Carson Hocevar was pretty straightforward when he rejected comparisons to Dale Earnhardt last week. Then again, he tends to be direct about most things. He argued that aggressive driving alone doesn’t earn him that label, as he hasn’t won a single race so far. However, just days later, some veterans seem to be drawing parallels again, especially after his Darlington run.

Carson Hocevar compared to NASCAR legends… again!

“We’re seeing a changing of the guard. Whine all you want to, he’s gonna take your 2nds, he’s gonna take your 3rds, he’s gonna take your 4ths and 5ths,” Kyle Petty claimed, as he analyzed Hocevar’s performance so far in the Cup Series.

He also claimed that he would soon start winning races. But the real comparison came when Steve Letarte spoke.

“When you look at just raw talent, right? He is in that Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch […] you can go down those ones that are just naturally gifted, talented. It’s no longer a flash in the pan. They’re the real deal.”

Another comparison to a seven-time Cup Series champion? Carson Hocevar seems to be on a roll!

And understandably so, his performance has been nothing short of impressive so far, and even this year, he has marked a monumental start for the team in all aspects. While he is still a bit away from a race win, his aggressive and fearless driving has allowed him to crack the top five twice this season. This also included his finish at Darlington.

While on the topic, let’s not forget the strong season he had last year, when he recorded two top-five finishes, nine top-10s, and led 122 laps. He finished the season 23rd in the drivers’ standings. Then there was also his home race at Michigan, which nearly gave him his first career Cup Series win.

With William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Denny Hamlin charging behind him, the young driver kept the field at bay until 19 laps to go, when the No. 77 suffered a left-rear tire failure. He ultimately finished 29th but set a career high in laps led with 32 at the 2-mile oval.

Now, despite such defining performances, Hocevar wants to stay away from being compared to a legend.

“I feel like we’ve probably should have won a race by now. There are a lot of things that have taken us out of contention for those. But I’m like, ‘Okay, like, you know, just because I now and again run into people and now I’m running a black car here and there.’ Like, I don’t really see it,” he said.

There is no doubt that he can perform; he has been doing that across all three national series within NASCAR. Currently, while it may seem that he needs better machinery to start winning, the answer might be simpler than that.

Is Carson Hocevar’s driving keeping him from winning?

This seems to be a rather odd question. After all, his aggressive pushing has assisted him in clinching some of his career wins. But it is the same thing that has ended his race multiple times. While aggression and pushing are necessary to win in NASCAR, there seems to be a thin line between when a driver should and should not be pushing.

The 23-year-old is young and still learning. But earlier this year, an experienced Ryan Blaney dropped some hot advice for him to begin winning races in the future.

“I think he’s one of the best prospects of the young drivers in the sport. And he makes mistakes, but he’s going for it all the time,” he said on the Door, Bumper, Clear podcast. “I think if he cleans up some of the mistakes that he makes, which is what gets him to where he is, I think he’s going to win a bunch of races.”

While that advice might sound a bit too generic, it plays an important role for Hocevar. He has been a bit too aggressive behind the wheel. The multiple restarts at Atlanta proved that, but the more worrying part was that he attempted to defend his driving, claiming:

“I think everybody graces me very aggressively at times, and I feel like I do the same.”

While his aggressive driving is justified, it won’t be long before he begins to better manage his overall driving style and starts winning races. Then, he may well start accepting the legendary comparisons.