Carson Hocevar’s feuds with Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney have once again put the spotlight on the fine line young drivers must navigate when racing established veterans. Joey Logano, during his early years in NASCAR, would have heard similar advice after clashing with veterans of the sport, particularly Matt Kenseth. Ahead of the fourth round of the 2026 Chase, where he would look to make his mark while chasing his fourth Cup Series title, Logano opened up about a regret.

“I lost a championship because I didn’t handle things correctly off track and that forever eats me up inside more than anything. And I think you got to eventually choose a lane and decide. What are you here to do? Am I here to be fiery and build a brand and do all this stuff, or am I here to win championships? And I would trade popularity all day long for championships because that’s all I’m here to that’s all I want to do,” Logano said on the Dale Jr Download podcast.

Before becoming a three-time Cup Series champion, Logano was frequently at the center of confrontations with some of NASCAR’s biggest veterans. One of the most consequential came in 2015, when he was just 25 years old. His rivalry with veterean Matt Kenseth became intertwined with his championship hopes.

With five laps remaining at Kansas Speedway, Kenseth moved to block Logano while they battled for the lead. Logano responded by making contact with Kenseth’s rear quarter panel, sending him spinning. Logano won the race, while Kenseth took a major hit in the championship battle.

Logano defended the move as hard racing, but the aftermath proved far more complicated. He did not contact Kenseth during the following week to clear the air. Instead of allowing the incident to fade, the tension continued to grow.

At Talladega, Kenseth publicly called Logano a liar over his explanation of the Kansas incident and told him to “stop running his mouth.” NASCAR’s coverage of the Kansas finish had largely celebrated the bump-and-run as aggressive racing. Kenseth, however, felt the response left him with little choice but to handle the dispute himself.

The rivalry followed them to Talladega and then Martinsville. Kenseth felt Logano had shown little remorse and had continued to provoke the situation. Then came the retaliation.

Kenseth, who was already many laps down after suffering earlier damage, later turned Logano while he was leading at Martinsville. The crash ended Logano’s championship hopes and turned what had started as a hard racing incident into one of the biggest feuds of the 2015 season.

Looking back now, Logano sees that moment differently. He believes he could have handled the situation differently after Kansas and possibly prevented things from getting to that point.

Kenseth was not the only veteran Logano had problems with early in his career. In 2013, Tony Stewart was furious with him after Logano blocked him at Auto Club Speedway and even threatened to fight him. Logano also had a few run-ins with the late Kyle Busch, including a 2017 clash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway that ended with Busch out of the race.

Logano also had a long history with Denny Hamlin. Their biggest clash came at Martinsville in 2019, when their incident cost Logano a spot in the playoffs. Looking back, Logano knows what it was like to be the young driver constantly getting into trouble with more experienced rivals.

That is where the Carson Hocevar comparison comes in. Hocevar has had several heated moments with established drivers, most recently Keselowski and Blaney. Logano has been in the same position and now knows how quickly those incidents can become part of a driver’s reputation.