HAMPTON, Ga. -- Carson Hocevar climbed out of his No. 77 Chevrolet on Sunday evening and removed his helmet. He was met by multiple drivers wanting to have serious conversations with him.
As the Michigan native has shown, he has skills behind the wheel, which he used to secure a second-place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He also has a habit of frustrating his fellow Cup Series drivers with his actions behind the wheel.
"I think he's a little bit overly aggressive at times," Ryan Blaney said on pit road after Sunday's race. "I was hoping that he'd learn this past off-season, but I don't know if he has."
The Spire Motorsports driver had multiple run-ins with drivers at the Georgia track. He angered Kyle Busch with aggressive moves early in the race, which led to a profanity-laden rant from the two-time Cup champion.
He hit Blaney from behind and sent him sliding toward the infield during the final stage. Blaney was able to keep the car at the bottom of the track and avoid hitting the wall or other cars.
"He's just a moron." Ryan Blaney is not happy with Carson Hocevar.
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"With the contact, I mean, it's exactly what I knew it was," Blaney said. "He hit me, just in a terrible spot, kind of into (Turn 1) and kind of moving. And it just got me tank-slapping and spinning out.
"...I think you've seen him for a couple years -- especially last year -- his over-aggressiveness gets him in a lot of trouble. He's done some things that I haven't been a fan of like hooking guys and wrecking guys on purpose. And I wouldn't say that's just being young. I mean, that's just not being smart."
The Spire Motorsports driver is no longer a fresh face in the Cup Series despite some relative inexperience at certain tracks. He has made 47 career starts and he is early in his second full-time season. At this point in his career, the drivers know what to expect when they see him out on the track.
Sometimes, he will help them contend for the win. Other times, he will make a bad decision that could lead to fines or confrontations on pit road.
Last season's race at Nashville was a fitting example as he intentionally spun Harrison Burton under caution. He received a $50,000 fine from NASCAR and lost 25 driver points.
Sunday's race at Atlanta featured Hocevar making numerous aggressive moves that angered his fellow drivers. It led to tense conversations with Blaney and Ross Chastain.
Christopher Bell, the race-winner, had the full experience. He took a hard shot from Hocevar in overtime, but it ultimately helped him take the lead before the race-ending caution.
"He's been around enough now that you know he's going to be the aggressor," Bell said. "If there's a hole, he's going to take it. If there's not a hole, he's going to make one.
"He ultimately gave me the shove to get past -- or break through -- to lead the side draft tandem with myself and Kyle (Larson) down the back straightaway (in overtime)."
Chastain, who has been a mentor, took Hocevar far away from the microphones so that they could have an intense conversation lasting multiple minutes. They ultimately shook hands before parting ways.
Hocevar said that they were talking about Chili's before indicating that they would have further discussions. Chastain stayed in his hauler and would not meet with media members after the race.