Carson Hocevar is becoming one of the most polarizing figures in the NASCAR Cup Series. The Spire Motorsports driver, a big fan of Dale Earnhardt, has built a reputation for racing aggressively and winning over fans who miss that old-school style made famous by “The Intimidator”. But not everyone in the garage appreciates it. Now, with criticism continuing to mount, Kyle Petty has made it clear where he stands.

Kyle Petty believes Carson Hocevar should be unapologetically himself

On Inside the Race, Steve Letarte was discussing Hocvear’s growing popularity among fans and the opposite reaction he has received in the garage. Naturally, he wondered whether Hocevar should be concerned. Kyle Petty says no.

He insisted that many of NASCAR’s all-time greats never played nice. They constantly pushed the boundaries of hard, aggressive racing, and the late Dale Earnhardt was no exception. He didn’t win seven NASCAR Winston Cup titles by trying to be Mr. Nice Guy, and Carson Hocevar is well aware of that.

“I don’t know a single great driver. I don’t know a single one that ever laid in bed at night and said, ‘Man, I hate that happened. I should text this guy and tell him I’m sorry I run into him.’ No! Everybody that says that Carson needs to change, is getting beat by Carson. There’s a lot of teams in that garage area that would give everything they have to have Hocevar driving their car,” Petty said.

Hocevar has approached races with an ‘all or nothing’ mentality since making his debut in the Cup Series back in 2023. In Nashville, in 2024, he came under the radar when he right-rear hooked Harrison Burton’s bumper in lap 244 of the race. And he refused to accept blame either, instead accusing his own pit crew. NASCAR later issued him a $50k fine and a 25-point penalty.

Fast forward to 2026, and Hocevar’s antics have only strengthened his reputation as one of the most aggressive drivers in the Cup Series garage. In the race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hocevar caused a multi-car crash during an overtime restart. He forced his car three-wide into a small gap under Christopher Bell. The contact sent Bell straight into the outside wall and ruined his race. Hocevar later stated that he saw an opening and crashed because the gap closed quickly as he tried to win.

It’s been a breakout season for Hocevar in the Cup Series, that’s for sure. Earlier this year, he won his maiden Cup Series race at Talladega, turning himself into an overnight celebrity and even earning a seat at the Met Gala. His Dale Earnhardt-esque approach has also proven popular among fans. But if his track courtesy doesn’t improve, it remains to be seen whether he will ever become a liked figure in the garage.

Then again, as Petty pointed out, why does Hocevar need to be liked if he can just keep winning?

Business as usual for Carson Hocevar in Michigan

On Sunday at the Michigan International Speedway, Hocevar once again ticked off many opponents.

The incident began during a Lap 83 restart at Michigan, where Hocevar was rolling from the fourth spot on the inside line. The field took the green flag, but chaos erupted barely past the start-finish line, immediately forcing a caution.

As the front of the inside line stacked up, Hocevar closed in fast on John Hunter Nemechek’s rear bumper. Trying to dart out of line to make a pass, Hocevar misjudged the gap and hooked Nemechek’s No. 42 car. The contact triggered a massive nine-car pileup that collected major contenders, including Tyler Reddick and Austin Dillon, ending the afternoon early for several frustrated drivers.

“I’m frustrated because we had a fast car. I hope at some point he (Hocevar) figures it out, but I know I’m not going to show anything to him for a long time. I’m mad because we had a fast race car. That truly sucks!” Dillon, who finished 36th thanks to the crash, said post-race.

When breaking down the wreck, Steve Letarte insisted that the incident was not deliberate. With that said, Carson Hocevar was far from innocent and should shoulder much of the blame. According to Letarte, if Hocevar had simply stayed in line, he would have helped push his lane forward without causing a wreck.

That’s easy to say with the benefit of hindsight, but the bottom line is that the incident happened and multiple drivers were caught up in it.