“There were some ramifications”: NASCAR champion revisits his past to present a clear case for Carson Hocevar’s ‘outsider’ struggle

Carson Hocevar is currently in his sophomore year, driving the No. 77 full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series. However, in a matter of two full seasons, the Michigan native has made quite an impression on the fans. Some say he’s too aggressive, while others claim he has issues controlling his car.

But the way Brad Keselowski sees it, Carson Hocevar is doing nothing wrong. NASCAR is an entertainment-based, competitive sport in which rubbing is normal. Keselowski has been around for over a decade and knows how hard it is to climb the ladder and make it as a Cup Series regular.

Reflecting on the same during a recent interview with Bob Pockrass, the 2012 series champion said (3:32),

“I felt like when I came in the sport, I was like, you know, somewhat of an outsider. NASCAR (had) just been through this half-decade-long refresh of all these young guys, and like, this driver development door had closed. I bullied my way into the sport to some degree, and there were some ramifications for that, but it was better than sitting on the sidelines.”

Safe to say that Hocevar is not sitting on the sidelines. He is vying for his maiden win of the series. Last week at Nashville Superspeedway, he ended up second behind Penske’s Ryan Blaney, marking yet another close finish, the first one coming at Atlanta back in February. Hocevar won the All-Star Race this year, but that’s not going to get him in the playoffs.

“I imagine that Carson has similar feelings,” Keselowski continued. “He's had to fight to earn his spot and get to where he is today.”

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Today, Carson Hocevar sits 17th in the championship standings with 287 points to his name. 14 races in, the speedster has delivered three top-10s and a pair of top-fives. For him, next up is the Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

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“It’s cool to be talked about”- Carson Hocevar on becoming NASCAR’s new villain

Carson Hocevar thinks it would have been nicer to be discussed in a different light, rather than being deemed the new intimidator. He wrecked Ricky Stenhouse Jr. last week at Nashville, and although not done on purpose, it created a buzz among the NASCAR aficionados.

Ahead of the 300-lap race, Hocevar said in a statement (quoted by AP News),

“It’s cool to be talked about. Obviously, you want to be talked about maybe in a different light. But I mean, at least they’re talking, right? And, I think that’s big for me.”

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., however, thought that Hocevar was being too impatient while racing him, which resulted in the former’s first DNF of the season. Nevertheless, Hocevar called Stenhouse earlier this week to discuss their wreck on Lap 106. The conversation was productive, as they said.

Their upcoming race, the Firekeepers Casino 400, has been scheduled for Sunday, June 8. Fans can watch it live on Amazon Prime, 2 pm ET onwards, or listen to exclusive radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.