Carson Hocevar performs Ricky Stenhouse Jr. U-turn after Denny Hamlin warning
Carson Hocevar performed a Ricky Stenhouse Jr. U-turn after Denny Hamlin warned that the 37-year-old would be out for revenge on the youngster.
Carson Hocevar has reversed his stance on Ricky Stenhouse Jr. after an incident during the Cracker Barrel 400.
As the two battled for position at Nashville Superspeedway, the ever-aggressive Hocevar hit Stenhouse's No. 47 Chevrolet in the left rear, causing the latter to crash into the outside wall on Lap 106. This is just the latest incident in the young NASCAR star's career, with Cracker Barrel 400 winner Ryan Blaney having once called Hocevar a "moron."
After the incident, Stenhouse shared that Hocevar had not reached out to him yet to explain himself and make amends. However, the 22-year-old shared that he is changing his approach to the situation.
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Danielle Trotta, one of the hosts of NASCAR on Amazon, revealed that Hocevar has changed his stance on the situation between himself and Stenhouse. "We don’t wanna put anymore targets on my back. I feel bad, I’ve texted [with] Ricky if he wants to talk again Michigan we can," Trotta's post on X began regarding Hocevar's remorse.
"I didn’t want to wreck him I thought he’d run the middle and he came all the way down and I got in his [left rear]. Maybe in that situation [with] Ricky I’d change some things but I’m not gonna change who I am I’m still gonna put my car in the best spot I can to win. I’m just learning when too and when not too [sic]. I don’t wanna change or lose my edge I just need to smooth the edges a bit."
Hocevar's U-turn comes days after Denny Hamlin wagered a bet that at some point in the season, Stenhouse would return the favor and wreck the youngster. As a result of the incident, Stenhouse finished last after crashing out while Hocevar finished second behind Blaney.
During a recent episode of his 'Actions Detrimental' podcast, Hamlin laid out what he expects will happen in the coming weeks from the 37-year-old. “Ricky Stenhouse will absolutely wreck Carson Hocevar sometime in the near future. That’s just a fact,” he declared on the podcast.
"I would, I’d put this week’s salary on it. I’m not kidding you, he ain’t going to punch him in the face, but he will absolutely wreck him. Because Ricky’s that kind of guy. If you’re Carson, just know that it’s coming. So don’t, you know, don’t be surprised.”
Before his U-turn, Hocevar declared he would be open to any conversation between himself and Stenhouse. Shortly after the Cracker Barrel 400, the young NASCAR star shared his thoughts and what he expects any discourse between him and the 37-year-old to be.
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“If he wants to talk, I’ll gladly talk,” Hocevar said at the time, per NASCAR. “But I feel like it’s just a product of this, unfortunately. Everybody just kinda tries to get there. There were a bunch of people who got shipped that either didn’t wreck or didn’t get wrecked.
“But at the same time, maybe I could have gotten cut a break too with how big of a run I had. So I think it goes both ways or it could go both ways, and maybe that’s what we talk about." In the end, Hocevar explained that his aggressiveness comes from his wanting to be in the best position to win.
“I just know we’re running out of opportunities for this year (in) the regular season, right?" he added. "You’re running out of opportunities and it’s not every week you’re gonna be up front. Statistically, we don’t have that luxury. Every opportunity, you don’t know how long in between you’re gonna be when you have a shot at running up front.”
