Dale Earnhardt Jr. thinks Carson Hocevar would 'be out' of NASCAR if not for his talent

A lot of noise has been made about Carson Hocevar in recent days, but now Dale Earnhardt Jr. is weighing in on the matter. On his latest podcast with Kevin Harvick as a guest, Earnhardt talked about Hocevar’s mistakes and overly aggressive moves in NASCAR recently.

The most obvious example of Hocevar’s actions was last Friday. He got frustrated, drove in too hard, tried to bump Corey Heim and spun him. It was dumb. He hit him once, it didn’t work, did it again, and it ruined the championship race.

Of course, Heim isn’t innocent in all of this. His retaliation made the race go from bad to worse.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. reiterated he likes Hocevar for his raw speed and talent. That’s why he talks about him the way he does. However, given his history, Earnhardt says the driver is lucky he’s young and talented. Otherwise, no one would want to deal with the headache.

“Not to harp on Carson Hocevar too much, but I compliment him because of his ability, right?” Earnhardt said on The Dale Jr. Download. “Imagine him with this activity and not the ability that he has. He’d be out. His career would be in the trash. The only reason why anybody, the only reason why he still has a hope of a career is because he really does have genuine speed and ability, the dude is fast and if he fixes all these issues, he becomes the champ he wants to be.”

That’s about as cut and dry honest as you can get. Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn’t trying to bash Carson. However, in the highest level of motorsports in the United States, you have to be better. Next season, Hocevar is headed to the Cup Series and will have to mind his Ps and Qs.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is right about Carson Hocevar

I think Dale Jr. is exactly right. Now, it might seem obvious “if he didn’t have talent, he wouldn’t have a ride.” NASCAR isn’t as simple as that, though. Sponsors an relationships play into a lot of the decisions made in the sport.

The most talented driver doesn’t always get the best ride.

There really aren’t any other Truck Series drivers from this past season that I would say are more talented than Hocevar. Sure, Zane Smith is going to the Cup Series. He’s a Truck Series champion. However, he’s a little older than Hocevar, his ceiling may be a little lower.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is right and more than it seems. Let Carson Hocevar do the silly things he does, get mad and wreck someone in the Cup Series – it won’t last long.