Carson Hocevar was on the receiving end of a lot of criticism during the Brickyard race on Sunday. Most people believe that he is the reason why Joey Logano and Jimmie Johnson wrecked out of the event. Ever since he was promoted from the Truck Series, the 21-year-old has not made the best impression. However, not everyone stands against the Spire Motorsports racer as Kevin Harvick recently spoke in his favor on his podcast.
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The incident in question unfolded on a restart with 109 laps remaining. The space between the top and bottom lanes was tight but the #77 managed to squeeze into that. Hocevar then made contact with Ryan Blaney which set off a chain reaction. Logano and Johnson were the drivers affected. A lot of people, including Blaney, believed that the 21-year-old was at fault but Harvick pinned responsibility on the reigning Cup Series champion.
After looking at the replays, the both placed the blame on Ryan Blaney for coming down on Carson Hocevar… but idk man. Anyone deciding to take it three wide into Turn 1 at Indy gets instant blame from me. What do you guys think? pic.twitter.com/2bUvgDGtwB
— Toby Christie (@Toby_Christie) July 21, 2024
“I don’t think Hocevar is doing anything wrong. He’s clearly in the middle of the race track and the #12 comes down on him. But with as many guys that are frustrated with Hocevar, at this point it’s always going to be his fault because it seems like he’s in the middle of a lot of things,” the 2014 Cup Series champion explained.
Frustration towards the 21-year-old among Cup racers began during the Truck Series championship race last year. His whole fiasco with Corey Heim left a sour taste in everyone’s mouth. Many Cup guys believe it tarnished the integrity of the race and the competition.
Logano calls out Hocevar’s greed for causing wreck at Indianapolis
Hocevar had got into trouble with NASCAR a few weeks ago when he spun Harrison Burton under caution in Nashville. He was fined $50,000 and docked 25 points. There won’t be any penalty like that but the 21-year-old has been getting into hairy situations far too often now. However, Logano does not believe his moving to the middle was the issue, it was how much he wanted out of it.
“It scared the hell out of me, never saw it. Just, I don’t know, I mean Carson had a good restart and filled the gap in the center and you can’t blame him for that, but he went for a little bit more, got a little greedy it seems like,” he said as per a report.
The 21-year-old’s talent is undeniable. What needs to change is how he is perceived by the Cup Series racers. There is still a long way to go in his career and he is only going to get better with time.
Driving well in the Cup can be a steep learning curve sometimes, especially when one has come straight from the Truck Series. However, that doesn’t take away from the immense potential Hocevar has as a racer.
