Carson Hocevar Rumored to Be Intimidating Other Drivers, According to NBC Analyst

Carson Hocevar is four races from finishing his NASCAR Cup Series rookie season and a successful first year by all accounts, recording 21 top 20s, five top 10s and a single top 5, his third-place result at Watkins Glen.

The 21-year-old is ahead of Josh Berry by more than 100 points in the rookie standings.

During Saturday's practice and qualifying session at Las Vegas, NASCAR on NBC analyst Brad Daugherty said the Spire Motorsports driver has made an impression in the Cup garage not only with his results but how he's achieved them using an aggressive driving style that has ruffled a few feathers along the way.

"There's a lot of guys — they won't tell you," Daugherty said . "But I've heard the rumors and squeaked. They're a little bit intimidated by this guy because he drives the wheels off that race car. And there's some guys out here that don't like racing with him.

"And I like that. I like that for Carson because that's just someone else he can take advantage of. There's a few cats that complain about how fast. And some think he's reckless. I just think he's fast, young and he's got the exuberance like you talked about and he can take advantage of that."

During the Oct. 13 race at the Charlotte Roval, Hocevar displayed his aggressiveness when he spun Brad Keselowski and Shane van Gisbergen in the new Turn 7. The No. 77 pilot finished 12th and improved his average finishing position for the season to a solid 18.3, which is impressively inside the top 20 for full-time drivers.

It's hard to argue with the rookie's results. It's also easy to see how Daugherty positively views Hocevar and his driving style based on those results. And equally understandable why some drivers don't like it.

Hocevar qualified sixth for Sunday's Cup race. Coverage begins at 2 p.m. ET and airs on NBC.

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