“He Just Doesn’t Come Off as Genuine”- 23XI Insider Calls Out Carson Hocevar’s Authenticity After Latest Drama

Carson Hocevar does not care about making friends in NASCAR. After he brake-checked Austin Cindric last Sunday at Martinsville, it also became evident that the Spire driver is fine with making enemies as well, and that did not sit well with Bubba Wallace’s spotter, Freddie Kraft, who called Hocevar’s behaviour insincere.

“My biggest complaint about him is he just doesn’t come off as genuine,” said Kraft on Tuesday’s episode of the “Door Bumper Clear” podcast in conversation with reporter Jeff Gluck. “You (Gluck) do that interview yesterday, with him, asking him the question, ‘What happened with the No. 2 (Austin Cindric)?’ It’s a bulls*** answer you got, in my opinion.”

Hocevar repeatedly brake-checked Cindric during the race last Sunday, which caused enough damage to the front end of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford that Cindric had to retire from the event. In a separate incident, Hocevar also spun while being lapped by leader William Byron, raising suspicions from some drivers that he did so intentionally to bring out a caution to benefit his position.

In a post-race media scrum interview, a clip of which was posted by Gluck on X, the Spire driver seemed nonchalant about the incidents and gave his controversial take.

“I just think it’s Martinsville. Sometimes you’re getting it. Sometimes you’re causing it. You know, vice versa. So, yeah, I don’t know. I had fun,” Hocevar said, detailing his contact with Cindric.

During the same interaction, the No. 77 Chevrolet driver also spoke about his spin on lap 198.

“I just got in the marbles. So once I got in the marbles, with a corded right rear, there’s no saving it. So I was just trying really hard. But they can come drive it if they want,” he said, responding to those who doubted whether his spin was intentional.

The young Cup Series upstart has been blamed for spinning out on purpose for the second time this season. Similar suspicions arose around Hocevar earlier in the year at New Hampshire Motor Speedway when Kyle Larson called him out for spinning before the start just to gain more air time on the broadcast.

Coupling such allegations with his aggressive style of racing, one must ask: When do NASCAR officials finally reach their boiling point?

While it remains anyone’s guess, Gluck argued that Hocevar often plays off the crowd with his cheeky responses. The veteran reporter also argued that the Spire driver has a habit of playing a character in front of the crowd to make him more endearing.

Freddie Kraft certainly had some advice for Hocevar on that note: “If he really wants to ignite his fan base, I don’t know if he could do this because we’ve seen the penalties in the past, but like, ‘Yeah, he ran in the back of me so I f****** locked the brakes up and knocked his nose off.’ Like, that would light his fan base up.”

While NASCAR chose not to police Hocevar’s on-track antics yet, it seems Spire Motorsports had enough of the negative PR the No. 77 driver sometimes brings, since he has been suspended from competing in the NASCAR Cup finale at Homestead-Miami next weekend. Justin Haley will replace him.

Currently sitting 13th in the driver’s points standings after Martinsville, Hocevar’s eventual finishing position now remains in the hands of how his competitors finish the final race of the year. Along with a points impact, the suspension will send a message to Hocevar about what he can and cannot do on track going forward.

Similar to the team fining Hocevar $50,000 before last year’s Cup race at Mexico, it seems Spire does not need NASCAR’s intervention.

Coming to Kraft’s suggestion for Hocevar to light up his fanbase, it remains to be seen if he considers doing something similar in the future. If that is indeed the case, the sanctioning body will surely be listening.

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