HAMPTON, Ga. — A former champion was ready to wreck Carson Hocevar. Another former champion called him a “moron.” And the driver who has been his mentor pulled Hocevar aside after Sunday’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway for a lengthy discussion that ended with a handshake but little satisfaction.
So ended Hocevar’s night — an evening in which he finished a career-best second but upset Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch and Ross Chastain.
“We’re here to win races, not be a boy band and love each other and play on the playground together,” Hocevar said on pit road while surrounded by reporters.
Christopher Bell wins at Atlanta on last-lap pass in overtime
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver just beats Carson Hocevar and Kyle Larson.
Hocevar, who is in his second year in Cup, is known for his aggression — and being too aggressive at times. There is a line and Busch felt the 22-year-old crossed it in Sunday’s race.
“Go tell that 77 (Hocevar) that he’s done that same (expletive) move 10 times,” Busch said on his team’s radio during the Stage 1 break. “I don’t care if I wreck the whole (expletive) field. I’m over him. … I’m going to wreck his ass.”
Busch explained his feelings after the race.
“He just had a lot, a lot, a lot of close calls,” Busch told NBC Sports. “He wasn’t even clear on me. I had to lift, and he put me into the fence off of (Turn) 2 in the first stage.
“He’s just trying to plug holes and do it last second and last minute, creating logjams on back. Do it at the end. Do it in the last 30 laps not in the first 230.”
What drivers said after Atlanta Cup race won by Christopher Bell
Here is what drivers were talking about after Sunday’s NASCAR Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Hocevar had a fast car and decided he was going to race instead of riding at the back as he has often done at drafting tracks.
But Sunday was different.
“I was racing from the drop of the (green flag),” Hocevar said. “For me, honestly, I was in ‘Go take every run and just get track position.’ Every time we lost it, we just get it right back.
“For me, I had to make up for riding (previously at drafting track races) and get all the experience I could and be super aggressive and learn every move I could. I felt like being super aggressive in Stage 1, maybe sketching people out but at the same time I felt like I knew exactly what I needed to do on that (final) restart and put myself in a spot to win the race.”
Hocevar’s approach didn’t sit well with Blaney, who was critical of Hocevar last year for intentionally wrecking Harrison Burton in a Cup race at Nashville under caution.
Hocevar’s contact Sunday spun Blaney, who was running in the top five with less than 30 laps left.
“I told you Timmy,” Blaney said on his radio to spotter Tim Fedewa, “(Hocevar is) an absolute weapon.
Said Fedewa: “I don’t know what we can do about it.”
Blaney responded: “He’s just a moron. Shoot, he just runs right in the back of you. He has zero idea of like where to bump somebody and where to not to. He’s swiping across my bumper as he’s doing it. He just has no idea the whole race.”
Blaney spoke with Hocevar after the race, and the message was to calm down.
Cup results, points after Atlanta Motor Speedway
Christopher Bell earned his first victory in NASCAR’s premier series since last June.
Chastain, who has helped guide Hocevar through ups and downs in his career, pulled Hocevar aside shortly after they both exited their cars and walked him away from pit road to the infield grass.
Hocevar restarted behind Chastain in overtime. Chastain led the inside line. On the backstretch, Hocevar shot to the middle and got by Chastain as the field started the final lap.
They spoke for about two minutes after the race. At times Hocevar moved his hands to explain moves. At one point, Chastain put his hand on Hocevar’s shoulder, much like an older brother to a younger sibling while trying to get a point across.
Chastain declined to reveal what he said to Hocevar. When asked by Performance Racing Network if he heard what he wanted to hear from Hocevar, Chastain said: “No sir.”
Hocevar also declined the reveal their discussion.
“Sometimes you agree and disagree at things,” Hocevar said of his conversation with Chastain. “Ultimately, I felt like I made the decision that was to win the race. I think we’ll be able to continue to talk about it because, obviously, we have each other’s phone numbers.”
After all of that Hocevar had a chance at the win. When he got by Chastain, Hocevar got a big run and came up on Kyle Larson, who was on the inside. Eventual winner Christopher Bell was on the outside as Bell and Larson ran side by side for the lead. Hocevar’s Spire Motorsports team has an alliance with Hendrick Motorsports, but Hocevar pushed Bell’s JGR Toyota instead of Larson’s Hendrick Chevrolet.
Hocevar squeezed between Bell and Larson in Turn 3, but the caution came out for an accident behind them, leaving Hocevar in second place.
“I just hit (Bell) to get him off the middle,” Hocevar said. “It sucks, the optics of it (pushing Bell instead of Larson). It’s not fun to do that, especially with how well I feel we are working with (Rick Hendrick) and Hendrick Motorsports, the Hendrick engine program and everything. They do a lot for us.
“So to have that happen, the result is not exactly by any means what I wanted, but at the same time I felt like I wanted to be middle and not pushing a car off of (Turn) 4.”
While he nearly scored his first career Cup victory, Hocevar knows he has more to do — including appeasing some veteran drivers.
“There’s things I would clean up, but you’re not going to make the right decisions every time, especially with how fast we’re going and how many runs (are) happening,” Hocevar said. “I can only apologize and say I’m going to get better.”
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