Carson Hocevar drew the ire of multiple drivers on Sunday night during the Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the second race of the NASCAR Cup Series 2025 season.
Hocevar finished in second place as a caution flag came out in the middle of the final lap. It meant the driver who was in the lead at the time of the caution was declared the winner. This time, it was Christopher Bell who won the race, with Hocevar and Kyle Larson behind him.
However, after the race, multiple drivers were seen speaking with Hocevar. The 22-year-old’s aggressive driving did not appear to go over well with some of his colleagues.
“We’re here to win races, not be a boy band and love each other and play on the playground together,” Hocevar said, via NASCAR.com. “So obviously, there’s learning lessons. You don’t want to p— anybody off or frustrate anybody, and there’s things I would clean up for sure. But it’s just going to come with learning.
“Again, I’m normally 40th, waiting for them to crash and hoping they crash, and I finish in the teens. So, to be up front and get stage points in both stages and have a shot to win is something to hold my (head) high. … And I’ve always said I’m a really bad superspeedway racer, so this at least gives me a little bit more confidence.”
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Ross Chastain, Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch were among those who reacted to Hocevar’s racing.
As Blaney was driving for first place, he received a bump from Hocevar on Lap 234. Blaney was sent spinning, and a caution flag came out. Blaney was able to save his car and made it back toward the front to finish in fourth place.
“I wasn’t slowing,” Blaney said. “He was drafting to me, and he didn’t lift and just gave me a shot when I’m turning into [Turn] 1, and it spun me out. I was just happy I didn’t hook a right back into everybody and was able to stay on the apron.”
Chastain had one of the fastest cars of the day. He declined to get into the specifics of their conversation.
Busch noted that Hocevar had a lot of “close calls” in the race.
“I mean, he wasn’t even clear on me, I had to lift, and he put me in the fence off of two in the first stage,” he told NBC Sports. “So, he’s just trying to plug holes and doing it last second and last minute, and creating log jams on back. It’s just, do it at the end, you know, do it in the last 30 laps, not in the first 230.”
It was Hocevar’s 45th NASCAR Cup Series race of his career and his seventh top 10 finish. It was the best finish he has had on the circuit.
He previously finished in third place at Watkins Glen last year.
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