Carson Hocevar is making noise in the NASCAR Cup Series, and veteran Kyle Petty wants everyone to know he’s paying attention.
Petty, son of the great Richard Petty, delivered a striking endorsement of the Spire Motorsports youngster, comparing him to some of the sport’s greatest.
Kyle Petty Predicts Bright Future for Carson Hocevar
Petty made the comments on “NASCAR Inside the Race”, leaving little doubt about how he feels about Hocevar.
“Carson Hocevar is gonna be a superstar,” Petty said. “He’s got the attitude of Earnhardt, the brashness of Tim Richmond, and he’s got the desire to win and the passion of Kyle Busch.”
Petty didn’t stop there. He made clear that Hocevar isn’t racing to make friends or play nice with the field.
“He didn’t show up to make friends. He didn’t show up to do anything but win a race. He doesn’t owe anybody an apology.”
Petty capped it off with a personal commitment. “When he’s there, I’m gonna be wearing my Hocevar hat and my Hocevar shirt and saying I was there from the beginning.”
Those are serious words from a man who has seen generations of NASCAR talent come and go.
The comparisons to Dale Earnhardt Sr. have been building for a while. Dale Earnhardt Jr. himself helped spark the conversation, and it has only grown louder since. Hocevar finally addressed it directly during a media session at Michigan International Speedway.
When asked if he is the new Intimidator, Hocevar kept it simple and honest. “I mean, if I win seven championships,” he said with a laugh.
But he quickly turned serious and made his position clear. “I don’t think I’m ‘new’ anything. I think I’m ‘new’ me.”
Hocevar appreciated the recognition from Earnhardt Jr. and others, but he was careful to draw a firm line. He is not trying to copy anyone or play a character for the cameras.
“Everything about me is real,” he said. “I’m not trying to play a part, fit a role, or pretend to be anybody. It’s for everybody else to decide what they perceive of me. I know who I am.”
The praise is loud, but Hocevar’s Cup Series story is still being written. Now in his third full-time season, the Michigan native has not yet won a Cup race. He finished 23rd in the standings last year and missed the playoffs.
After a P18 at the Daytona 500 this season, Hocevar bounced back with a P4 at EchoPark Speedway on Sunday. But the first win still remains out of his grasp.
His aggressive driving style has also stirred controversy along the way. A recent incident at Nashville, where he sent Ricky Stenhouse Jr. into the wall, drew sharp criticism from parts of the garage. Not everyone in the Cup field has warmed to his approach.
But that kind of friction is nothing new for drivers who race the way Hocevar does. Earnhardt himself spent years making enemies before the sport fully embraced him.
Hocevar won the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year award and posted over a dozen top-10 finishes. The foundation is there. The ceiling, according to Kyle Petty, is as high as it gets.
