Carson Hocevar has kept fans entertained in the last few seasons, but it seems like his aggression cost him the win at Atlanta, according to FOX Sports' Eric Brennan.

While discussing last weekend's race on the Door Bumper Clear podcast, co-host Eric Brennan noted that Hocevar’s attitude toward competitors is causing them to withhold help, specifically refusing to give him drafting assistance when battling for position. 

“Bell was really the one who could figure out who he wanted to go with at that point. He selected Blaney. I know Bell and Hocevar have had some run-ins before. I saw a few times where Carson was making moves, he was making moves that he was pulling off even by himself with enough of a run, but I saw more than just one handful of times where people seemingly consciously elected not to go with him. 

Brennan referred to the final seconds on the track. In a last-lap shootout between Ryan Blaney and Carson Hocevar, Christopher Bell ran on Blaney's bumper, with the Toyota driver's push being crucial for Blaney's win.

And Brennan believes it goes back to Hocevar's history with Bell. Earlier this year, Bell was in contention for the win at the spring race at Atlanta, but contact with Hocevar in overtime sent Bell into the outside wall in turn 1, costing him the win. Brennan thinks Bell is paying back the favor months later, at the same track.

"We talk about racing etiquette and ethics and how it's hard to pay somebody back, and it's hard to wreck someone without either hurting yourself or making it blaringly obvious. But apparently, if you don't talk about it, you're fine. But either way, how do you get someone back for that? You race them super hard, or you leave them hanging when they need help. And I think there were several examples of that,” he said.

We've seen this before as well, with drivers being aggressive. Hocevar has often been compared to Dale Earnhardt Sr. when he was bursting onto the scene, with people often finding similarities in their driving styles and behaviour, choosing to stay unapologetic about his driving style.

Addressing that in a press conference, he said, per Toby Christie, “I think I've hit enough people already, I am just driving how I want to drive. I don't really love the comparisons of what they have turned into. It started by not apologising after running into people, basically, and just being really, really aggressive. Then it turned into 'I am as good as him.' I don't know where that came from.”

How Carson Hocevar changed Tommy Baldwin’s stance

In the same interaction, Tommy Baldwin Jr., who has been very critical of Hocevar and his driving style, was all praise for his performance in Atlanta. He felt that Hocevar played the long game by holding his position for roughly 7-8 laps. 

This allowed the aggressive pack to settle, giving him a clearer path to move toward the front at the right moment.

“If you look, he waited for about eight laps. 7-8 laps, then he went right. He let the field spread out a little bit, get comfortable a little bit, and then he was gone."

Baldwin added, “I hate to say it. I know everyone's going to…, but when you deserve your flowers flowers so much fun to watch.”

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest! 

Written by

Aaradhya Singh

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar