett Evernham Motorsports and Richard Petty Motorsports from 2007-2010. Social Spotlight They Said It “It would be one thing, I would fully understand, of getting slapped with a penalty if I went over and initiated a punch or something like that. But in that situation I kind of initiated a confrontation and Carson defended himself, and I’m happy they didn’t do anything.”— Ryan Blaney