While there have been many talks about why NASCAR no longer makes superstar drivers like Dale Earnhardt or Jeff Gordon, Richard Petty might have an answer, though. The King, in a recent conversation, spoke exactly about that as he picked the driver who ‘drives’ like Dale Earnhardt, popularly known as The Intimidator.

King Petty picked ‘next’ Intimidator?

In a recent conversation with Dale Inman, Richard Petty spoke about the driver who resembles Earnhardt on track — Carson Hocevar of Spire Motorsports. No, not by looks, but by the way he carries himself, shows old school grit and races aggressively week-in and week-out across all NASCAR national series races.

“That boy in that 77, he has him in time. A lot of things he’s getting by with or doing are not really that wrong. If I go back and watch him run and stuff, he reminds me of Dale Earnhardt,” Petty said. “Earnhardt learned to get by with that stuff. That boy in the 77, he’s just going to have to learn to get by with the things that he’s doing.”

However, Inman, his co-host in the Richard Petty Family Racing podcast, had a point to make. He was of the opinion that even though Hocevar has pace, but ‘does not’ have a friend, and is ‘isolated’.

“He’s got a lot of speed. He’s going to have to control himself a little bit better. But right now, he’s not making any friends, Richard. And I don’t know where he’ll overcome that enough to win a race,” Inman said.

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Petty, however, had an answer to this, and it was the same as Earnhardt.

“Earnhardt made no friends either,” Petty said.

Following this, Inman further added,

“I’m not sure they were alike. You say they aren’t. I don’t know. But even in a race at Atlanta, Richard, a lot of those cars were just on the ragged edge all day.”

The next Dale Earnhardt or not, Carson Hocevar, or as people call him, “Hurricane Hocevar,” has indeed made a name for himself. Although the #77 Spire Motorsports driver had yet to claim a victory in 82 races so far, but has really gotten very close to winning them.

As Richard Petty feels that raw aggression, unapologetic behavior, and zero hesitation put him in the same category as Dale Earnhardt was in his young days, the King’s son, Kyle Petty, does not think otherwise.

Richard Petty’s son, Kyle Petty on the same page regarding Carson Hocevar

King Petty’s son, Kyle Petty, a former NASCAR driver and analyst, believes that Carson Hocevar is an upcoming NASCAR superstar despite all the criticism and “hate.”

“I have a hot take. Carson Hocevar is going to be a superstar here, and it’s not up to us. It’s not up to the media or to other drivers. It is up to other drivers, let me say that, to pull him back,” Petty said on the Inside the Race podcast on X.

One might be surprised that the Petty clan is all in on Hocevar, seeing Dale Earnhardt in him and calling him the next NASCAR superstar. That, too, after knowing that the No. 77 driver has yet to claim a victory in four years of Cup racing.

However, Richard Petty, Dale Inman, and Kyle Petty admitted that once “Hurricane” Hocevar manages to channel that chaos into consistency and lands himself with one of the top teams, in a top car, the rest of the field should brace themselves.