Roger Penske’s Star Not “Really That Mad,”  Claims Spire Motorsports Rookie in Public Confession: “It’s My Fault”

Some drivers in the Cup Series at the moment sport the middle name of ‘aggression’. Ross Chastain could be the foremost, as the melon man is known for his frequent brush-ups with rivals. A year ago, a brawl broke out between him and Noah Gragson. However, speaking of another rookie, Carson Hocevar, as a younger driver, he has also cemented his status for raw bullying on the race track.

Hocevar is a Spire Cup rookie and has already got Dale Earnhardt Jr branding him as a stormy character. When he intentionally hit Corey Heim in a Phoenix Truck race last year, labels of ‘disrespectful’ flooded social media. Recently at the All-Star Open, things got steamy on lap 58. But this time Hocevar was humble about his attitude.

Carson Hocevar owns up to race aggression

The All-Star Race Open ensued on Saturday morning, as drivers battled to lock spots in the much-awaited final race. The first caution flag flew as a mandatory measure on lap 50. Teams had to strategize on two different tire options at a four-tire pit stop. But 8 laps later, an unexpected caution was brought out. Carson Hocevar stood guilty as charged for it.

Hocevar’s No. 77 car got into a three-wide situation with Noah Gragson’s No. 10 and Austin Cindric’s No. 2. Gragson backed up, probably in anticipation of another Hocevar stunt. The rookie then nudged Roger Penske’s driver, and that was all it took for the latter to spin against the wall.

Recently, Carson Hocevar took a condescending attitude toward his rivals amid the fan vote debate. But after the All-Star Open, he seemed apologetic. Hocevar described the icky situation: “Got to the bottom of 3, which Austin was playing really fine with. It just got aggressive off of 4, thinking we were gonna get rid of the third lane…Just got ahead of myself. Just trying too much…And just thought that the 10 wasn’t gonna be there than he was.”

Then in a moment of truth, Hocevar gathered the blame for himself. He added: “It’s just my fault, especially looking back on it. My man, he was definitely still there.”

Then Carson Hocevar added why Austin Cindric is unlikely to take revenge later on. “You know, I’m sure we’ll trade numbers, and we’ll talk throughout the year. Not bad, but just not hate on each other. We’re just here as drivers, right? …He asked me to heed on him if I ever have questions or need advice. Man, this was really fun…If he was really that mad at me I don’t think he’d offer that.”

This calm demeanor may score some fan points for Carson Hocevar. But his aggressive nature probably will not fade away soon, as the rookie trumpets it as his brand image.

Hocevar credits his rough attitude with a win-worthy race

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Carson Hocevar has displayed raw speed across all three NASCAR series. Holding four Craftsman Truck wins and a prestigious Late Model race win, the Cup rookie is inching toward his first Cup win. On his Gateway race debut last year, he ran inside the top 15 after starting 26th. Although an exploded brake rotor ended his race, Hocevar came back fiercely to clinch a career-best 11th place in Bristol.

This year, he finished 10th in North Wilkesboro. Hocevar attributes this fiery progress to his aggressive attitude, a secret weapon behind his good performance. “I felt comfortable really being aggressive,” Hocevar told NBC Sports. “I think the biggest mistake for me would be not driving at 100% because I’m nervous. If I was nervous about crashing or spinning, I don’t belong to be out there.”

So Carson Hocevar’s signature rowdiness might pave a path to victory in the near future.