Controversial Carson Hocevar forced into NASCAR walk of shame

This wasn’t quite Cersei Lannister descending the steps of King’s Landing, but the walk of shame was still very real for controversial NASCAR prodigy Carson Hocevar.

The 22-year-old phenom from Portage, Michigan has taken the grid by storm in the past couple of years - quite literally.

This year the man some people (us included) are now calling ‘Hurricane’ has been at the center of a ton of beef since bursting onto the scene, with 2025 alone including clashes with Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Ryan Blaney and Zane Smith among others.

To add to that ‘highlight reel’, Hocevar has also been handed a pair of $50k fines, the latest for a behavioral infringement at Kansas last weekend.

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Hocevar recalls challenging times

Hocevar’s most painful moment of atonement though (again, see Cersei and Game of Thrones) came well before that in November 2023, and it is something he remembers all too vividly.

Carson took us back to Phoenix and the Truck Series Championship Race of that year when asked by Jeff Gluck of The Athletic about a time in his life that was particularly challenging.

Hocevar answered: “End of 2023 into 2024. Phoenix was not great (when he spun Corey Heim in the Truck Series championship race and caught heat from many corners of the garage).

“Then I had to run the Cup car on Sunday and walk into the garage embarrassed after every Cup driver talked s*** and were probably thinking, “How the f*** are you driving this deal?””

A more rounded person now

That miserable weekend gave Hocevar a ton to think about during the offseason, and he believes since that moment he has become a more rounded person.

“The biggest thing was taking that and going through the offseason and then learning how to Cup race (in his rookie season last year). Just balancing racing every weekend and not getting lost. You don’t even know who you are."

Despite all that controversy, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and Hocevar has also built up a notable fanbase who see him as a wild breath of fresh air for the sport.

That cult status has only been enhanced by his obsession with buying classic vehicles on Facebook Marketplace.

“It just felt like my whole personality was how I did last Sunday. I didn’t have a good balance. I’d fall out with people left and right. I was tough to be around. I feel like I’ve figured that out a lot more.”

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