When Carson Hocevar stormed onto the scene at Atlanta, nobody expected him to become NASCAR’s newest villain. Yet there he was, 22 years old, bold behind the wheel, and unapologetic in interviews, driving like he had nothing to lose. During the Ambetter Health 400, Hocevar nearly stole the win, finishing second only after a last-second caution handed victory to Christopher Bell.

But while his speed turned heads, his aggressive moves turned stomachs. Kyle Busch wasn’t shy about calling him out. After getting fenced off Turn 2, Busch exploded on the radio. “Tell that 77 he’s done that same f—— move 10 times. I don’t care if I wreck the whole f—— field, I’m over him. He’s a f—— douchebag,” he said. Post-race, Busch doubled down. “He wasn’t even clear on me. I had to lift. He’s just trying to plug holes, creating log jams. Do it at the end, not in the first 230 laps.”

However, Hocevar didn’t back down. He raced hard. He raced on the edge. And he made zero apologies for it. That attitude made him NASCAR’s new villain. Fast forward to Darlington, and once again, Hocevar’s name is all over the scanners—for all the wrong reasons. This time, though, the story’s murkier.

Darlington chaos places Carson Hocevar in the line of fire!

The Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway proved to be a wreck-fest in the first stage. On lap 4 of the race, Kyle Larson lost control of his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports car, ending his day. However, as the dust settled, Carson Hocevar and Riley Herbst found themselves in a massive crash. It started early. Just past Lap 80, frustration boiled over when Herbst had a shaky moment with Ty Gibbs in Turn 1.

Gibbs burped the throttle and snapped, “That guy is a f—— tool bag.” A few laps later, Herbst’s day got worse. Race leader William Byron began lapping traffic as Carson Hocevar and Herbst raced hard behind him. Byron dove low, Herbst stayed up top, and Hocevar squeezed through the middle. They ran out of room. Hocevar slid up slightly, clipped Herbst, and both went spinning.

The No.77 driver slammed into the outside wall and radioed in immediately: “I’m destroyed. No steering.” Meanwhile, Herbst’s spotter didn’t mince words as he slammed Hocevar “Oh God dammit, he’s a mor–,” he radioed. However, Herbst himself sounded confused as he responded, “Dude, I don’t know what happened. I didn’t do anything wrong, did I? I was just running the top.”

To be fair, Hocevar’s spotter had warned him before the incident, saying, “Outside, outside, outside.” But in the chaos, he moved up anyway. Byron closed in, and the track space vanished, squeezing the No. 77. The crash might not have been entirely Hocevar’s fault. But when you build a reputation for chaos, people still pin the blame on you—even when it isn’t.

Notably, this wasn’t Hocevar’s first mistake of the day. On Lap 24, he hit the wall and spun, cutting down a tire and bringing out the caution. Earlier in the season, the only place he looked clean was Atlanta, where he finished second. Since then, he’s had just two top 20 finishes in six races. The rest? Buried outside the top 30. The wreck with Herbst only added to the pile.

Hocevar’s 2025 season isn’t off the rails yet, but the pattern is hard to ignore. He’s fast. He’s aggressive. But he’s not clean. And it’s costing him. Darlington is brutal. It’s slick. It’s narrow. It punishes mistakes. For a young driver like Hocevar, every corner is a test. He failed one. But despite the wrecks, he still managed to draw attention by bringing some old-school flair.

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Hocevar turns heads in Darlington!

Say what you want about Carson Hocevar, but the kid knows how to make a statement. During throwback weekend at Darlington, he didn’t just show up to race—he brought the vibes, too. The 22-year-old rolled in driving a 1997 Chevy Silverado that paid tribute to none other than Dale Earnhardt Sr. and get this—he found the thing on Facebook Marketplace. The truck, with only 31,000 miles, set him back about $19,850.

But it was worth every penny to him. “I sent it to all the people who help me make smart financial decisions, and they all just thought it was awesome,” he said. Notably, Hocevar made his first stop in that truck at the JR Motorsports garage. While he hadn’t talked to Dale Jr. directly, he was hoping the tribute would get noticed. He admitted he’s not great at texting folks to show off his finds.

Notably, before he was a Cup driver, Hocevar was a kid with die-cast cars, filming stop-motion races in his bedroom. Now he’s driving the real thing. And restoring pieces of history in his spare time. Sure, his day on track ended with a wreck and more controversy. But off the track, Hocevar’s vintage move turned heads in the best way. For a guy often criticized for racing too hard, maybe this was his most endearing moment yet.