“I keep hearing, ‘Well, he’s going for it.’ If I’m three car lengths behind Carson Hocevar and I go through the grass into Turn 1 and then wipe him out… is that just me going for it or is that me being an idiot?” Denny Hamlin recently said on an episode of Actions Detrimental, indirectly firing a not-so-subtle shot at Carson Hocevar after Atlanta’s chaotic finish. Hamlin clearly thought he had made his point. But fans didn’t exactly see it that way. And once he doubled down on social media with an even more condescending “puppy” analogy, the situation went from criticism… to full-blown backlash.

Denny Hamlin’s “Puppy” analogy only makes things worse…

After Denny Hamlin’s “idiot” comment toward Carson Hocevar began circulating on social media, one fan pushed back with a pointed reply: “Same old story, old dog doesn’t like puppy. Puppy isn’t bogged down with baggage. The sport changed last evening whether you like it or not. NASCAR was sued, part of the suit was a return to old school racing. Now you’re not happy?”

And that sentiment reflects a growing divide in the sport. For many fans, what Hocevar did at Atlanta wasn’t anything new. It was simply a continuation of the aggressive, elbows-out style that has been returning to NASCAR over the last few years. A new wave of young drivers has shifted the culture, making bold dive-bombs, late blocks, and last-lap chaos more common.

Veteran Kyle Busch summed it up bluntly months ago: “No. When you watch all the children that race all year long in the ARCAs and Late Models and the other things, you see that stuff already. They’re taught from a very young age to dive bomb and run into them, and door that guy.”

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So while Hamlin framed Hocevar’s move as recklessness, others argued it was simply the racing style NASCAR itself has been cultivating. And that’s what made Denny Hamlin’s doubling down even worse. When confronted with the “old dog vs. puppy” analogy, Hamlin fired back with a response that instantly rubbed fans the wrong way:

“Puppies are great, but if they shit in your bed you gonna just lay in it? Or teach the puppy where to properly take a dump?”

That remark set off a firestorm. What Denny Hamlin seemed to think was a clever analogy was instead widely perceived as condescending, disrespectful, and completely missing the point. Now the backlash was fully in motion and set up a wave of fan reactions that would define the next chapter of the controversy.

…as fans fire back

Once Denny Hamlin doubled down with his now-infamous “puppy” analogy, fans unloaded with a wave of reactions that made one thing clear: the public wasn’t buying it. Many argued that Carson Hocevar (love him or hate him) has brought something back to NASCAR that the sport desperately needed. As one fan put it, “Love him or hate him, the health of the sport is better with him in the field.” The excitement, unpredictability, and chaos that Atlanta delivered? Hocevar was at the center of it.

Others pointed out the irony in Hamlin’s criticism, given the current standings. One fan fired off a stinger that instantly went viral: “Here’s the thing, Denny. You’re in 27th.” And they weren’t wrong. After two races in the 2026 season, Hocevar sits 4th in the overall Cup standings, boosted by his strong 4th-place run in Atlanta. Denny Hamlin, meanwhile, is buried deep in the order in 27th.

Then came perhaps the harshest jab of all: “It’s a good thing you never raced with Earnhardt. Hot take: @CarsonHocevar wins a championship before you.” It was a brutal reminder that in almost two decades, Hamlin still has zero championships. Harsh but unfortunately true in every word!

Fans also dug up Hamlin’s own past aggression, calling out the 2025 Hollywood Casino 400 incident: “Didn’t you wreck your own driver last year going for a win?” It’s hard to call Hocevar reckless when you’ve shoved your own 23XI team driver, Bubba Wallace, into the wall while running for victory.

And then, NASCAR driver Landon Cassill delivered the knockout blow with a perfectly snarky response: “Sure, but the old dog still sleeps in the garage.”

The message from fans was unmistakable: Denny Hamlin’s criticism said more about him than it did about Carson Hocevar.