Who’s NASCAR’s newest superstar/antihero? Ask Dale Earnhardt Jr, and he seemingly has an answer ready at the tip of his tongue. Make no mistake, Denny Hamlin still holds the crown for being Cup Series’ one of the most divisive personalities among fans, but this 22-year-old Spire Motorsports driver we’re talking about doesn’t just garner hate from fans, but fellow competitors, too—a crucial part of his explosive fame.

When Carson Hocevar burst into the scene for the first time, it was on the back of a controversial Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway back in 2023. The young racer had contacted Corey Heims’s left rear on Lap 120, spinning him and Stewart Freisen. Then, with three laps left in regulation, Heim had given it back; both losing their trophy in the process. “That is not professional auto racing. It’s a joke, they need to fix it,” were Martin Truex Jr’s comments among the barrage of criticism from other racers. The question is: Did they (read: he) fix it?

No. Instead, Hocevar has turned on a kind of aggression that’s equally loved and hated. He’s known for his bad-boy antics, his inclination toward angering opponents and mentors (including Ross Chastain at Atlanta), and most recently his aversion toward Data. “I’m always trying to search; be creative and never put myself in a box,” Hocevar says. “I think looking at SMT or really getting too focused on the data of it puts me in that box or gets me second guessing myself. I go a lot off instinct, natural feel and visible, and just as many senses as I can in the car. I’m racing off instinct alone,” the youngster had said just last month. However, looks like Hocevar’s attempt to appear charismatic was a bubble his team owner was dying to burst.

In a conversation with Jeff Gluck that surfaced on June 4, co-owner Jeff Dickerson hilariously revealed, “He’s lying to you! He is always studying! I live it every day. He’s constantly sending me things he’s looking at. He’s just at an age where it’s cool to say, ‘See? I don’t study! I just feel the air! I’m the next reincarnation of Dale Sr., don’t you guys get it?’ No, jacka—. It’s not instinct. He’s not God’s gift to race car driving. He works at this as much as anybody.”

To prove his point, Dickerson even called Hocevar over and confronted him face to face. He said, “You keep telling people you don’t study s— or look at s—!” To this, the 22-year-old, in what seemed to be a slightly defensive and with an embarrassed tone, replied, “What? I just say I don’t look at SMT data.” In response, the Spire Motorsports boss shut down that claim by saying, “You look at everything, shut up.” With nowhere to hide, Hocevar had no other option but to accept defeat, as he shrugged and said, “I know.”

It seems Carson Hocevar enjoys the reputation of being a ‘prodigy’, wanting to come across as a racer who works harder than he’s willing to admit. The reality is that the No. 77 Chevy driver is ‘obsessed’ with stock car racing, and is often in the stands watching the Truck Series action live. He even sends feedback to his friends in the teams, hoping it’ll prove to be a difference-maker.

To say that he’s a student of the sport would be an understatement, and he’ll do whatever it takes to fulfill his lifelong ambition of winning a Cup race.

Jeff Dickerson has high expectations of Hocevar

Spire Motorsports knows they have a special driver in Carson Hocevar. While there are aspects of his race craft that can be improved, many within the team believe it’s only a matter of time before he enters Victory Lane in the Cup Series. Jeff Dickerson’s side has never had a driver finish inside the top-20 of the season’s points standings, but the Michigan native is well on his way to breaking that streak, having already secured three top-10 finishes.

But Jeff Dickerson has hopes for Hocevar apart from the results. The team owner said, “I am not going to be like, ‘Hey, you’d better mind your P’s and Q’s. My thing is just: If you accidentally get run into, don’t act like a jacka–. As a team owner, I just want him to show up to meetings on time, participate in competition meetings like the student of the game that he is, and to race his teammates with respect.”

Going into Michigan, Carson Hocevar will need to watch his back. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has vowed revenge after being forced to retire early at Nashville Superspeedway. Will the 22-year-old rise to the occasion to secure his first Cup Series win, or wilt under the pressure after angering plenty in the garage? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!