“Ugh, I just have f—— idiots around me … tired of this s—.” Carson Hocevar’s radio transmission during the Iowa Corn 350 race showed his frustration. However, that was wildly ironic, given the storm he brewed yet again among his rivals. This time, he ruffled the feathers of the famously calm Zane Smith, whose car Hocevar clipped while racing side-by-side. Despite Hocevar’s nonchalant approach, a NASCAR insider noted that people may also grow tired of his ‘s—‘.
Undoubtedly, Carson Hocevar has ruled the headlines in the 2025 Cup Series season. From annoying Kyle Busch and other veterans in Atlanta to drawing the ire of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in Nashville, Hocevar’s actions have spiced up storylines. However, these actions may feel heavy on the garage – echoing another Cup driver’s past.
Carson Hocevar may need to take a step back
Well, the Spire Motorsports sophomore is hardly the first rabble-rouser. Carson Hocevar’s predecessors have iconic reputations – like Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, or Joey Logano. However, one of them has a dire story as well. Of his 63 Cup Series wins, Busch clinched 56 under Joe Gibbs Racing’s banner. He even clinched his two championships (2015, 2019) under JGR. However, Rowdy Busch’s career took a different turn at the end of 2022, when he did not see eye-to-eye with his sponsors. His wild history, involving conflicts with rivals like Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano, did not help at that time. Thereby, Busch had to jump ship to Richard Childress Racing – where he is currently riding an 80-race winless streak.
According to veteran team owner Tommy Baldwin Jr., Carson Hocevar may be risking such a fate. NASCAR fans even alluded to Hocevar as the next Busch, and in a recent ‘Door, Bumper, Clear’ episode, Baldwin agreed. “I’m telling you, as much as everyone wants to think about the situation with Kyle Busch at Joe Gibbs Racing, I don’t care what anybody says, they got tired of it. They got tired of the stuff, and as good as he was, and how great of a racecar driver he is, and as many wins as he’s had, they just get tired of it.” Baldwin gave a chilling 8-word warning to Hocevar: “Business people and sponsors get tired of it.”
After Zane Smith tried payback and his crew chief confronted Carson Hocevar in Iowa, the 22-year-old was the least bothered. He posted on X with Drake’s song ‘IDGAF’, pointedly at Smith. Although such social media gimmicks are entertaining for fans, they may not be for Hocevar’s team and sponsors for long. Baldwin continued, “It’s gonna get to a point that there’s gonna be an opportunity where they’ll go, ‘Oh my God, that guy is available? Do we really wanna deal with this bulls— anymore?’ It might not happen this week, might not happen next week, but it might happen, and it’s gonna give someone an easy out to make a better decision for their business because of it. Mark my word.”
Carson Hocevar’s rabble-rousing tactics may be tipping over the edge. The evidence is out there, too, as multiple people watch out for him now.
Earning monikers everywhere
When you carve out a special reputation, people label you. For Carson Hocevar, those labels signify everything chaotic, and the Spire driver wears them proudly. Yet he may need to keep a count of the number of people who have blacklisted him. After his aggression in Atlanta back in March, Kyle Busch said that he is “a f—— d—–bag.” Then, after Austin Dillon tangled with Hocevar on lap 3 of the Chicago Street Race, the RCR driver called him the “biggest dumbass” in the sport. In the Iowa race, however, Hocevar has gained some new monikers from some unlikely people.
Besides Zane Smith, Shane van Gisbergen also had beef with the rabble-rouser at one point. When the road course star was trailing Joey Logano through a smoke screen, Carson Hocevar put his foot down and sped through. That prompted SVG to say, “Hey, go apologize to the 22. I had that w—– in the 77 just shove it three wide.” What is more, Hocevar got plenty of attention from the NBC Sports booth as well. Leigh Diffey, the popular Australian sports announcer, bestowed a moniker of his own on Hocevar. Just a handful of laps into the race, Hocevar battled for a spot with Ryan Blaney. As the drivers battled, Diffey stated, “Look out, here comes the Hurricane! Carson Hocevar!”
Evidently, Carson Hocevar is not in the brightest spot with his rivals. We can only wait and see if the young gun mends his ways or not.
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