Bubba Wallace Insider Claims Social Media Has Hardened Trash-Talking in NASCAR

There have been several incidents where drivers confronted each other on the racetrack itself. Remember Clint Bowyer’s sprint to get hold of Jeff Gordon in Phoenix. Call it trash-talking or intimidating your rivals, those were the scenes fans were used to. However, with the changing dynamics of NASCAR racing, drivers have also evolved in how they express their feelings at the end of a race.

Carson Hocevar, a new and upcoming driver, was paired with Freddie Kraft on the DJD Reloaded podcast show. Both personalities have had their run-ins with the community, thanks to their trash-talking skills. Therefore, they made for a good pick on the show titled “Loud Mouths”. While it may seem like throwing a jibe at your rivals is not really a thing now, Kraft feels like it has been more prevalent than ever before, all because of the availability of social media platforms.

Here’s how Twitter has fueled the off-track drama between the drivers

Social media is a boon and a curse for the NASCAR drivers. It has become a popular choice for them to share and express their feelings about the events, or even a potential beef. Denny Hamlin’s back and forth with Marcus Smith on Twitter was the latest example of social media-fueled trash-talking.

Weighing in on the discussion on how the phenomena have evolved, Kraft shared, “I think it’s more now. We have an added weapon. Not only do you have the microphone in your face after the race but then you can get on Twitter talk trash. Back in the day Donnie Allison I didn’t think he was on Facebook, he didn’t have that social media outlet to vent with… So I think nowadays you got to be a little more careful with it and some guys fall into the trap of not being so careful.”

Hocevar, who himself has been guilty of running his mouth on social media, added, “If two guys are mad at each other, they’ll be at the pit road, not even look at each other. And the second they go to their home, they’re trading blows. I’m probably guilty of it. It’s different on the pit road because all the cameras are there, front stretch, all the cameras, iPhones everything. Where in Twitter, you tweet about it and just shut your phone off and feel like you’re a strong guy.”

But for Hocevar, apart from trash-talking, social media has other multiple uses. He put his social media skills to work and was successful in getting his campaign for an All-Star appearance with a witty plan.

Hocevar pulled a trick on his rival Cup drivers to get votes for himself

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To compete in the NASCAR All-Star event at North Wilkesboro, a driver needs to meet certain criteria. As for this season, the driver should have won a points race in 2023 or 2024, or the All-Star event or the Cup championship, and should still be running a full-time schedule. Other than this, there are three more slots for those who fail to meet the criteria or are in their rookie season.

The All-Star open fills up two of those three spots and the remaining one is decided on the basis of the fan votes. This is where the Spire Motorsports star pulled a big trick on his fellow Cup Series drivers using the Cameo app. He took to his account on X and tried to convince fans to vote for him, saying,  “So, I’m sure you’re already aware that fan votes for the All-Star race are finally open. But I’ve done a lot of research on campaigns and a lot of them have a bastion for support, so I got a few for my own. Just, if you’re not convinced of me already, listen to this.” The video further had some personalized messages for the driver that you might want to take a look at.

Be it venting out frustration or coming up with a genius idea to clinch votes, it is fair to say Carson Hocevar has got his social media game on point.