“Go tell that F—— 77 he’s done the same move ten times… I’m gonna wreck his ass.” Kyle Busch had a clear message for Hocevar. The contact didn’t crash anyone, but it lit a fire in Busch. He was sick of being pushed around. The move came near the end of Stage 1, with Carson Hocevar throwing his No. 77 into a closing gap like he had nothing to lose. Busch had to lift to avoid a wreck, and the veteran didn’t take it lightly. This was four months ago. You’d think Hocevar would have learned his lesson, right? Fast forward to Nashville. Once again, Hocevar was fast. Once again, he finished second. And once again, he left the race with a list of new enemies. But this time, the criticism didn’t just come from rivals. His own team owner, Jeff Dickerson, had seen enough as he warned the young driver.At Nashville Superspeedway, Carson Hocevar matched his career-best with another P2 finish, trailing only Ryan Blaney. But it wasn’t his speed that grabbed headlines. On lap 106, Hocevar slammed into the rear of Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s No. 47, sending it hard into the Turn 4 wall. Stenhouse was out of the race early. His playoff hopes took a massive hit, and he made sure to put the blame squarely on Hocevar. In the aftermath, he offered a firm warning: “Bummed our day ended like that, definitely will have something to do about it at one point.”Meanwhile, to make it worse, Hocevar showed no remorse in his post-race comments, framing it as just a racing deal. The backlash didn’t stop with Stenhouse. Jeff Dickerson, co-owner of Spire Motorsports, publicly criticized his driver. “Honestly, he probably could have cleared me, so that’s just what I expected him to do. And he didn’t. And by the time I checked up, I almost spun, too.”Speaking on the Door Bumper Clear podcast, Dickerson said, “Man, you didn’t need to do that. It wasn’t going to cost him anything to let Ricky back in line. I just wish he had cut him a break. I’m just like, 35-year-old Carson is not going to be cool with what you just did or what you just said. This isn’t a Carson thing.”Jeff Dickerson, @SpireMotorsport Co-Owner, gets candid about Carson Hocevar's move from yesterday's race. 7⃣7⃣A new episode of Door Bumper Clear is out now! Apple: https://t.co/5ih7An9TACSpotify: https://t.co/kdSRk0GU4EYouTube: https://t.co/KOffoX3TLV@FreddieKraft |… pic.twitter.com/SR2ovTGaX0— Dirty Mo Media (@DirtyMoMedia) June 2, 2025Dickerson made it clear he wasn’t trying to change Hocevar’s identity. But he emphasized the need for maturity. “I want to teach Carson how it is, quote unquote. I certainly don’t want to get in a car-crashing contest out there. And Ricky, to me, is a guy like, he’s not going to wreck our car. He’s going to go beat the hell out of them… Sometimes your kid just wants to shut his hand in the car door to see if it hurts, right? And sometimes you just got to let them,” he further added.The numbers back up Dickerson’s frustration. Hocevar has raw speed, but the stats reveal a different side of the story. He has four DNFs this season, double that of Stenhouse. His average finish is over 21st. Yes, he has two runner-up finishes, a pole, and three top 10s. But the inconsistency and chaos surrounding his races outweigh the results. Drivers can handle aggressive racers. And let’s be real. Hocevar has managed to piss off a lot of people. Stenhouse, Busch, Blaney, even his mentor Ross Chastain.And the warnings didn’t stop with Dickerson. NASCAR legends chimed in, too. On Amazon Prime’s post-race show, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was blunt. “I like Hocevar a lot… but I think he could have cut the 47 a break, and he chose not to.” Dale Jr. pointed out that Hocevar’s no-apologies approach might win fans, but it’s also going to win him payback. “Nobody’s really stepped to him just yet. “But I think he might have messed with the wrong guy tonight,” Dale said. This comes on the back of Dale’s comments about Hocevar when he said, “If you can be patient with a guy like Hocevar, the 26-year-old Hocevar will be the driver that you want him to be. But you gotta be patient with that. Wait for him to get there.” Carl Edwards added his voice to the chorus. “He sat up here in the pre-race and said, ‘Hey, I’m just going to be aggressive. No regrets.’ And there you see it. There’s a price, and it hurts. I’ve been there,” Edwards said. Edwards, like Earnhardt, understands the mindset. But they’ve also seen what happens when you cross the line one too many times. Hocevar may think he’s just racing hard, but veterans see the bigger picture, one where retaliation is always lurking. Despite the heat, Hocevar kept his cool in the media. But behind the scenes, things may be shifting. After Nashville, a certain meeting took place, one that turned heads across the garage.Could Hendrick Motorsports be watching Hocevar?As Carson Hocevar cooled off from his tense Nashville outing, another figure stepped forward. Chad Knaus, Hendrick Motorsports’ Vice President of Competition, was seen congratulating Hocevar personally after the race. The moment, captured by media cameras, wasn’t just a friendly pat on the back. It sparked fresh speculation across the paddock. Could HMS be eyeing the bold young driver for the future? HMS is navigating a tough stretch.Kyle Larson’s double attempt was a bust. William Byron blew a big lead in Charlotte. Chase Elliott is on a year-long winless run, and Alex Bowman hasn’t reached victory lane in months. A shake-up seems likely. And with Spire Motorsports closely tied to HMS through engine and technical support, Hocevar isn’t exactly an outsider. He’s already in the room, and maybe, just maybe, in the conversation.For all the controversy he stirs, Hocevar has done what many young drivers fail to do: stay in the spotlight. From the 26th to the second at Nashville, with top-tier drivers in his rearview mirror, he proved that his skill is real, even if his manners are raw. As Hendrick ponders its next move, Hocevar has forced them to take a closer look. Whether it leads to a seat or not, one thing is clear: Carson Hocevar isn’t just here to race. He’s here to be noticed.The post NASCAR Team Owner Issues Warning to Cup Star After On-Track Antics Land Him in Everyone’s Bad Books appeared first on EssentiallySports.