Dale Earnhardt Jr. declares Carson Hocevar’s WILD racing style is good for NASCAR despite Kyle Busch’s frustration

Two times Xfinity Series champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. has shared his verdict on Carson Hocevar’s over aggressive racing style.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. declares Carson Hocevar’s WILD racing style is good for NASCAR despite Kyle Busch’s frustration

Carson Hocevar, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch (Via IMAGO)

The second race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season at the Atlanta Motor Speedway was a wild and entertaining event. At the centre of it was Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar, who was the standout racer of the day. He finished the race P2 behind winner Christopher Bell, owing to his aggressive racing style.

Carson Hocevar ruffled the feathers of ex-Cup champions like Kyle Busch and Ryan Blaney during the race. Though the Cup garage is furious with how everything turned out with the No:77 Chevy team, Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. sees a silver lining to it. In his podcast, Junior highlighted that he understands how frustrated Busch is over the incidents.

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I’m not on the racetrack, and I’m sure if I was in Kyle Busch’s car and saw what Kyle Busch saw, I would probably have the same frustration.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said via Dale Jr. Download.

He then pointed out that from the perspective of a race fan, seeing someone going all out for the race win is entertaining and how they are ready to overlook the wild antics. Further talking about the point, he asserted that he expects Hocevar to stick around in the sport for a longtime.

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But as a viewer and a fan, I just see a guy trying to do everything he can to win. Yeah, he knocked the hell out of some people, and he’s changing lanes and ignoring people, and he’s wild. But he’s young. And I just feel like he’s fast. He’s going to be here. He’s going to stick around.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. added.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. claims Carson Hocevar’s attitude towards earning respect from his peers

The JR Motorsports co-owner also talked about the post-race comments from the youngster. He revealed how unlike what he said, Hocevar wants to earn the respect of his rivals on the track. The Chevy driver wants to earn respect like everyone else.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Carson Hocevar
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Carson Hocevar (Via IMAGO)

He’ll want to earn the respect of his peers, even though he says differently post-race. ‘I ain’t here to make friends.’ He does want that respect. We all do.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said.

It important for Hocevar to earn the respect of the grid, considering the warning from Kyle Larson about how the veteran can make his life hard on the track. It would be interesting to see how the Spire Motorsports driver approach similar situation in the future.