Dale Earnhardt Jr & Kevin Harvick Calls for Stricter Officiating From NASCAR to Supress Intentional Wrecking Exposed by Carson Hocevar’s Controversial Moves

NASCAR’s primitive style sets it apart from other motorsports. Drivers have adopted an unfiltered racing style for a long time. Even one of the sport’s biggest superstars, Dale Earnhardt, was known for his overly aggressive nature on the track. However, is there a limit to how aggressive one can get? The responsibility lies with NASCAR to set the boundaries. But according to Kevin Harvick, NASCAR has failed to do so lately.

The recent incidents in the Truck Series Championship 4 race have brought the issue of intentional wrecking into the spotlight once more. The heated clash between Carson Hocevar and Corey Heim ended up with neither of them competing for the title. With the aggression of drivers going rampant, the regulations need to be tightened by NASCAR.

Kevin Harvick wants NASCAR to curb the aggression

The tussle between Hocevar and Heim was the deciding factor in the Truck Series finale. The race underwent four overtime restarts, and that proved to be detrimental for another contender, Grant Enfinger, as well. The restarts forced him to fall behind after pit stops, and as a result, Ben Rhodes claimed the championship after having to finish ahead of Enfinger. The unruly behavior of the Spire Motorsports-bound youngster has earned a lot of flak from the community.

Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr joined the discussion as they divulged their opinions in a recent episode of the Dale Jr Download. Indicating a penalty for Hocevar, Harvick said, “If everybody felt the host of our piece of it was 100% intentional, they should have parked him for two laps or parked him for the rest of the race.”

Junior has been a vocal community member and has actively participated in discussing the aftermath of the truck finale. Citing a former instance of intentional wrecking by the #20 truck driver, he said that NASCAR had the chance to set an example here but didn’t do so. He stated, “Let’s go back to Indianapolis when he hooked a guy on the front straightaway, whether it was a year ago or whatever; those moments are where we failed.”

Earlier in October, another similar incident occurred in Junior’s CARS Tour. 16-year-old drivers Katie Hettinger and Caden Kvapil were embroiled in an on-track tug of war. Following a bump on the second turn with Hettinger’s #81 car, Kvapil moved ahead as a multi-car obstruction followed. Looking for a chance at retaliation, Hettinger immediately caught up to the #96 and right-hooked it, sending it into the wall and projecting intense damage.

Highlighting the same, Harvick claimed, “Let’s just go to the CARS Tour, right? I mean, we have those specific conversations, and that’s just not how we want to teach those kids how to race and not the message that you get from your team member to out on your actions on the racetrack.”

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“Sometimes those aren’t the ways that you need to represent yourself. I think a little heavier officiating on those types of moments, and we have seen it ramp up with the Bubba Wallace incident and some of the Chase Elliott incident. There is a line to cross from a rough driving standpoint that used to be officiated.”

The CARS Tour officials took this quite seriously and handed Katie Hettinger a one-race suspension for intentionally wrecking and retaliating at a fellow driver. That was the best solution to the situation. However, the motive behind such incidents must be considered to prevent them from happening in the future.

Stricter rules in the second and third-tier competitions can go a long way

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Hocevar’s burst of fury went unpunished by NASCAR. A lack of repercussions can often be an incentive for drivers to adopt a similar racing style. In the Cup Series, Chase Elliott received a one-race ban at Charlotte for intentionally hooking the #11 Denny Hamlin. With Elliott’s hopes of a playoff spot already bleak, the suspension worsened the matter further.

However, one thing to note is that Elliott understood the consequences of his actions and refrained from being involved in such incidents again. Another instance would be Ross Chastain’s case. Hendrick Motorsports team owner Rick Hendrick targeted Chastain after wrecking Kyle Larson at Darlington. While Mr. H hinted at a possible retaliation, he solved the matter through a dialogue with the #1 Chevy driver and Trackhouse team owner, Justin Marks.

“Especially in the Truck Series and Xfinity Series, teaching them that way, sure, you might let a little more of that go in the Cup Series because it will fix itself by the time it all rolls back around,” continued Harvick. “There’s so many guys and girls that come and go in the Truck Series. Those intentional moments, I think, with a little stricter officiating, could be lessons taught in a way.”

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The number of cases of intentional wrecking has been on the rise. As Kevin Harvick and Junior rightly pointed out, the burden falls on the NASCAR authorities to find a solution. Apart from derailing a driver’s race, it also threatens one’s health and life.