Carson Hocevar has established himself as one of the biggest fan-favorites in NASCAR this season. In his return home to Michigan for Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400, with a raucous crowd supporting him, Hocevar once again drew the ire of his fellow NASCAR drivers for a massive wreck.
On the restart on Lap 83, Hocevar got a bit aggressive and got into the back of John Hunter Nemechek and then the No. 77 car tried to slide to the inside. That sent the No. 42 colliding into Bubba Wallace and Ty Gibbs before spinning out and taking out other drivers.
Nine cars were involved in the wreck, including Denny Hamlin, Zane Smith and Tyler Reddick. While Reddick and Dillon sustained race-ending damage to their cars, Hocevar came out of it unscathed and started fifth on the restart.
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While the No. 77 team and Hocevar’s fan abse viewed it as a racing deal and typical for what happens at Michigan International Speedway, fellow NASCAR drivers saw it very differently. Hamlin, who has had his fair share of issues with Hocevar, was one of the first to voice his displeasure over the radio.
“”Man, Carson (Hocevar), he just gets so f***ing excited he can’t help it.”
Denny Hamlin on Carson Hocevar’s actions on the restart (via Jordan Bianchi)
That sentiment was shared by the No. 11 team, voicing their displeasure over Hocevar seemingly causing another major wreck and inexplicably avoiding any damage to his car.
Likewise, Dillon was equally frustrated. As he dealt with the aftermath of race-ending damage to his No. 3 car, the veteran driver immediately put the blame on Hocevar for what happened.
“77 as usual is what causes these things.”
Austin Dillon on Carson Hocevar (via Jeff Gluck)
Speaking to Amazon Prime from the care center, Dillon again voiced his frustration with Hocevar and made it clear he won’t “show anything to him” on the track for a long time.
Nemechek, whose day was ended in the wreck, voiced his displeasure with Hocevar once again being responsible for junking up others around him.
“You can count on Hocevar to junk up s___.”
John Hunter Nemechek on Carson Hocevar’s incident (via Richard Allen)
Even drivers who weren’t involved in the wreck seemed unsurprised by Hocevar being involved in the big one. When William Byron was informed that Hocevar caused the crash, he expressed zero surprise.
“Seems like he’s at least good for a few of those each week.”
William Byron on Carson Hocevar causing the big wreck at Michigan
For as much as NASCAR drivers continue to complain about Hocevar’s overaggressive driving, no one seems to do anything about it. At a time when NASCAR has seemingly sent a message that it won’t penalize drivers for payback as long as they don’t admit it on the radio, the complaints come off as a bit hollow until someone gets a little payback.
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