Carson Hocevar Reveals He Grew up Dreaming of ‘Racing like Dale Sr.’

Carson Hocevar singles out the driver that inspired him to give it his all in NASCAR and never back down in the face of adversity.

Carson Hocevar Reveals He Grew up Dreaming of ‘Racing like Dale Sr.’

Carson Hocevar (via Getty), Dale Earnhardt Sr. (via IMDb)

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Carson Hocevar has emerged as one of the better drivers of the younger generation. Hocevar has showcased great racing mettle in just his sophomore year in the Cup Series. Now, the 22-year-old is looking to extend his legacy and score the best results possible with Spire Motorsports. Speaking on his main motivator to thrive in races, the young gun has revealed that he always looked up to the late Dale Earnhardt Sr. and his aggressive racing style proves it.

Dale Earnhardt Sr. is often considered one of the greatest, if not the greatest, drivers to ever race in NASCAR. The late legend achieved over seven coveted drivers’ championships and left no stone unturned in scoring the best results possible. Dale Sr. died doing what he loved the most, racing, as a brutal accident during the 2001 Daytona 500 took his life. Now, Carson Hocevar, who is just 22 years old and looking promising to score great results soon, has talked about how he felt inspired to be more like Dale Sr.

Carson Hocevar is infamous for his no-nonsense and cold attitude, as he has also faced a lot of negative repercussions due to this habit of his. However, when it comes to racing, Hocevar doesn’t back down to walk the walk. The 22-year-old asserted that he had been a fan of almost every driver in NASCAR when he was growing up.

Hocevar noted that when it came to a particular driver, he wanted to race exactly like what Dale Earnhardt Sr. or even Jr., for that matter, would have wanted to race like. The Spire Motorsports star wished to be his biggest fan. The 22-year-old didn’t hesitate to claim that, currently, he was exactly what he wanted to be when he was just growing up and thought about his future. It wouldn’t be wrong to assume that the youngster’s highly positive attitude will help him score great results in NASCAR.

I felt like for me, I’ve been a fan of everybody growing up. …For me, I want to race and be exactly what I wanted you (Earnhardt) to race like and be like. …I wanted to be a fan of me. I wanted to be the person I am today and look back and just be like I would be a fan of me watching.

Carson Hocevar said on Dale Jr. download.

Carson Hocevar accepts ‘making a mistake’ while berating the Mexico Cup Race

The inaugural Mexico Cup Race in the 2025 season was met with some very mixed opinion over the advantages it gave to the sport. Some drivers enjoyed the narrow lanes of the road course in Mexico, while many drivers feared being sick after consuming the local food and water. However, Carson Hocevar, who didn’t score any significant results on that Sunday, criticized Mexico City heavily, calling the country a ‘s**thole’.

Carson Hocevar
Carson Hocevar (image via Imago)

In the aftermath, Carson Hocevar was fined $50k by Spire Motorsports due to his derogatory comments about Mexico. Reflecting on his comments and the race weekend, Hocevar feels differently now as he apologized for his conduct and bluntly accepted that he made a mistake with his words. Following his negative words, he asserted that he would take a short break and bounce back stronger from the situation. The 22-year-old reassured that he wouldn’t be racing in NASCAR if he didn’t enjoy it.

If I didn’t enjoy everything, I wouldn’t do it, Obviously, I made that mistake of saying that stuff. For me, I was just like, ‘Okay, I’ll take a break.

Carson Hocevar noted.

Carson Hocevar has put forth some great results in the 2025 season as he is yet to achieve his first Cup Series victory. The Spire Motorsports star has already finished in the Top 5 twice as his first victory isn’t too far away from this point on. Hocevar is still young and has a lot of things to learn in his life, however, the 22-year-old is surely not going to learn how to be okay with losing as he hopes to make winning races a habit.

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