It’s normally not a very good factor once you hear your identify known as as many instances on the printed as Carson Hocevar did on the Ambetter Well being 400 on Sunday in Atlanta.
Hocevar’s day was an journey, from an early interplay that left Kyle Busch flipping him off and vowing to wreck him, to a late-race bump that spun out Ryan Blaney, lastly to a second-place end.
And issues didn’t finish there.
How Carson Hocevar handled post-race media was one other subject of dialog. He was largely reserved in an interview with FOX Sports activities on the air, then saved up a doozy of a remark for his interviews with reporters on the infield.
“We’re right here to win races, not be a boy band and love one another and play within the playground collectively,” Hocevar mentioned, per Toby Christie of Racing America.
That led Denny Hamlin to supply some free recommendation to the driving force of the No. 77.
“If I had one phrase of recommendation and it’d be powerful coming from me as a result of I’m the one which likes to gas my feud with the followers at instances, it’s that you simply’re fueling the fireplace,” Hamlin mentioned. “If you happen to do run into somebody otherwise you do somebody flawed on the observe it’s in all probability finest to then be humble publicly.”
Carson Hocevar struck that extra humble tone on the air with FOX, solely to show round and provide a considerably flippant response to reporters on the bottom.
Hamlin speculated that was calculated from Hocevar.
“Nicely some individuals know that, OK, thousands and thousands will hear this one and solely 1000’s will hear the opposite,” Hamlin mentioned. “So let me ensure that my picture seems good on TV, however I’ll let my true self communicate once I speak to a reporter.”
Regardless of the case, Hamlin has seen this entire factor unfold earlier than. It’s not the primary time a youthful driver has come into the sector and made some waves.
The veteran driver of the No. 11 automobile supplied some extra steerage for Carson Hocevar.
“The factor is is that in case you’ve bought a bunch of fellows upset with you it simply makes your job so onerous,” Hamlin mentioned. “It actually does. And it makes it onerous in so many facets, since you’ve bought restarts that now drivers are like, ‘Screw him, I ain’t afraid to shove him three-wide center or shuck him out.’ Or on the racetrack, Carson’s manner sooner than me, as an alternative of giving him the finger to go on by, I’m simply going to carry him up. Screw him.”
Can Carson Hocevar nonetheless succeed doing it his manner? It’s definitely attainable.
However Hamlin is aware of the way it feels to drive towards the rambunctious, considerably aggressive youthful driver.
“I simply suppose that if somebody have been to spin me out, I might simply each time they have been round me or behind me, I might do every thing I might to only maintain them up for some time,” Hamlin mentioned. “You simply don’t let it go. I really feel like I’m like most drivers, you simply don’t let it go and it simply, you simply wish to frustrate them and present your displeasure by means of racing them onerous. And that’s how we get even.”
If that’s what Carson Hocevar desires, so be it. However at the very least Denny Hamlin is attempting to speak some sense into him after a turbulent weekend.
