Carson Hocevar achieved his best NASCAR Cup Series result on Sunday with a second-place finish in the Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but his aggressive driving style ignited fierce criticism from several veteran competitors.

The 22-year-old sophomore driver for Spire Motorsports found himself at the center of multiple incidents throughout the 266-lap event. Most notably, his contact with Ryan Blaney sent the former champion spinning through Turns 1 and 2 on Lap 234 while running in fifth position.

Blaney’s frustration boiled over in a heated radio exchange with spotter Josh Fedewa. “He’s just a moron!” Blaney exclaimed. “He just runs right into the back of you. He has zero idea of where to bump somebody, where not to, he’s swiping across my bumper as he’s doing it. He just has no idea the whole race.”

Kyle Busch was equally incensed, threatening retaliation after his own run-in with Hocevar. “I don’t care if I wreck the whole field, I’m over him,” Busch declared, calling Hocevar’s repeated aggressive moves into question.

Multiple drivers, including Blaney and Ross Chastain, approached Hocevar on pit road after the race. While Hocevar declined to share the details of these conversations, he acknowledged room for improvement while celebrating his career-best finish.

“There’s some stuff I got to learn and clean up a little bit, but I feel like we put ourselves in the perfect opportunity to try and win a race,” Hocevar said. “I’ve never had that opportunity really before, especially on a superspeedway.”

The Michigan native came close to securing his first Cup victory, running between eventual winner Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson when the final caution flag flew in overtime. Despite the controversy, the result marks a significant milestone for both Hocevar and Spire Motorsports.

“They deserve all the praise,” Hocevar added about his team. “I just get to hold the wheel and run wide open and just try to put myself in a decent spot. Unfortunately it wasn’t the best spot, but it was just one spot short.”

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