Denny Hamlin has weighed in on the on-track antics of fellow driver Carson Hocevar throughout the 2026 season, largely highlighting that the polarizing star is largely just seeking more attention. Following the latest incident involving Hocevar and Brad Keselowski at Darlington, Hamlin is now turning his focus to Spire Motorsports.
On Monday’s episode of Actions Detrimental Hamlin stated that he’s done talking about Hocever specifically and giving him the attention he wants. Instead, he called out Spire for having “no adults in the room” and tolerating the young driver’s antics.
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Related: Brad Keselowski Vows Revenge on Carson Hocevar, Hocevar Trolls Him Online
“There’s no adults in the room, clearly, in that building. No adults. That’s my opinion. Because how can you honestly think that’s what’s best for your company if you’re running a serious organization. I think they’re unserious.”
The 45-year-old certainly isn’t arguing that Spire’s handling of Hocevar is bad from a marketing perspective. Ahead of The Chase, NASCAR released a press release titled “Does Everybody Hate Carson Hocevar?” which highlighted that Hocevar had the largest percentage increase in followers across all platforms among all NASCAR drivers by 70.6 percent with nearly 200,000 followers added.
In addition, per the press release, the diecast of Hocevar’s car from his first-ever Cup Series win generated the highest sales ever since 2010 and his merchandise is the most sought-after on the NASCAR Shop. At the track, Hocevar ranks in the top five of trackside sales. To that point, Hocevar’s vision for marketing himself was on full display with a T-shirt swap following his one-sided beef with Zane Smith that resulted in fans trading in merch representing other drivers for Hocevar apparel.
Instead, Hamlin’s critique centers on Spire seemingly allowing Hocevar to make his brand and marketing a bigger priority than on-track results. This past incident on Sunday with Keselowski could result in the veteran driver seeking revenge on the No. 77 car. That doesn’t even have to mean intentionally turning him, it can just be Keselowski using the No. 6 car to cause problems for Hocevar as he’s competing in The Chase.
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Hocevar admitted last year that he doesn’t maintain any friendships with NASCAR drivers, which he doesn’t need to compete. However, his peers have pointed out that what’s important is maintaining respectful relationships with a give-and-take, with your fellow drivers having enough regard for how you drive and treat them on the track that they’ll be more likely to cede a spot to you or ease up if you slide in front of them.
Little things like that might not decide who wins the race, but points do ultimately determine who is the Cup Series champion. Hocevar’s aggressive style and his penchant for causing wrecks that damage other cars could also reduce the number of peers who are willing to push him on certain tracks. It’s all of these things that could prove costly to a team that should have championship aspirations.
However, as Hocevar’s moment in the Brickyard 400 where he came down and flipped Corey Heim the bird as the No. 67 car went down pit road, it sometimes appears like the driver of the No. 77 car is prioritizing theatrics and going viral over on-track success. He’s had the full support of Spire throughout it and, given his increasing popularity among fans, that’s unlikely to change.
Related: Corey Heim Trolls Ccarson Hocevar, Adds Fuel to Rivalry
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