Carson Hocevar’s driving style at COTA caught everyone’s eyes, including the JGR veteran Denny Hamlin.
He weighed in on Hocevar’s aggressive driving tendencies. On top of that, he did it by reaching back to a lesson he once received from one of NASCAR’s fiercest competitors, from Tony Stewart.
Denny Hamlin Goes Back to His Past, Recalling His Lesson from Tony Stewart in Light of Carson Hocevar’s Aggression
Speaking on Actions Detrimental, Hamlin reflected on how the sport has evolved, particularly in how drivers react on track.
He acknowledged that racing itself has arguably never been better for fans watching at home, but the emotional responses from drivers tell a different story.
“I do think that racing has changed over time,” Hamlin said. “I don’t know if it’s for the better, for the worse. I think it’s probably better for the consumer who’s watching.”
Hamlin revealed that Tony Stewart, a man not exactly known for calm composure himself, was the one who preached restraint to him early in his career. And by Hamlin’s own admission, hearing that from Stewart was not an easy pill to swallow.
Stewart told him that the drivers who absolutely lose their mind over the simplest contact, things that barely affect the race at all, are the ones who end up paying for it because they go and powerdive into the next corner and suddenly have a leaking radiator.
“It was tough coming from Tony Stewart,” Hamlin admitted, “but it was like, you got to find a way to not lose your cool when someone barely makes contact with you like that.”
Hamlin also mentioned, “And this was, you know, back in the 2010s. It’s just the people that would just absolutely lose their mind over the simplest little things that didn’t affect anything.”
Hamlin continued, “Then next thing you know, you got a your radiators leaking because you went in the next corner and just powerdived into the ne to the guy that barely rubbed you. So, it’s just maintaining that composure is kind of the next step.”
Martinsville was the backdrop Stewart used for that lesson, and for good reason. The paperclip-shaped short track is where tempers boil faster than anywhere else on the Cup schedule, and drivers who can’t manage that heat tend to make costly mistakes.
Stewart’s point was that if a driver cannot keep his head straight at Martinsville, the race will eat him alive.
Meanwhile, Hocevar’s recent on-track behavior has drawn scrutiny from across the garage.
The young Spire Motorsports driver has shown plenty of speed. Still, his aggression has started conversations about racecraft and situational awareness, which is precisely the kind of thing Hamlin was circling back to.
Hamlin didn’t call Hocevar out by name with any venom, but the parallel was clear. Maintaining composure, especially when the contact is minor and inconsequential, separates the drivers who finish races from the ones who wreck their own afternoons chasing retribution.
“It’s just maintaining that composure is kind of the next step,” Hamlin said, wrapping up his thoughts with the kind of measured tone that only comes from learning hard lessons over a long career.
Whether Hocevar takes that lesson to heart remains to be seen, but hearing it framed by Tony Stewart, of all people, gives it a weight hard to argue with.
