Carson Hocevar’s aggressive driving style has made him one of NASCAR’s most talked-about drivers. Despite all of these run-ins with the sport's veterans, he has managed to largely avoid the backlash, which Joey Logano believes he never escaped. Reflecting on the contrast, the Team Penske driver has a few thoughts on the way he was treated. 

During his recent appearance on Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour podcast, the No. 22 Team Penske driver was asked about what he thought of Hocevar’s rise to fame in the sport. 

"I think Carson's great for the sport. I think he brings a ton of new fans, different fans. Just the way he is is different than the rest of us. The way he speaks, he's just, he's younger. Yeah, I don't know what he's talking about half the time; I don't know what these words mean. I don't get it, but people love it, and there's no denying that, and that's great; that's great for our sport," Logano said.

From early on in his career, Logano has been the driver fans love to hate.

However, some fans have justified that this hatred for him stems from his aggressive style of racing that led him to have multiple run-ins with the sport's veterans such as Kevin Harvick. Some fans have not forgotten about the same to this day, as he continues to receive boos during his driver intros. 

Logano further revealed that his issue with Hocevar’s popularity is that when he joined the sport as a 19-year-old, the fans were far less forgiving of his run-ins with the sport's veterans. 

"I don't understand, though. When I came into the sport, and I had run-ins with veterans and all that stuff, right? And people hated me for that, right? Forever. And to this day I still get booed like you wouldn't believe for the things I did when I was 19-years-old. This kid comes in and wrecks way more people than I ever did, and people love him," Logano said on Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour podcast.

His comments come from experience as Logano has had multiple high-profile runs. This includes the most notable run-in with the podcast’s co-host Kevin Harvick in 2010. 

When Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick locked horns 

The most famous run-in came in 2010 at the Pocono Raceway during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Logano drove for Joe Gibbs Racing, while Kevin Harvick drove the  No.29 Richard Childress Racing car. 

The crash came after Harvick allegedly had enough of the now three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion's race antics. In the final few laps of the race, the RCR driver turned into the JGR driver who was in contention for a top three finish. 

However, after the crash, Logano went from third place to 13th, while Harvick managed to control his car and finish the race in fourth. 

Years later, the two drivers managed to put aside their differences, turning their fierce rivalry into a relationship built on mutual respect. 

Why do you think Hocevar gets a pass while Logano gets the heat? Tell us in the comments.

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Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore