Carson Hocevar remains unapologetic about his aggressive racing style following his career-best second-place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway, despite facing criticism from fellow drivers.

The Spire Motorsports driver engaged in several bold moves during the race, including a three-wide pass between Ross Chastain and Christopher Bell on the backstretch, and another aggressive maneuver on the final lap between Bell and Kyle Larson while pursuing the lead.

Post-race discussions involved both Ryan Blaney and Ross Chastain, with Hocevar acknowledging he owes Blaney an apology for contact that led to a spin with 27 laps remaining. However, the young driver maintains that his aggressive approach was necessary, particularly as a newcomer without established allies on the track.

"I'm not going to apologize for having a shot to win the race and seeing a trophy," Hocevar stated. "Being aggressive, you don't have many friends when you're the new guy up front. I had to fight and claw, and with that, I had to be aggressive and make some drivers uncomfortable."

The incident has garnered positive feedback from his team and manufacturer, with Spire Motorsports celebrating the strong performance. Hocevar recognizes the need to balance aggression with clean racing, noting that the current Cup Series car "rewards being aggressive."

Hocevar's mentor, Ross Chastain, notably went through similar criticism early in his career for aggressive driving. While Hocevar values the learning opportunity from veteran drivers like Blaney and Chastain, he emphasizes the importance of maintaining his racing personality while refining his approach for future races.

"Being able to balance that out so that I don't have to apologize to the 12 next time is the thing that I could clean up," Hocevar concluded, referring to future interactions with Blaney's No. 12 car.

Related Articles

Previous Articles