Dale Earnhardt Jr. has had his share of criticism of Carson Hocevar, like many in the NASCAR community. But the former had to give flowers to the young driver after what he had done in Darlington. His performance was certainly elite, but there was something else about him as well that left Junior impressed. 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. approves Hocevar’s tribute to the Intimidator

Hocevar raced in a Dale Earnhardt Sr. inspired paint scheme, which was similar to the 1981 design. Amazed by what he saw from the driver, Junior claimed that the consensus about the paint scheme was that Hocevar’s team ‘knocked it out of the park.’

“I’m biased, that’s my favorite design of the Wrangler car that he ever raced for sure, and Hocevar and his team did a lot of great stuff on social media with content,” said Earnhardt Sr. “They went all out. They put some good effort into this. I just don’t see a lot of folks putting that kind of effort into certain campaigns, even non-throwback campaigns. Hell of a job.”

Dale’s a big fan of the Grand Prix that was wrapped to look like @CarsonHocevar‘s throwback car. 🙌🏼

Where is it? What’s gonna happen to it? @DaleJr has questions. pic.twitter.com/jzoEsnWRTY

— Dirty Mo Media (@DirtyMoMedia) March 24, 2026

Having seen his dad race in some legendary cars, Earnhardt Jr. was surprised when he first saw Hocevar’s tribute and was left with a lot of questions.

 “Where in the hell has that car been and where is it going?” questioned Earnhardt in excitement. “Whose is it that, where is it, I want it going down the street. What does it look like on the inside? I need to know, I mean, that’s a pretty bada** looking car now. I don’t know what it looked like before they wrapped it.”

 Earnhardt Jr., who is an active voice in the NASCAR community, has commented on Hocevar previously as well. While his aggressive racing style sometimes leads to problems, Junior believes it is important for him to continue driving as he has.

 Earnhardt doesn’t want Hocevar to buckle under criticism

Hocevar has had multiple incidents in his career, where his driving style has led to problems. Despite being only 23, he has already clashed with Christopher Bell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ryan Blaney, Austin Dillon, and had an incident during the Truck Series title race in 2023. 

This has attracted a lot of criticism; however, unlike the critics who ask him to change, Earnhardt Jr. doesn’t want Hocevar to change or adapt his style for one very particular reason.

“I don’t want Hocevar to change,” Earnhardt Jr. said earlier this year on his podcast. “We need people like Hocevar, we need people like Connor Zilisch, we need people like Ross Chastain, we need people like Denny Hamlin, we need all these very great, awesome, different personalities. And we need to be celebrating that.”

The legendary driver stated that he had exchanged texts with Hocevar, asking him to block out all the outside noise.

Aged 23, the young driver has a style similar to Earnhardt Sr. While he rubbishes any comparison, it is clear that there is talent. However, he will have to start putting up great performances to complement the style, just like how Earnhardt Sr. did on his way to winning 7 Cup Series honors.