Controversy is Carson Hocevar’s second name. However, there is a certain aspect of his career that has started appealing to the NASCAR community. Lately, the Spire Motorsports driver can’t help but find himself compared to the late Dale Earnhardt. Richard Petty was the first to place them on the same scale, but now that legacy is starting to bear down on the young racer.

Carson Hocevar steers clear of Dale Earnhardt comparisons

There are two sides to every story. In Carson Hocevar’s case, the aggression is the prime factor that makes others compare him to Dale Earnhardt. But what they do not talk about is the legacy of Earnhardt’s success. He was a brand in himself, and even Hocevar understands that he can’t replicate it himself.

“Just because, every now and again, I run into people and now I’m running a black car here and there, I don’t really see it. Even if I had won everything, even if I had 10 cup wins and we had a shot to win the championship last year, nobody’s the next Dale.

“I’ve been sitting here in every interview. I just want to be me. It’s a lot easier. It’s a lot easier if I’m just me and I’m just out there racing. I’d love to have one percent of the success Dale had.”

It is an honest request that prompts details of the burden that the Earnhardt legacy places on him. To be compared to Dale Earnhardt means every move you make on track gets scrutinized against a benchmark. Even Hocevar jokingly comments about being closer to Corey Day than to Earnhardt.

“I love Corey Day. Like, I’m a big fan of his, but I was like, shit, he’s Dale Earnhardt too. He’s been running into people.”

Not only that, Spire Motorsports’ recent decision to bring the replica of the iconic yellow and blue Wrangler livery that Dale Earnhardt used to run did not sit well with Carson Hocevar. He does appreciate it as a good business decision, but his opinion was to try to emulate Dale Jr.’s Budweiser 8 scheme for a throwback.

While fans may wonder if Hocevar is doing it for publicity, his words do make a lot of sense. For a young driver who is yet to win a race, comparisons with someone like Dale Earnhardt are a very difficult situation. The moment he commits a mistake, all that is bound to come crashing down on him.

No wonder Carson Hocevar wants to be himself and shoulder the consequences of his races and his career as himself, instead of a legend whose legacy can’t be recreated or rewritten by any other driver.

But Hocevar’s ideas are not necessarily reciprocated by Spire Motorsports.

Spire Motorsports leans into Dale Earnhardt comparisons

For the upcoming weekend at Darlington, Spire Motorsports and Chili’s Grill are trying to bring back an iconic paint scheme. It is a part of their Ride the ‘Dente…Again’te campaign. They are trying to utilize the Hocevar-Earnhardt comparisons to their advantage with the cowboy scheme.

And the motivations behind the same are quite clear.

“Last year, we noticed the chatter comparing Carson’s driving style to a young Dale Earnhardt, and it’s only grown louder as big names in the sport make the comparison,” said Chili’s Director of Media Tim Forman.

“Given the discussion, we wanted to honor Dale’s legacy, using his 1981 paint scheme as the inspiration for what we’re calling the Marg Machine. Spire and Carson were all in, and we hope fans enjoy seeing the iconic blue and yellow on track again.”

The latest rendition of his livery tries to painstakingly recreate every detail across the blue and yellow base, number font, and the iconic chevron linework across the hood. As a legacy brand of its own, Chili is trying to make its design pop out with a unique vintage touch while promoting its own brand.