Dale Earnhardt Jr. speaks out on Carson Hocevar’s NASCAR future, encourages him to stick to his style after Ricky Stenhouse Jr. saga

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has spoken publicly about Carson Hocevar following the latter's heated on-track incident at Nashville Superspeedway involving Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Earnhardt Jr. compared Hocevar’s racing style to his late father’s early NASCAR days, saying Hocevar’s aggressive approach may actually work in his favor.

The comments were shared in a post on X by Dirty Mo Media. It came with the caption:

“You may love him or love to hate him – but fans are making noise about Carson Hocevar.”

In the clip, Dale Earnhardt Jr. compares Carson Hocevar and his father, saying:

“Fast, not scared to use the front bumper, doesn’t care if somebody gets mad about it, on the verge of becoming a star.”

On Lap 106 of the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway, Carson Hocevar bumped Ricky Stenhouse Jr. heading into Turn 3, sending the No. 47 car into the SAFER barrier. Stenhouse Jr.’s car was too damaged to continue, resulting in his first DNF of the 2025 season and a drop to 39th place.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. encouraged Hocevar to continue with his style, pointing out that his father became a seven-time champion while driving with the same no-apologies aggression.

Post-race, Stenhouse Jr. voiced his frustration. He accused Hocevar of dive-bombing him multiple times and said the final bump was clearly overaggressive.

“He had tried to dive-bomb me two laps before that from about 10 or 12 car-lengths back, and then he finally was close enough that time to just wipe us out,” Stenhouse told reporters (via NASCAR).

Hocevar finished second, tying his career-best result. He acknowledged he could have avoided contact, but felt justified at the moment.

“I felt like I was kind of there. He probably could have cleared me. And by the time I checked up, I almost spun, too,” he said (via NASCAR).

Hocevar’s aggressive driving has created friction in the Cup Series. Nashville was not an isolated case. In the 2024 All-Star Race, Stenhouse Jr. was previously involved in a post-race physical altercation with Kyle Busch, showing his frustration with being taken out early.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. urged veterans to guide Hocevar’s raw talent earlier this year

Earlier this year, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had another strong take on Carson Hocevar after a series of run-ins at Atlanta Motor Speedway. On his Dirty Mo Media podcast, Earnhardt Jr. addressed Hocevar’s repeated aggressive moves during the race, including incidents involving Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney, and Ross Chastain.

Kyle Busch had to lift to avoid contact when Hocevar forced his way past at the end of Stage 1. Later, Ryan Blaney was knocked sideways by a poorly timed bump. Hocevar’s final controversial move came during the closing laps, when he attempted a three-wide pass that cost Chastain, his Chevrolet teammate and mentor, a chance at the win.

Chastain ended up eighth while Christopher Bell won the race. Dirty Mo Media shared a clip of the podcast on X, and captioned it:

“Love him or hate him, Carson Hocevar ain't going nowhere.”

In the clip, Dale Earnhardt Jr. said Hocevar has clear talent but needs guidance. He suggested that veteran drivers step in to offer advice directly.

“The veterans need to get him in the headlock in the garage and say, 'Look man, you’re great,’ ‘You got talent,’ ‘You need to clean this sh*t up,’” he said.

He added that Hocevar wanted respect from his peers, which would only come if he matured. After the Atlanta race, Blaney confronted Hocevar on the cool-down lap. Chastain also spoke to him about the late-race move. Hocevar apologized for his error and admitted he had misjudged the situation.