Mark Martin backs Dale Jr's bold claim of Carson Hocevar having Dale Earnhardt Sr. energy: "We need some of that villain"

NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin joined Dale Earnhardt Jr. in praising Carson Hocevar, who has often made headlines this season as a polarizing figure. Martin said that the sport needs a villain like Dale Sr., who is successful but also manages to stir up drama with their racing style.

After winning the Cup Series Rookie of the Year honors last season, Hocevar has made great strides in his sophomore year with Spire Motorsports. He kicked off his season with a career-best second-place finish at Atlanta and competed for wins at Charlotte, Nashville, and Michigan.

Dale Jr. praised Hocevar for his impressive speed this season. As an analyst, he also appreciates the controversies the young driver has caused on track, which often split the fans and create plenty of conversation. It reminded Junior of his dad, although The Intimidator was far more successful, winning the Cup title on seven occasions.

In a recent conversation with Kenny Wallace, Mark Martin agreed that the sport needs a villain like Hocevar, as Ross Chastain has reined in his aggressive driving style.

"As far as Hocevar goes, he's [Dale Jr.] right. We need Hocevar to continue being a rocketship and we need him to bounce off of people and stuff. We need Chastain to get back a little bit more on the chip," Mark Martin said [0:37 onwards] "Why? We need some of that villain, some of that people love. Like they did with Earnhardt. They either love your style and love what you do and condone every mistake that you make. Or they hate you! And that's good, that's good if they hate you because that puts enthusiasm, gets people's blood pumping."

Over the last decade, Kyle Busch has evolved from the most hated driver to a likable personality. Although Denny Hamlin relishes the spotlight as a villain, his rivalries with Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, and Ross Chastain have cooled down.

With continued success, Mark Martin believes Carson Hocevar will further establish himself as the villain NASCAR needs at the moment.

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Mark Martin applauds Dale Jr's contributions to the sport

Mark Martin heaped praise on Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s contributions to the sport, describing him as the "greatest asset" stock car racing has ever had. Martin said that Junior is working his "guts out" to make stock car racing better through his involvement in various projects.

In the conversation with Kenny Wallace, the 66-year-old NASCAR Hall of Famer said:

"Dale Jr. is the greatest asset stock car racing has probably ever had in history. Right now, what he's doing for the sport is immeasurable. I have an idea of how hard he works at it. This stuff isn't coming easy. Dale Jr. is working his guts out to make stock car racing better and make it great. So, Kudos to Junior."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a 15-time Cup Series Most Popular Driver Award winner and continues to feature among NASCAR's top-10 list for die-cast and merchandise sales, despite retiring from full-time competition in 2017.

Dale Jr., who sometimes describes himself as a historian, serves as an analyst while also providing his unfiltered opinion on his podcasts. He is involved in the production of documentaries, video games, and has helped revive lost speedways.

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Edited by Tushar Bahl