2026 has been Carson Hocevar’s breakout year in the Cup Series. He earned his first career win at Talladega in the Jack Link’s 500 in April and has since become one of the garage’s biggest stars. Hocevar has even emerged as a potential challenger to Chase Elliott’s ‘Most Popular Driver’ title, which Elliott has won for eight straight years. He’s also represented NASCAR at high-profile events, including the Met Gala. However, his rise has also fueled criticism from parts of the garage, with many labeling his driving style as overly aggressive after several on-track incidents this season. The conversation intensified following the Eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, and NASCAR insider Tommy Baldwin Jr. made it clear he wasn’t impressed with the Spire Motorsport driver’s antics.

Former Daytona 500-winning Crew Chief “hates” talking about Hocevar

Tommy Baldwin, who won the Daytona 500 in 2002 with Bill Davis Racing driver Ward Burton, said on the Door Bumper Clear podcast, “Look, I hate talking about the #77, I really do. He’s driving like a f–king lunatic at the beginning of the race.

They’ve had enough, I’m telling you, they’ve had enough. Even his posts, ‘Oh, we didn’t qualify very good. I hope we run good.’ By the time it’s lap 30, there’s nothing left of his car to go fast. It’s like, #38 got into him, and obviously it ruined the #38’s night. He didn’t run very well after that, and they’ve been good all year. People are tired of it.”

Baldwin was referring to the opening stages of the Eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, where Hocevar started 15th. While battling for 17th, he made contact with Front Row Motorsports driver Zane Smith. Frustrated by Hocevar’s aggressive driving early in the race, Smith appeared to wreck him on Lap 32 intentionally. However, the move backfired. Smith damaged his own car and ruined his race, while Hocevar escaped without major damage and continued.

Baldwin’s criticism went beyond the contact with Smith. He argued that Hocevar has developed a habit of pushing too hard in the opening laps, often putting himself and others in unnecessary situations before the race has settled down. That approach has worn thin in the garage, and several incidents this season have only reinforced that perception.

In Michigan in June, Hocevar caused a nine-car pileup after running into John Hunter Nemechek as the field slowed. Nemechek immediately voiced his frustration over the radio, saying, “You can always count on Hocevar to do dumb stuff.” And that was far from Hocevar’s only incident in 2026.

In Atlanta in February, he attempted to squeeze three-wide between Bubba Wallace and Christopher Bell, sending Bell into the wall. Off the track, Hocevar has also embraced an anti-hero persona on social media, often brushing off criticism. Baldwin isn’t a fan of that approach, believing it only encourages the kind of racing that led to the incident in Chicago.

Ward Burton, however, sympathized with both Smith and Hocevar. “Hell, we’ve all been there,” he said. “You can’t win on the first lap and you’ve got to run all the laps.”

What frustrated Tommy Baldwin was that Carson Hocevar had already shown what he could do when he raced with patience. Many of his best finishes this season have come when he stayed out of trouble and kept his race clean. Talladega was the perfect example. Hocevar avoided the massive 26-car crash on Lap 115 and kept his car intact throughout the race. Then, during a frantic three-lap dash to the checkered flag, he took the lead and held off Chris Buescher and Alex Bowman without making any risky late blocks.

Baldwin doesn’t want Hocevar to stop racing aggressively. He just wants him to pick his moments instead of going all-out from the opening laps. To explain his point, Baldwin compared Hocevar to Ross Chastain, another driver who was once criticized for the same reasons.

Baldwin talks about Ross Chastain’s evolution as a driver

A few years ago, Ross Chastain was known for his aggressive driving. One of the biggest examples came at World Wide Technology Raceway in 2022, when he ran Denny Hamlin into the wall after missing a corner and later spun Chase Elliott in the same race. Neither driver had positive things to say about Chastain.

“He’s gonna be just as successful with that pace that he has if he’s just a little more mindful of the positions he puts himself and others in at points of the race that don’t matter as much,” Eliott said about the Trackhouse Racing driver, who, in recent years, has toned down his driving style.

The trade-off, though, is that some believe he’s no longer as much of a threat at the front. Baldwin acknowledged that but offered an explanation that Hocevar could learn from.

He said, “I think Ross is not being as aggressive as he used to be. One, because right now he doesn’t have the car to do it. Number two, I think he’s smart enough now. You hear when other drivers talk about him.

They miss him up there, they miss him up there, running up in the front and doing what he does. He has become smart because he doesn’t really have the car to do it, and he’s in a nice, safe spot in his career, finally.”

That rings true, as Trackhouse Racing has struggled over the past couple of years. In fact, most of the team’s success has come through Shane van Gisbergen’s road course wins. Connor Zilisch’s difficult rookie season hasn’t helped matters either. This year, Chastain’s best finish came at Atlanta, where he finished third. It remains his only top-five finish of the season, alongside three more top-10s. Beyond that, results have been hard to come by, leaving him 22nd in the championship with no “win, and you’re in” safety net to fall back on.

Baldwin wants Hocever to have a long Cup Series career, which requires knowing when to attack and when to be patient. Chastain eventually earned that balance after years of clashes with his rivals. Baldwin believes Hocevar has the talent to reach the same level, but only if he learns that not every position is worth fighting for in the opening laps.