NASCAR has long carried a polished, carefully controlled corporate image, with its public messaging usually sticking to safe, measured language. But ahead of the regular-season finale at Daytona, the sanctioning body took a surprisingly playful turn. Instead of simply promoting the Coke Zero Sugar 400, NASCAR put one of its most polarizing young stars front and center, openly asking whether everybody hates him.

Ahead of the race, NASCAR released a piece that stood out because it did not try to protect Hocevar’s reputation, but made him the main attraction. The unusual approach has now sparked plenty of discussion among fans.

The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck shared the press release titled “Does Everybody Hate Carson Hocevar?” It pointed out the commercial value of his persona and proved that whether NASCAR fans love him or hate him, they are paying attention.

The release showed the value of Hocevar’s popularity. Despite being one of the sport’s more divisive figures, Hocevar has developed a significant following. NASCAR pointed to a 70.6% increase in his social media following between January and May, highlighting the attention he has generated away from the racetrack as well.

While older veterans give polished, PR-tested answers, Hocevar built a big fanbase by leaning into Twitch and TikTok culture.

NASCAR recently revealed that Hocevar has skyrocketed to No. 1 in online retail sales on the NASCAR Shop, while also ranking inside the Top 5 for trackside sales. That is a massive leap, considering he was ranked just 32nd in trackside sales at this time last year. This is happening because his Twitch and TikTok followers aren’t just watching his clips, but they are also buying his merchandise.

To understand how it is happening, one has to look at how he connects with his fans. On Twitch, he is known for fun, unfiltered gaming streams. During a long rain delay at the Daytona 500 earlier this year, while other drivers were in their motorhomes, Hocevar simply went live on Twitch to play iRacing with his fans.

Just recently, he responded to NASCAR’s leaked “villain” press release by posting a video clip from The Wolf of Wall Street. He has even taken NASCAR into mainstream culture by attending the Met Gala and the TIME100 Sports Gala, proving that he is a business asset.

While he is becoming one of the hottest names when it comes to merchandise sales, the same can’t be said about the feeling inside the NASCAR garage.

Hocevar has built a reputation for overly aggressive driving that often ruins the races of veterans. The release highlighted some of the drivers who seem to be annoyed with him.

2023 Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney recently criticized Hocevar’s wild driving style, calling it “just not being smart.” Kyle Larson took it a step further on a recent episode of the Door Bumper Clear podcast, accusing Hocevar of spinning out on purpose before a race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway just to get camera time. “Spinning out before the race, that was 1000% just to get on TV,” Larson said.

After a crash at Michigan, Bubba Wallace offered a warning.

“He’s fast, he’s going for every move every second, and it’s not worth it. He’s creating a lot of enemies… we’re beating you because we can put a race together better than you.”

Zane Smith, however, after a wreck at Chicagoland, did not hold back.

“I just don’t like him as a human… the meeting doesn’t change how much he dislikes me and how much I dislike him,” said Smith while talking about his former teammate.

But despite all the anger inside the garage, some veteran drivers think he is good for the sport. Three-time champion Joey Logano defended NASCAR’s push by pointing to Hocevar’s large fanbase.

“I think Carson’s great for the sport,” Logano said on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast. “I think he brings a ton of new fans, different fans. Just the way he is is different than the rest of us… people love it, and there’s no denying that, and that’s great for our sport.”

There’s a reason why NASCAR is riding the Hurricane Hocevar bandwagon. He is generating hype and getting attention from non- NASCAR fans. Something NASCAR has struggled with in recent years.

This latest attempt was to double down on that hype, and it’s certainly sparked a discussion around it. Although NASCAR remains fairly neutral, their message in the press release touched upon a point that is valid.

“Love him or hate him, Carson Hocevar is becoming difficult to ignore. So catch him and all his enemies at Daytona during the Coke Zero Sugar 400”

That final message perhaps explains the strategy better than anything else. NASCAR knows Hocevar generates reactions. Now, it appears willing to capitalize on them.

The question is whether fans appreciate the attempt to turn a controversial reputation into a marketing tool, or whether they see it as NASCAR deliberately rewarding the very behavior that has frustrated so many competitors.

NASCAR’s Hocevar push leaves fans questioning the hype

The unusual NASCAR release quickly drew criticism from fans who felt the sanctioning body was pushing Hocevar harder than his results justify.

One fan wrote, “All this hype for a guy with 1 career win who acts like a 17 yo twitch streamer with no respect for anything or anyone just like his bandwagon fans who’ve been quiet over the last month bc he’s so a**😭💀”

Hocevar has competed full-time in the Cup Series since 2024 and only recently earned his first victory at Talladega. While his aggressive personality has made him one of NASCAR’s most talked-about young drivers, some fans believe his antics have received more attention than his performance.

Another fan admitted, “This feels gross. I like Hocevar less after hearing NASCAR publicly pander him to us.”

That frustration centered on NASCAR’s decision to spotlight Hocevar when the series has no shortage of established stars and rising talents who could have been featured ahead of Daytona.

Others were even more direct. “Not clever. Man WTF is with nascar and the media shoving this kid down everyone’s throats. Omg stop trying to turn him into something. Let him attempt to on his own,” one fan wrote.

Another fan echoed the sentiment, stating, “SOME of his fans act like he’s better than every driver out there. He better win some more races before he’s worthy of all the attention he gets.”

Some fans believe Hocevar’s results will decide how much attention he truly deserves. More wins, stronger consistency, and eventually a championship would give him the on-track credibility to match the growing hype. Until then, the marketing push risks feeling premature to those who want drivers to earn that respect through performance.

Interestingly, one fan pointed out that NASCAR’s release omitted praise from Kyle Larson.

“Here’s what bothers me — In the same DBC podcast, Larson said Hocevar was one of the most talented drivers on the track, but they don’t pull out that quote. Picking and choosing things to inflame fans isn’t good journalism,” the fan wrote.

Kyle Larson recently praised Carson Hocevar on the Door Bumper Clear podcast.

“Maybe the most talented out there,” he said.

For critics, selectively highlighting negative comments while leaving out such praise made the release feel deliberately provocative, adding another layer to the backlash.