NASCAR has had no shortage of grating personalities, but right now the garage agrees that Carson Hocevar is public enemy No. 1. Kelly Crandall reports that Joey Logano understands why people are drawing comparisons, since Logano himself was once a young driver who ruffled peers' feathers and had to offer plenty of explanations and apologies.
Logano, now a three-time champion, won't go so far as to call Hocevar a carbon copy. "He's definitely done it in a different way," Logano told ESPN. "I don't think I've ever seen anything like it." He noted that the young Spire Motorsports driver has become a walking highlight reel, with fans and drivers always discussing his restarts, incidents and moves. Logano added that there is a balance to be struck between highlights and winning championships, but that from a fan's perspective, the attention is probably good for the sport.
The pattern echoes Logano's own early years, which included a 2015 clash with Matt Kenseth that may have cost him a championship, plus run-ins with Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart. Stewart once promised to "whip his ass" after one of their incidents.
Teammate Ryan Blaney described Hocevar as "that guy" right now. Blaney instigated a fight with Hocevar after the Sept. 19 race at Bristol Motor Speedway, leaving him with a black eye, though the two have been fine since. Blaney said every decade produces a driver who divides fans, and that while the outside world may enjoy the drama, drivers competing against it often do not.
Source: ESPN General · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing