Carson Hocevar had a flight to catch. His agent, Phillip Smalley, was already on the phone trying to keep the post-race plans on track. Then Hocevar heard fans calling his name from the stands at Gateway. What he did next offered a glimpse of a side of Hocevar that fans may not get to see often.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Instead of walking away, he stopped. For around 20 minutes, Hocevar signed autographs, including signing caps for young fans, even though he knew every extra minute could make his already-tight travel plans even tighter. And after, he explained why saying no to his fans didn’t seem right to him.
“Some of us are still fans at heart,” Carson Hocevar told Matt Weaver. “I am not going to say no because saying no would be against everything I stand for. If you want to make a change, you gotta do the change. You got to start the trend.”
He could have walked away; he had a long day. He finished eighth at Gateway, earning 34 valuable points in the Chase standings and moving three positions higher in the Championship battle. But he didn’t, and this isn’t new for him.
He has repeatedly emphasized the importance of the fans and sees himself as one of them at heart. His willingness to risk his own schedule reflected that belief, particularly after a race where he had delivered a strong Chase result. The gesture also comes against the backdrop of an increasingly controversial reputation.
After Hocevar made contact with Brad Keselowski at Darlington, his seemingly relaxed response when asked about the incident drew criticism across NASCAR media. Denny Hamlin and Freddie Kraft were among those who took aim at the young driver’s approach, arguing that he had not treated the situation with enough seriousness.
“You’re not going to get anything more from me. I’m not going to give him what he wants. I’m not going to give him the clip that he wants. Period,” Hamlin had shared on the Actions Detrimental podcast.
“He wants attention. I heard Denny’s show yesterday where he said, ‘I’m not giving him the clip he wants.’ I’m going to give him the clip he wants, because he’s doing dumb sh*t. I’m going to call him out on it,” Kraft had said on the Door Bumper Clear podcast.
The criticism surrounding Hocevar has not always stopped with his racing. Insults and trolling have targeted the No. 77 driver online, while his rumored girlfriend, Tabitha Swatosh, has also faced personal attacks. Hocevar eventually addressed the situation himself, making it clear that he welcomes passionate debate but does not want it to become personal.
“I’d like to put this out there too. I love how passionate our fans are. They’ll call you delusional and everything. That’s fine. Just never cross the line is all I ask. Never attack anyone for who they are. As drivers, I feel like the racer persona is plenty okay to criticize or hate or even defend depending on what side your favorite driver is. Just, I urge my fans never to cross the line to making anything ever personal.”
That same relationship with fans was on display at Gateway, even during one of the most chaotic races of the season. The event produced a record number of 18 cautions, creating plenty of material for those who follow Hocevar’s every move. But, as the driver himself later pointed out, there was one important detail.
“I just wanna apologize to all the nascar podcast listeners out there. Although there was a record high amount of cautions. The 77 didn’t cause any so it’s gonna be a slow news week. Maybe pick up a hobby and resume your podcast listening after we try again at Bristol.” Hocevar posted on Facebook, taking an indirect dig at Kraft and others who criticized him throughout the week following Darlington.
The sarcastic post showed that Hocevar remains perfectly comfortable playing into the controversy surrounding him. But his actions after the race offered a different side of that persona.