A restart collision at Sonoma Raceway sparked Denny Hamlin’s expletive outburst and immediately divided NASCAR fans online. Carson Hocevar has a growing reputation as a highly aggressive driver. He constantly finds himself in the middle of on-track drama. Because of this, fans watch his every move very closely. However, despite his reputation, the Sonoma incident may not have been his fault, and video replays prove it.

“F***ing bullsh**,” Denny Hamlin shouted over the radio moments after his car spun around. Unfortunately, his team quickly informed him that the No. 11 Toyota had also suffered splitter damage in the incident, adding another layer of frustration to an already difficult afternoon.

Denny Hamlin’s Sonoma race takes a sudden turn

The trouble happened on Lap 64. Hamlin was in seventh place going into Turn 7 and seemed ready to keep pushing through the field. Instead, Hocevar hit him during the restart. The hit sent the Joe Gibbs Racing star into a spin. The rest of the cars sped away while Hamlin was stuck facing the wrong way.

Many fans blamed Hocevar right away. But replays later showed that Brad Keselowski and Alex Bowman squeezed the young driver. They pushed Hocevar into Hamlin.

The timing could not have been much worse. Although Hamlin managed to continue, the collision caused him to fall deep into the field and left his vehicle with aerodynamic damage that impacted the handling and speed for the rest of the race.

Beyond losing valuable track position, Hamlin’s spin also had implications for NASCAR’s In-Season Challenge. This is a new tournament that uses a bracket format. Drivers move to the next round by beating one specific opponent. Before the spin, Hamlin was easily beating Ty Dillon. However, after the crash, Hamlin dropped to 30th place, while Dillon was in 24th place. The collision put Hamlin’s tournament hopes in danger.

The encounter, of course, quickly caused controversy on social media. Some fans claimed it was just hard racing on a challenging road circuit, while others saw it as another instance of Hocevar’s aggressive driving style going too far.

The response swiftly escalated into yet another divisive debate involving one of the most contentious young drivers in NASCAR.

NASCAR fans split over whether Hocevar was a villain or a victim

Because of his growing reputation for aggressive driving, fans reacted strongly online right away. Many people blamed Hocevar before they even saw the replay.

One fan didn’t hold back, writing, “Hocevar simply needs his a** whipped. Hard.”

Hocevar’s history of contentious episodes is the source of the discontent. Whether it was his role in the overtime chaos at Atlanta or the multi-car crash at Michigan earlier this month, the Spire Motorsports driver has developed a reputation for finding himself at the center of trouble. He leaves so many crashed cars behind him that fans call him “Hurricane Hocevar.”

Another user added, “Hocevar is such a goofball hack. Will never get how guys let him finish races every week.”

The comment was a sarcastic jab suggesting fellow drivers should start paying Hocevar back for some of the incidents he has caused over the last few seasons. But, we certainly do not want to see that happen!

Others focused specifically on the Sonoma contact itself. “A spin??? Hocevar tried to go 3 wide and took him out!” one fan argued, believing the No. 77 forced the issue on the restart and created a situation that ended with Hamlin facing the wrong direction.

However, not everyone agreed that Hocevar deserved the blame.

One user wrote, “everyone will b—h and cry about Hocevar but won’t watch the 6’s in car camera showing him get into the back of hocevar LMAO.”

Another echoed that sentiment, saying, “77 got pushed into Hamlin by the 6 and the 48. I blame Hocevar for most wrecks he causes, but this one definitely isn’t on him lol.”

The camera inside Keselowski’s No. 6 Ford clearly showed the truth. Hocevar was pushed from behind in a chain reaction. He did not hit Hamlin on purpose.

No matter the facts, this fight proves how much fans talk about Hocevar. Very few drivers can cause this much drama with one small hit. Whether fans love him or hate him, he is still one of the biggest talking points in NASCAR today.