NASCAR insider urges Carson Hocevar to 'have a backbone' like Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, and Denny Hamlin after throwing middle finger in Kansas 

NASCAR Cup Series driver Carson Hocevar competed in the Heart of Health Care 200 at Kansas Speedway on May 10, 2025. During the final laps of the race, he had a heated moment with Layne Riggs, and Hocevar flipped him off. Recalling the incident, a PRN NASCAR analyst gave a bold take on Hocevar's move.

Hocevar had an intense battle with Riggs for the lead, and the Front Row Motorsports driver collided with Hocevar's rear end, sending him spinning sideways and hitting the outside walls. However, the Spire Motorsports driver just about got out of the massive spin and maintained his lead, ultimately winning the race.

Following Layne Riggs's last-minute move, Carson Hocevar flipped the FRM driver off down the frontstretch. Recalling the same incident, the PRN NASCAR analyst gave her bold take, urging Hocevar to own up to his fellow Cup Series drivers like Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, and Joey Logano (via X):

"I just want Carson. Here's my message to Carson: just stand on your business, bud. Either you want to keep apologizing and race the way that your competition wants you to race, or get out, have a backbone. Stand on your business. If you want to give somebody the finger and say, Hey, I still won the race, then stand by it. Try to, like, laugh it off, right? So it just seems like Carson has this Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Cares-about-what-people-think kind of personality going on." [00:00 onwards]

"So I'm not saying he's right or wrong or he has to be the hero or the villain. I just want him to stand on his business. I want to just be more of Kyle Bush, Joey or Denny. You know where they stand and how they feel about things, and don't kind of backtrack and say what you think people need to hear. So that's my column today, and I just think with Carson being 22, it's going to be fascinating to watch his evolution over the years," she added.

Carson Hocevar won the Heart of Health Care 20 by a margin of 0.718 seconds over Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron. Meanwhile, Layne Riggs finished the 134-lap race in P31.

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NASCAR champion Carson Hocevar gets candid about his career in the Cup Series with Spire Motorsports

During the Martinsville Speedway race in April 2025, the former Truck Series champion Carson Hocevar was featured in a media day availability. During the interview, the latter touched upon the team's slow start and poor performance in the 2025 season.

Spire Motorsports driver teammate, Michael McDowell, secured only one pole position this season at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March. Apart from the pole, McDowell has struggled to land a top-ten finish this season. On the other hand, Justin Haley has only secured one top-ten finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 12 starts this season.

Reflecting upon the same, the Portage, MI, native Carson Hocevar stated (via SpeedwayDigest.com):

“We've improved a lot as a team since that last race at Darlington, where we qualified well, and I think we have a good chance to show speed in practice, qualify decent and have another good points day."

Hocevar ranks 20th in the Cup Series points table with 230 points under his name. He has secured two top-ten finishes and one top-five finish, along with a pole position at Texas Motor Speedway.