Kevin Harvick sends Carson Hocevar pointed warning after unapologetic Brad Keselowski clash
· Yahoo Sports
Kevin Harvick has delivered a blunt warning to Carson Hocevar following his controversial clash with Brad Keselowski at Darlington, claiming the young NASCAR driver could find himself pushed out of the Cup Series if he fails to earn the respect of his peers.
Hocevar has faced growing criticism after making contact with Keselowski during the opening stage of the Southern 500, sending the RFK Racing driver spinning out of Turn 4.
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Rather than apologise afterwards, Hocevar made it clear that he had no interest in the traditional Monday phone calls between drivers following incidents on track.
The Spire Motorsports driver said: “I don’t like the BS apologies, and I think you just race. We’re just both racing hard. I think he knew what he was doing. He’s smart. He’s won a championship. He knows how hard he’s racing and trying to hold us off.”
Photo by David Jensen/Getty ImagesKevin Harvick says Carson Hocevar must earn respect
Harvick believes Hocevar’s attitude could become a serious problem if he wants to establish himself in NASCAR.
Speaking on his Happy Hour podcast, the NASCAR Hall of Famer argued that Hocevar is currently more focused on building his image than earning the respect of the drivers around him.
“I think that it’s one thing to play the game, but if you’re going to really know how to play the game, which he doesn’t know how to play the game right now, he’s worried about selling T-shirts and all the things that go with it,” Harvick said.
“You have to be respected by the guys you’re racing against. And right now there’s not one guy in the garage that respects what he does behind the wheel.”
Harvick stopped short of saying Hocevar cannot succeed, but insisted his personality and aggressive approach will only take him so far.
“And you can still have a personality, but at some point you have to earn the respect of your peers and the people that you’re racing around if you want to be successful in Cup racing; otherwise, you’re going to get run out of it.”
Photo by James Gilbert/Getty ImagesDenny Hamlin has also criticised Spire’s handling of the situation, questioning whether there are enough senior figures willing to hold Hocevar accountable.
With nine playoff races still ahead, Hocevar has plenty of time to change the narrative. However, Harvick’s warning makes clear that earning respect in the garage could become just as important as what he does on the track.
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