Carson Hocevar isn’t making many friends on the track, is he? Just before the start of Sunday’s Cup Series race at Watkins Glen, there was an apparent confrontation between Brad Keselowski and the 22-year-old racing driver after qualifying. Tempers were flaring and words were exchanged before the RFK Racing co-owner/driver walked away, claiming, “I’m over it. We race today.” Thankfully, the drama didn’t carry on at ‘Go Bowling at The Glen’, where things could have truly gotten out of hand.

And now, Denny Hamlin has revealed the real reason behind Keselowski’s pit road outburst. With the pressure mounting ahead of the playoffs, could we see a resurgence of ‘Bad Brad’ in the Cup Series? Time will tell.

Denny Hamlin absolves veteran racer of blame

Brad Keselowski once said, “In this sport, when others are angry at you, generally you’ve done something right.” However, going by his reaction at Watkins Glen, the 41-year-old will be eating his own words after the qualifying incident with Carson Hocevar. In some ways, there are quite a few similarities between the two drivers, with the Michigan native also ruffling plenty of feathers back in the day, relishing the opportunity to challenge authority. Hocevar is no different, especially if his recent tussles with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Zane Smith, Ross Chastain, Ryan Blaney, and Kyle Busch are anything to go by.

Dissecting the qualifying incident, Denny Hamlin said on the Actions Detrimental podcast, “Keselowski pulled out on pit road, pulls onto the racetrack, and Carson is on his flying lap. So, Keselowski wants to go slow on his first few corners to let his stuff warm up before he gets to the alternate start-finish line on the backstretch. As the #77 has come on him, he must have caught Brad at a probably not a great time, where it just made him slow down, maybe it did not, but Carson probably just took exception to that.”

It looked like Brad Keselowski tried to get out of the way, but Hocevar felt impeded by the No. 6 Ford Mustang during his qualifying lap. Eager to take revenge, he got in the 41-year-old’s way during Keselowski’s flying lap, and the Spire Motorsports team claimed the No. 77’s actions were “not even close” to what the RFK Racing co-owner did. But Hamlin couldn’t help but give the veteran the benefit of the doubt, saying, “Brad tried to get out of the way.”

What followed was complete chaos. Frustrated by what occurred, Brad Keselowski could be seen climbing from his No. 6 RFK Racing Ford, and then sprinting down pit road to the No. 77 stall. Heated words were exchanged with Hocevar and his team behind the wall, before the veteran racer walked away. When asked if the sophomore understood the message, the Michigan-native replied, “Well, probably not,” but he had to vent out. However, the incident was forgotten by the time the green flag dropped.

Hocevar extends olive branch to Zane Smith

The tension between Carson Hocevar and Zane Smith had been simmering for a while now. But nobody would have predicted their rivalry taking such an unexpected twist at Watkins Glen. It’s no secret that both racers have been taking swipes at each other, with the Front Row Motorsports driver even saying, “I was teammates with him, and everyone at that race shop, everyone in this garage, realizes he’s an idiot.” However, it seems like both of them have come to a truce of sorts at ‘The Glen.’

With five laps to go, Smith caught Hocevar’s back bumper, but instead of retaliating, the Spire Motorsports driver eased up going into Turn 5 and let the No. 38 Ford Mustang have the spot. After the checkered flag was waved, Carson Hocevar leaned into Smith’s window and said, “Hey, I know that doesn’t make up for it, but you can expect that in the next couple weeks, okay?” According to journalist Steven Taranto, the 22-year-old was referencing the late-race incident that he let go.

Ultimately, Carson Hocevar ended the race in 18th place, one spot lower than Zane Smith. It was a small, but thoughtful gesture, one that shows just how much he has grown since the start of the season. For a driver who has been compared to the legendary Dale Earnhardt himself, it was a far cry from the cold-blooded, no-apologies reputation Hoevar is quickly becoming known for in the garage. Perhaps the time may have come for the youngster to make amends and learn from his mistakes once and for all.