Kevin Harvick Asserts Carson Hocevar Doesn’t Have “the Respect of the Garage”

NASCAR legend Kevin Harvick, in the latest episode of his podcast, has shared his verdict on aggressive racing costing Carson Hocevar respect.

Kevin Harvick Asserts Carson Hocevar Doesn’t Have “the Respect of the Garage”

Kevin Harvick and Carson Hocevar (Via Motorsports.com and IMAGO)

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season so far has been a tale of mixed results and near misses for Carson Hocevar. He secured back-to-back P2 finishes at Nashville and Charlotte. But it’s not the No:77 car performance that got the limelight, as his aggressive moves in those races raised the eyebrows among the racing community.

Now future Hall of Famer Kevin Harvick, in the latest episode of his podcast Happy Hour, analyzed the situation and attitude of Carson Hocevar. He asserted that the youngster lost the garage’s respect. The ex-SHR driver pointed out that the other teams, as well as drivers, hates the aggressive driver for being faster than them.

I don’t think he has the respect of the garage right now, personally…They’re going to like him less because he’s faster than them and that sometimes in itself without running over people, pisses people off because he’s going to take someone’s spot. He’s not going anywhere because he’s going faster than they are.

Kevin Harvick said via Happy Hour podcast.

The more Hocevar gets away with making sketchy moves, the more he is going to be cheeky. The personality and attitude shown by the 2024 season Rookie of The Year Award winner shows that he races with zero regrets. Unless the likes of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. or someone else takes revenge, Hocevar won’t slow down.  

Further talking about the point, Harvick hailed the raw pace Carson Hocevar has been able to produce in the Next-Gen era. He believes the youngster has learned to balance being aggressive and being the cornerstone of the team. At the end of the day, as long as the No:77 team ins delivering on the track, the criticisms will be just background noise.

His ability to drive the car fast and apparently, relate that to his team guys, is making those cars faster. Having that cornerstone in a company is important, but companies also look for the fastest guys…The fastest guys will learn how to manage all that stuff. Now, the competitors will stir it all up and say he’s a hack or whatever it is, but in the end, he’s faster than most of you.

Kevin Harvick added.

Kevin Harvick highlights Carson Hocevar’s mental ability  

The ex-RCR driver further talking about the point, Harvick discussed the attitude of Hocevar towards incidents on the track. He believes the Spire driver has a strong mentality and he quickly moves on from the incident, to finish the race strong unlike some of his compatriots. That means he is going to ruffle more features in the future.

Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick (Via @SPEEDSPORT/X)

He’s got the speed to be able to back up what he does on the racetrack, and he’s got the speed to overcome these types of scenarios…But he’s got the mental ability to just let it go. It didn’t bother him the rest of the race. It isn’t the first time that this has happened this year or last year and it is going to ruffle some feathers along the way.

Kevin Harvick added.

The comments from Harvick shows both the appreciation and concerns he has for the Chevy driver. He is facing a potential revenge and due to the lack of respect from the garage, will find it tough to get allies to help him. It would be interesting to see how the Hocevar legacy is going to playout in the coming years.

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