Carson Hocevar rejects criticism of his NASCAR work ethic with bold defense: "There's reasons to the madness"

Carson Hocevar’s racing approach has made him one of the more polarizing young names in NASCAR. The Spire Motorsports driver has yet to win in the Cup, but clashes and questions about his temperament have defined his season.

At Nashville earlier this year, he turned Ricky Stenhouse Jr. into the wall, triggering outrage when the contact cost Stenhouse a playoff spot while Hocevar drove on to a career-best runner-up finish. Weeks later in Mexico, Stenhouse confronted and threatened him after another clash. Thus, garnering Hocevar criticism.

The No. 77 driver sat down with The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck on the 12 Questions Podcast. The 22-year-old pushed back against those who doubt his commitment, arguing that his methods, though different, reflect his preparation that has been part of his life since childhood.

"I think the consensus is, ‘He doesn’t try. He doesn’t put in any effort. He just shows up.’ I feel like I do. I’ve been alive for 22 years, and I’ve been analyzing racing since I was 4… Now I’ve done this long enough that I can show up “blind,” but I’m not actually blind. I’ve got so many years of watching and studying," he said.

Hocevar has also drawn attention to an incident involving Brad Keselowski at Watkins Glen, his own Spire teammate Michael McDowell, and an earlier dust-up with Front Row Motorsports' Zane Smith. That string of controversies has branded Hocevar as reckless, but he insists his preparation looks different.

"I run races a thousand times in my head. I’m running through races and ideas. That’s more powerful for me to envision it all than to sit there and watch… I don’t care what people think or say unless they’re in this hauler with me. There’s reasons to the madness of not wanting to look at that stuff. I don’t want to mess up the ideas I already have. That’s the process that works for me."

Carson Hocevar has not escaped penalties either. Spire Motorsports fined him $50,000 and sent him to sensitivity training after his comments in Mexico. But, despite the scrutiny, he continues to argue that his style is less about carelessness and more about channeling his process.

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Carson Hocevar recalls his toughest NASCAR challenge

(L-R) Cole Custer, Carson Hocevar, and William Byron at the Kansas drivers’ meeting. Source: Imagn

Carson Hocevar pointed back to the end of 2023 while discussing the most difficult point of his career so far. That fall, he infamously spun Corey Heim in the Truck Series finale at Phoenix, drawing heavy criticism before stepping into a Cup car the very next day for a trial.

He recalled walking into the Cup garage under a cloud of judgment:

"End of 2023 into 2024. Phoenix was not great… Then I had to run the Cup car on Sunday and walk into the garage embarrassed after every Cup driver talked sh** and were probably thinking, ‘How the f**k are you driving this deal?"

The fallout carried into his rookie Cup Series campaign, where he admitted the grind of racing every weekend left him difficult to be around. Over time, he’s found a better footing, balancing the pressure of performance with his own identity off the track, and won the 2024 Rookie of the Year.

Now in his second year, Carson Hocevar remains a lightning rod for debate. He next heads to the Charlotte Roval for the Round of 12 eliminator, another chance to prove he can channel his aggression into results.