If there is one driver who is quite controversial in NASCAR these days, it is Carson Hocevar. While many people like him for his unabashed behaviour, others despise him for the same. And now, he has another roadblock in the form of Toyota drivers, who reportedly are in unison against him on-track, as revealed by Denny Hamlin.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver and co-owner of 23XI Racing recently shared his thoughts on this situation and said Hocevar can expect no assistance from Toyota drivers, especially in bumper drafting. Speaking on his "Actions Detrimental" podcast, Hamlin said:

"I mean, there are drivers in our meeting today that say no matter what, they will not push Carson Hocevar to a victory. Absolutely not. They'll push anyone else. So I mean, when you say those things to, you can't disrespect them on and off the track."

Regarded as one of the 'villains' of NASCAR by a section of fans, Hocevar has been in a lot of multi-car wrecks and has shown little regard for peer relations.

Hamlin, a veteran of the sport who is nearing retirement, explained why such a reputation is never good.

"This sport is just one of those things where you don't have to have a lot of friends, but you definitely can't have a lot of enemies. And I just think about the greats of our sport, all the greats; there's never been a great of our sport that has not been respected by his peers. There's never been," Hamlin further added on the podcast.

In the podcast, Hamlin compared how Hocevar has a reputation that heavily differs from that of Dale Earnhardt. The comparison comes as the Spire Motorsports driver is often compared to the late seven-time Cup Series champion.

He stated how Earnhardt would often apologize to his colleagues in case of any wrongdoing. However, it wasn't the same as seen in the case of Hocevar.

The Spire man often comes across as unapologetic, as seen in his recent feud with Front Row Motorsports star Zane Smith.

Zane Smith's blunt verdict on Carson Hocevar

Carson Hocevar was in direct conflict with Zane Smith after their incident during the NASCAR Cup race at Chicagoland. Smith wrecked Hocevar and, in doing so, wrecked himself.

NASCAR summoned them to the hauler in Atlanta last weekend, and after that, the feud only seemed to escalate.

"I just don’t like him as a human," Smith told reporters in Atlanta (as quoted by Autoweek.com). "I think we both understand where we’re at with everything, but certainly, the meeting doesn’t change how much he dislikes me and how much I dislike him."

Notably, Hocevar and Smith had run-ins in Iowa last year, and it continued at Chicagoland most recently. This time, NASCAR didn't penalize either driver, but if they tussle again, the result might not be the same.

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Written by

Sabyasachi Biswas

Edited by

Yash Kotak