Having the craftsmanship inside a racecar and translating that into a win are two different things. According to Kyle Larson, it all boils down to whether the driver behind the steering wheel is mature enough. The HMS driver recently provided a brutally honest assessment of what he believes has kept Carson Hocevar back, despite the genuine flashes of talent. So, if Hocevar has his eyes set on becoming the next big thing in NASCAR, then he might want to take out a pen and listen to Larson.

Kyle Larson thinks Carson Hocevar’s biggest obstacle is himself

“For me, he’s more immature than what his age is. I have his little Twitch stream thing pop up on my Instagram feed every now and then, and I’m like, ‘Dude, this guy is like an 8-year-old.’ That’s where I lose a little bit of respect because I’m like, ‘This guy could be the future of our sport, and he’s acting like he’s eight years old,” Larson said on the latest episode of Racin’ With The Boys. 

“He’s phenomenal. He outruns his teammates by a lot every week. He’s really good. He’s going to be around for a long time, and he’s going to win a lot of races. I think once he definitely harnesses himself some and kinda dials back that aggression a little bit and manages a race better, I think he can win multiple races a year, and he’s close to that.”

Now, to begin with, Hocevar’s numbers back up Kyle Larson’s praise. As of now, Hocevar sits ninth in the Cup Series standings with four top-five finishes and the first victory of his career at Talladega.

Week after week, he has established himself as Spire Motorsports’ obvious lead driver, frequently outrunning teammates and putting the No. 77 Chevrolet in positions few expected at the start of the year. The concern, according to Kyle Larson (and many others in the garage, too), is everything that comes with that speed.

Several accidents this season have reinforced Hocevar’s reputation as one of the more aggressive drivers in the garage. He has been given the moniker ‘Hurricane Hocevar’ for causing destruction wherever he goes. For instance, he led the first lap from the first row at Michigan and appeared to be a serious contender. On a Lap 83 restart, however, he made an aggressive drive into Turn 1 that spun John Hunter Nemechek and caused a multi-car collision.

Sixteen laps later, Hocevar again tried a dive-bomb move from fourth place, throwing his No. 77 Chevy into a two-wide race for second place between Bubba Wallace and Kyle Larson. Hocevar backed out of the move, and a superb save prevented a possible disaster for all three. Hocevar ultimately finished fifth.

A similar situation unfolded in Atlanta. After recovering from an early flat tire that left him multiple laps down, Hocevar stormed back into contention and lined up second for a crucial overtime restart. He squeezed between Christopher Bell and Bubba Wallace in an attempt to gain control, knocking Bell into the outside wall and starting a new argument about his racing style. Meanwhile, Hocevar finished fourth here.

In both instances, he possibly could have finished higher and maybe even won, if not for those aggressive moves. And that’s ultimately Kyle Larson’s argument. The speed is already there, and the racecraft is improving. The results are beginning to follow. What remains is learning how to better manage situations that don’t require maximum aggression.

Maybe Hocevar can learn from NASCAR legends like Dale Earnhardt (who he often gets compared to), Tony Stewart, and the late Kyle Busch. They all built careers on aggression and intimidation, surely. But as they matured, they learned when to push, when to exercise restraint, and how to channel that intensity into consistent success.

If Hocevar can make that same adjustment, Kyle Larson believes the young Spire Motorsports driver possesses all the tools necessary to become one of NASCAR’s biggest stars for the next decade.