Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn’t just riding off his last name; he’s out there doing the heavy lifting to keep NASCAR alive and kicking. Whether he’s chopping it up on the Dale Jr. Download, building his Dirty Mo Media empire, or showing up on screen in the Earnhardt docuseries, Junior’s doing more than just talk. He is shaping the sport’s future.

Behind the scenes, he is hands-on at his Xfinity team, JR Motorsports, while being the impeccable voice he is on the Amazon Prime broadcast. But it’s his next-level play that’s got fans noticing. Recently, even Kenny Wallace, a veteran of the sport, caught on, believing that Junior is actively creating a character in a driver who is becoming a rising star. And Mark Martin feels that might just be the key to saving the sport he grew up loving.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s handpicked chaos agent

Kenny Wallace did not mince words during the interview with Mark Martin, pointing out that just as Martin once vouched for a young Joey Logano, declaring him the future of NASCAR. Dale Earnhardt Jr. now seems to be doing something similar. Wallace suggested that Dale Junior isn’t just hyping up a driver; he’s intentionally shaping a character reminiscent of his legendary father, Dale Earnhardt, someone sport desperately needs to rally around.

Kenny Wallace knows exactly what Dale Jr. is up to. Wallace said, “Dale Jr., I see him trying to help the sport by creating a character; he’s trying to create Carson Hocevar. There’s difficulty in doing that… There’s no doubt in my mind that you, Mark Martin, made Joey Logano. You bragged on him; you told everybody Joey Logano is the man—and you were right. And now here’s Dale Jr saying, ‘Look at Carson Hocevar; he reminds me of his dad.’”

Mark Martin did not shy away from the idea while complimenting Jr.’s work ethic, saying, “Dale Jr. is the greatest asset stock car racing has probably ever had in history right now. What he’s doing for the sport is immeasurable. And I’m going to tell you something—I have an idea of how hard he works at it. This stuff isn’t coming easy. Dale Jr. is working his guts out to make stock car racing better and make it great. So kudos to Junior.” 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. claimed NASCAR‘s most popular driver award for a record 15 consecutive years and reshaped the sport’s media landscape with his Dirty Mo media empire. Combine that with the fact that he owns JR Motorsports, an Xfinity team that has nurtured champions like 7-time Most Popular Driver Chase Elliott, and it’s clear that Jr. is executing on his vision. He knows that polar figures, like his father, Dale Senior, before him, drive fan engagement, social media, and TV ratings, and when he sees someone with that spark, he wants to fan the flames.

As for Carson Hocevar? Martin was on board. He goes on to say, “As far as Hocevar goes, he’s [Dale Jr.] right. I mean, we need Hocevar to continue being a rocket ship, and we need him to bounce off of people and stuff. You know, [Ross] Chastain—we need Chastain to get back a little bit more on the chip. Why? Because we need some of that villain.” And Carson has already embraced the comparison.

Carson Hocevar told reporters at Michigan after he almost put together a race-winning drive before blowing a tire while in the lead, “I mean, if I win seven championships. But if you’re going to get compared to one guy, that’s the guy, endorsements from Dale Jr. and everybody. But I don’t think I’m ‘new’ anything, you know, I think I’m ‘new’ me.” Despite his aggressive driving style, his media antics, and face-offs with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Carson is the most talked-about driver, and Dale Jr. is all here for it.

Carson Hocevar can walk the talk, well, sometimes. His two top-five finishes, a second place at Atlanta and another at Nashville, and three top tens overall, have people rooting for his maiden win. Carson has even claimed his first-ever cup pole at Texas this season with a lap speed of 191.659 mph, which shows he has incredible speed and characteristics of a champion, though he raises eyebrows with his ruthless driving style.

Martin believes that it is necessary for Carson Hocevar to continue being Carson Hocevar; the brutal honesty and no-regrets attitude are what will keep the sport and the fans alive. He went on to say, ” Some of that people love, you know, like they did with [Dale] Earnhardt. They either love your style and love what you do and condone every mistake that you make, or they hate you. And that’s good, you know? That’s good if they hate you—because that puts enthusiasm, gets people’s blood pumping.”

But while Hocevar has the support of the sport’s veterans, not all of them are on board with his reckless antics.

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Kevin Harvick warns Carson Hocevar of consequences

Carson Hocevar’s rookie rise has taken a combustible turn, sparking a feud with fellow hard charger Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Last weekend in Mexico City, their second clash in just three weeks reignited tempers, proving neither driver is willing to back down. The tension was so palpable that NASCAR veteran voice Kevin Harvick took a moment to weigh in during his Happy Hour podcast, painting a vivid picture of what’s unfolding.

Harvick didn’t pull punches. He pointed out that Ricky had had enough, especially after Carson, running a lap down, made yet another aggressive move on him. He said, “It’s been a pretty one-way street as far as these incidents are working out, and that means Hocevar into the back bumper of Stenhouse. And I think Ricky had enough; Hocevar was a lap down, and that’s the part that Carson has to get better at, he has to have some common sense about the scenarios that he’s putting himself in.”

The tone grew even more intense as Harvick warned of consequences ahead. He’s not talking about hypothetical drama; Kevin explained that in rivalries like this, retaliation comes quick and hard. “It’s going to be a day where he’s leading (the race) and he’s coming to lap Stenhouse and Stenhouse is going to wipe his a– out. That’s how these things work, especially when you get to having two or three of them.” Stenhouse Junior has already fired some barbs back at Carson, making his displeasure clear after their last collision in Mexico City. “I will beat your a– when we get back to the States,” said Ricky to Hocevar after the race while the latter was still in his car.

All eyes will be on these two at the tricky triangle when the field rolls into Pocono this Sunday, with coverage kicking off at 2 pm ET on prime. Will Carson rein in his aggression and earn his respect, or will Ricky Stenhouse Jr. strike back? Let us know what you think in the comments!