The tables have turned this time. Carson Hocevar has never been one to shy away from controversy in the NASCAR Cup garage. He even joked to Dale Junior that he has no friends among the drivers. Known for riding hard and unapologetic aggression, Carson recently found himself on the receiving end of a collision with Jimmie Johnson’s former LMC prodigy at Sonoma.

While the driver owned up to his mistake, Hocevar’s stoic gave him the cold shoulder, underscoring his “just racing” mantra. This latest clash adds yet another layer to Carson’s reputation. Not afraid to battle fiercely, unbothered by apologies, and unapologetic in his approach, even when the wrong is his.

Josh Berry reveals that he did not get a text back from Carson Hocevar

Carson Hocevar has made a bold impression in just his second full Cup Series season. Though the Michigan native is 96 points outside the playoff cutline, his hard-charging approach and fast No. 77 Chevy have made it clear to both drivers and fans exactly how he races. Late in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, tensions flared in turn 1 when Josh Berry’s Wood Brothers No. 21 car clipped Hocevar’s No. 77 Chevy, sending him spinning through the grass. Berry automatically finished 13th, while Carson dropped to a 32nd-place finish, his worst of the season.

Moreover, this time around, the 22-year-old is on the receiving end for once. Carson’s hard racing style has led to multiple feather-ruffling moments during the 2025 season. Among other incidents, Carson has had runs with Ryan Blaney and Ross Chastain at EchoPark Speedway and Ricky Stenhouse Junior at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. With an outgoing personality and a no-regrets mindset, the Spire Motorsports driver’s viewpoint is simple when it comes to on-track friendships.

Berry was quick to clarify that the contact was unintentional. In his pre-race interview at Dover, he explained, saying, “The 43 [Erik Jones] was a restart at turn seven. Obviously, we’re all jammed up into each other. The 4 (Noah Gragson) car was on my right and kind of clipped me, and we just all got bottlenecked up, and he got turned around. The 77 (Hocevar) was a complete mistake on my part. I laid off at the bottom of one. I was trying to time it to where I could get up beside Carson and follow the 45 [Tyler Reddick] through and was just too fast to the top of the hill, got too far left, and ran into Carson and knocked him off the track.”

Josh Berry, who reached out to Carson Hocevar via text and call, didn’t get a reply back. The No. 21 driver admits that he even had to reach out to Hocevar’s crew chief. He said, “It’s unfortunate. Obviously, I hate it for those guys. I tried calling Carson on Monday and sent him a text, but never heard anything back. I did talk to Luke (Lambert) on Monday morning to apologize to those guys, and it’s just part of racing. We were on old tires and, for me, probably just trying a little too hard in that situation.”

And Carson Hocevar‘s response to that? Well, let’s just say that the young blood was very straightforward. He said, “I don’t really like the whole have to call and do that. Have to apologize on Monday, say whatever, right? Because I mean, if even if you do it intentionally or not, you’re never going to say that for the person. So it just becomes a pony show a little bit, so if I don’t like it—especially  it’s a little weird for me. I’ve never been on this side of it.”

The Spire Motorsports driver even noted that he doesn’t plan on talking to Berry anytime soon about the incident that knocked him out of the top 10 and relegated him to a 32nd-place finish. He is just viewing it as a racing incident. He added, “Stuff happens. We’re all on the limit of everything. Of all people, right, I’m on the limit of everything.”

Carson Hocevar’s recent remarks about having no friends in the Cup Series garage have sparked debate across the NASCAR community. On DJD, Carson doubles down on his lone wolf mentality, stating that he has no interest in building friendships with fellow drivers. The comments drew strong reactions, raising questions about personality, image, and camaraderie in today’s Cup Series.

Connor Zilisch opens up about Carson’s tough guy persona

Connor Zilisch, one of NASCAR’s most promising up-and-comers, responded to Hocevar’s stance on Corey Lajoie’s podcast. Connor took a different view, questioning why anyone would want to go through their racing career being miserable, especially when drivers are likely to be around each other for decades.

He also cast doubt on whether Hocevar’s tough guy persona is entirely genuine. He went on to say, “Like part of me, I hate saying this, but like every time I walk past him in the garage, like we say hi. It’s not like he’s, I feel like he (Hocevar) was playing a little bit of the tough guy on the Download.”

Ultimately, the JR Motorsports driver believes that there is a difference between how Carson presented himself in interviews and how he interacts in the garage. While his attitude may help him build an edgy brand, drivers like Connor are choosing a more approachable route, one that sees long-term relationships as part of the sport’s fabric, not a distraction from it.