“Stop All the Bulls**t”: Denny Hamlin Urges NASCAR to Teach Rookie a Lesson, Curbing His Reckless Acts

Not the first time NASCAR’s outspoken veteran Denny Hamlin has called out a fellow driver for an on-track incident. However, this time the incident has nothing to do with Hamlin but involves two other drivers. At Nashville, Carson Hocevar spun out Harrison Burton under caution with 56 laps to go. These deliberate actions have Hamlin calling NASCAR to take action against the “repeat offender.”

Hocevar’s action led to Harrison Burton finishing the race in a disappointing 28th place, while Hocevar managed to end the race in 16th position. After the race, Burton shared his frustration over the events, and Hamlin, coming fresh off the consequences of a rivalry himself, didn’t mince his words on the Actions Detrimental podcast.

Denny Hamlin wants NASCAR to look into Carson Hocevar’s history

It all began on Lap 243 when Brad Keselowski spun hard into the wall, bringing about the 10th caution of the race. What followed was Carson Hocevar’s No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro rear-hooking Harrison Burton’s No. 21 Ford Mustang’s rear under yellow flag conditions. This resulted in Burton’s car spinning on the backstretch. While he avoided hitting the wall and suffered no significant damage, Carson Hocevar escaped the incident without any punishment.

Bob Pockrass has claimed that NASCAR will review the incident. And Denny Hamlin has a suggestion for the authorities when/if they come to a decision. He cited Hocevar as a repeat offender and urged NASCAR to take cognizance. Speaking on the Actions Detrimental podcast, the 43-year-old said, “I’m gonna call on NASCAR here. They needed to do something to Carson. They don’t need to suspend him or anything like that. But they need to dig into his pocket a little because I think that you have to.”

In case NASCAR lets Hocevar off easily, Hamlin predicted that a reckoning is coming for him, one way or another. He hinted at the version of street justice prevailing, with Burton being all ready to tame Hocevar’s Chevy at the coming tracks- thus setting the stage for a rivalry. Hamlin explained, “Things like this happen through self-policing. Other drivers like Harrison Burton will go a few weeks and knock Carson off the racetrack. Or he’ll spin him out. Self-policing that way. But the series itself, when the caution is out, the caution is out. That means stop all the bullsh** no matter what. I think they’ll definitely look at it and do something.”

It’s not the first time Denny Hamlin has told off Carson Hocevar for his on-track antics. Last year, Hamlin lambasted Hocevar for causing Ty Gibbs to spin in the 303rd lap of the race off of turn 2 at Martinsville. Gibbs was two laps ahead of Hocevar when the incident took place, prompting Denny Hamlin to say that the Spire Motorsport driver was “driving like an idiot”. As a result, Hamlin urged NASCAR to look at his history as well.

He added, “Anytime you have someone that goes before a judge, they always take into account your past history. And we’ve seen this happen when he was in the Truck Series, I think he right rear hooked someone under caution at Martinsville.”

Hamlin himself has been embroiled in a rivalry after Kyle Larson. During the race at Iowa, Hamlin ran into the back of Larson’s rear while the Hendrick Motorsports driver was leading the race. Then in New Hampshire, the two were banging doors racing for position before rain arrived.

While there is mutual respect between Larsona and Hamlin and the two have played down the rivalry, in Hocevar’s case his antics can be attributed to his inexperience and temperament.  Burton wasn’t pleased with Hocevar’s ways and after the race, he was frustrated as he said, “I don’t know, he blocks everyone every week and I blocked him once and he decided to try and wreck me under yellow. He’s on a lot of people’s lists as guys they don’t like racing. So, it kind of shows you why.”

Although Hocevar escaped punishment for his actions after the race, there is a precedent for NASCAR imposing penalties for similar incidents in the past after a review.

NASCAR should show more consistency with on-track punishments

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A similar incident occurred in the NASCAR Truck Series at Nashville Superspeedway when Layne Riggs was forced to serve a two-lap penalty on the pit road for driving into the back of Stefan Parson’s truck, causing him to spin out. This penalty wasn’t unprecedented either, as Carson Hocevar was held for two laps by NASCAR officials for attempting to right-rear hook Taylor Gray at Martinsville last year.

Comparing the incident between Hocevar and Burton to the time NASCAR penalized Austin Hill for a tangle with Cole Custer, Denny Hamlin said, “They did do that to Austin Hill, didn’t they? In the Xfinity Series for crashing someone under caution at Charlotte? Cole Custer, I think it was like 25 points. You gotta do something. I don’t even know if Austin Hill has the rap sheet that Carson does.

“It’s just my opinion that you got a young guy coming in, and he’s doing these kinds of bad habits that he has been doing. He goes through phases with it. I think they need to get his attention here. It’s just not right to right rear-hook someone under caution. It’s not like he destroyed his car, but the severity of the crash doesn’t matter, it’s still the same act.”

Yet, it is to be noted that it’s not uncommon for NASCAR to review an incident post-race and enforce a penalty. Last year, Chase Elliott was handed a one-race suspension after being found guilty of intentionally wrecking Denny Hamlin’s car on Lap 186 at the Coca-Cola 600. However, unlike the incident at Charlotte Motor Speedway, which was in green flag conditions, Hocevar took out the right rear of Burton’s No. 21 Ford Mustang under caution.

Update: After a review, Hocevar was fined $50,000 and docked 25 driver points for spinning out Harrison Burton under caution during Sunday’s Ally 400 at Nashville Speedway. This means the no. 77 falls from 22nd to 24th in the point standings, sitting 181 points behind the playoff cut-line.