Carson Hocevar has never been interested in fitting the NASCAR mold. Whether his social media pages or his streams, the NASCAR rising star has built his identity around being as raw and unfiltered as possible. That honesty, however, has also made him a target. Now, many have come out, veterans even and called him “immature.” Hocevar hears all the criticism, but when it comes to changing himself, he is not interested. And he made that clear.

“I think some of these guys take things way too seriously at time, so I like just having fun. It’s so easy to get a lot of them riled up. I just get to race, how I want to race. I get to live how I want to live. And I love everything about it, you know, and I get to run my own social media and nobody complains. So yeah, I’m excited for it and I get to just have fun.”

This comment comes on the heels of Kyle Larson’s comment on Hocevar. Despite admitting that the young racer has exceptional skill, Kyle Larson recently openly questioned Hocevar’s internet conduct.

“For me, he’s more immature than what his age is. I have his little Twitch stream thing pop up on my Instagram feed every now and then, and I’m like, ‘Dude, this guy is like an 8-year-old.’ That’s where I lose a little bit of respect because I’m like, ‘This guy could be the future of our sport, and he’s acting like he’s eight years old.’”

Instead of becoming defensive, Hocevar gave the exact response that many supporters had anticipated. He quickly took a jab at Larson’s remarks on social media after qualifying in the front row at Sonoma Raceway:

“They fr let an 8-year-old qualify on the front row”

If anything, this clears up the fact that Hocevar has taken a totally different approach at a time when many professional sportsmen depend on PR firms, carefully planned posts, and polished messages. The driver for Spire Motorsports personally manages all of his social media profiles and doesn’t try to conceal that aspect of himself. And people seem to like him, because how else would he have such a massive following?

Hocevar currently has more than 315,000 followers on Instagram, over 80,000 followers on X, and more than 40,000 followers on Twitch. Across all three platforms, his content follows the same formula. Across all the platforms, the common link is that Carson Hocevar is simply being himself. But while some love it, not everyone is a fan.

His social media presence is simply another reflection of his belief that he should be allowed to race the way he wants, speak the way he wants, and, as he put it, “live how I want to live.”

Whether that approach earns admiration or criticism, Carson Hocevar appears perfectly comfortable with the consequences. His expanding fan base indicates that many people are enjoying the show, and for him, authenticity is more important than approval.