Carson Hocevar might be leaning into the ‘most unpopular driver in the garage’ gimmick a bit too much. 2026 has been a breakout season for the Spire Motorsports star, as he has shown that he has what it takes to win at this level, going to Victory Lane at Talladega in April. But it has also unleashed a side of him that his fellow drivers despise, with Bubba Wallace becoming the latest to issue a warning to the controversial star.
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“He’s playing into the media side and the hype better than anyone… You see those drivers getting booed and you have someone wrecking them. He’s definitely making it hard on himself with everything that goes down, whether it’s his fault or not,” Bubba Wallace said per NASCAR journalist Jonathan Fjeld, who posted this on X.
These comments come days after Hocevar’s most high-profile incident of the season, shaped by its dramatic aftermath. He made contact with Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney during the Bass Pro Shops Night Race last Saturday and wrecked him. In the pit lane afterward, he punched Blaney twice when the Penske driver came over to aggressively confront him. Then, he admitted to finding the whole ordeal “very cool”.
It was Hocevar’s first-ever full-blown fight at this level, and he seemed to celebrate the moment, riling up the already cheering fans in Bristol who were clearly on his side. Blaney, meanwhile, left the track with fans booing him.
Wallace feels that Hocevar is taking full advantage of this wave. He’s the sport’s hottest driver right now, with more merchandise sales than some of the biggest names in the garage. To milk the incidents even further, he has also taken jabs at his opponents off the track, such as introducing a special 12% discount for 12 hours after what happened with Blaney.
Hocevar has done this before, too. Just two weeks before Bristol, he battled RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski and sent the No. 6 Ford spinning out of the race at Darlington. He seemed unapologetic about it and added a special 6% discount on his merchandise on his website.
Antics like this get eyeballs into NASCAR, something the biggest legends and journalists in the sport agree with. Fans love it too because it makes for a spectacle. But among drivers, Hocevar continues to make more enemies. And Wallace knows that himself.
At the Cook Out 400 in Martinsville earlier this year, Hocevar got under the 23XI Racing driver’s skin by making an ultra-aggressive three-wide pass on him going into turn 1. On short tracks, this isn’t something drivers normally attempt. Shortly after, Wallace rammed into the back of Hocevar’s car and triggered a massive pile-up.
It was the start of a rivalry, one that looks tame now compared to Keselowski and Blaney, which continued at Michigan, where Hocevar triggered a nine-car wreck. After getting out of their cars, Wallace went over to warn the #77 driver.
“I said, ‘I’m jealous of how fast you are, kid.’ No doubt, he’s one of the fastest in the field, and that’s just natural ability… But he’s fast, he’s going for every move every second, and it’s not worth it. He’s creating a lot of enemies,” Wallace revealed what he said to Hocevar.
Many veterans have advised and warned him. After the Blaney incident in Bristol, even Denny Hamlin said that his off-track antics (such as handing out discounts after wrecking drivers) come off as extremely distasteful. Having a fiery, unhinged personality at the Cup Series level is all well and good. But there’s a line that Hocevar has to maintain.
Hamlin also stated that although viewers love seeing drivers wreck each other and be overtly aggressive, there’s something they don’t understand: the amount of work they put in to be successful. And to have someone appear so ‘non-serious’ and ‘nonchalant’ about it all, stings.
The Spire driver ultimately finished third in Bristol, making it a near-perfect weekend for him. He left as the talk of the garage and also moved up to eighth in the Chase standings. Heading into Kansas this weekend, Hocevar sits 85 points behind leader Kyle Larson. With seven races left in the season, there could be more incidents involving him before the championship is decided.