Three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano believes Carson Hocevar is great for the sport. With his rise in popularity and immense talent behind the wheel, the Team Penske star cannot deny Hocevar’s quick NASCAR rise.
However, there is one gripe the driver of the No. 22 has with Hocevar’s growing star power. Despite his on-track aggression, Logano said Hocevar is beloved by fans.
That was not the case for Logano early in his career.
Logano on Hocevar: ‘I still get booed … people love him’
Logano was a recent guest on “Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour,” a weekly podcast hosted by 2014 Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick.
When asked about Hocevar and his emergence as one of the sport’s top drivers, Logano acknowledged that he is a fan favorite. While Logano, 36, may not understand everything Hocevar has to say, he realizes the 23-year-old has attracted a great following of new fans.
“I think Carson is great for the sport. I think he brings a ton of new fans, different fans — just the way he is, is different than the rest of us. The way he speaks, like he’s just younger. I don’t know what he’s talking about half the time. I don’t know what these words mean, but people love it and there’s no denying that and that’s great. That’s great for our sport,” Logano said.
As great as Hocevar’s popularity is, it is something Logano takes a slight issue with.
Early in his career, the Connecticut native noted he got into a number of run-ins with veteran drivers, such as Kevin Harvick at Pocono in 2010. Logano said these incidents made the fans turn on him, adding that they still hold the grudge today.
Meanwhile, Logano said Hocevar shows similar on-track aggression, yet is loved by the fans for it.
“When I came into the sport and I had run-ins with veterans and all this stuff and people hated me for that. Forever. To this day, I still get booed like you wouldn’t believe for the things I did when I was 19 years old. This kid comes in and wrecks way more people than I ever did and people love him,” Logano said.
Hocevar, Logano having different 2026 seasons
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season has not been the same for Hocevar and Logano.
After 18 races, Hocevar currently sits eighth in the points standings with seven top 10s and four top fives. The Michigan native captured his first career Cup Series victory at Talladega in April and is currently 120 points above The Chase cutoff with eight races remaining.
Logano, meanwhile, has struggled to find strong results. The veteran driver sits 20th in the points standings with only two top fives and five top 10s recorded after 18 races. With eight races to go, Logano is 31 points behind The Chase cut line.
Hocevar has been a key piece in the rise of Spire Motorsports, a team with two cars currently in The Chase. Daniel Suarez, driver of the No. 7, won this year’s Coca-Cola 600 and sits ninth in the standings.
For Logano, it has been a season of difficulties as his chances of winning a fourth championship this year are getting thinner as the regular season rolls on.
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