“Pretty appropriate”: Fans react as Carson Hocevar gets crowned with a new nickname on air in Iowa

Carson Hocevar, the rising NASCAR star, was given a new nickname on air during the Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway on Sunday, August 3. Fans online quickly approved the new nickname, saying it suits the 22-year-old driver.

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season with Spire Motorsports has presented Carson Hocevar with improvement. He has recorded two top-five and three top-ten finishes so far this season and also secured his first-ever career Cup Series pole at Texas. His average finish of 22.53 is a combination of both good runs and misfortunes, such as four DNFs.

Some highlights of Hocevar's 2025 season include his 2nd-place finish at Atlanta, which was hard-fought, and another 2nd-place finish at Nashville, both of which were his best finishes in the Cup Series. He has led 72 laps so far this season, finishing higher than where he qualified, with an average start of 18.4. But the unpredictability of the season manifested itself in such results as his 30th-place DNF to open the season at the Daytona 500, followed by multiple finishes outside the top 30.

Motorsports journalist Jeff Gluck noticed the new nickname for Carson Hocevar, “The Hurricane” and shared it on X:

"The Hurricane." Not bad. Wonder if that will stick?

Fans online were quick to jump in with their feedback on Hocevar's new nickname. One of the fans responded:

"Pretty appropriate considering he destroys sh*t all the time."

Another fan commented:

"Hurricane Hocevar sounds good"

Meanwhile, one penned:

"It does fit Hocevar, it really does."

Another penned:

"Not gonna lie, I think its pretty cool!"

Another fan wrote:

"Hurricanes “spin” and destroy anything that comes into its path. Makes sense."

Off the track, Hocevar was recently fined $50,000 and required to undergo cultural-sensitivity training after controversial remarks during the Mexico City race weekend. He later apologized for his comments, saying he was embarrassed by it.

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"Stuff happens" - Carson Hocevar on apologies in NASCAR

Carson Hocevar, the NASCAR Cup Series driver for Spire Motorsports, recently dismissed the significance of apologies in on-track incidents, calling them a "pony show." This comment came after an incident at Sonoma Raceway where Josh Berry bumped Hocevar, causing him to spin through the grass.

Hocevar appreciated Berry reaching out afterward but explained that in racing, contact happens regularly, and apologies, whether sincere or not, often don’t change the reality of competitive racing, which is why he sees them as somewhat performative. He said (via Frontstrech):

“I mean, it’s just racing. I mean, sometimes, you know, stuff happens. We’re all in the limit of everything of all people, right? I’m on the limit of everything. So, yeah, it doesn’t bother me.” “Because, even if you do it intentionally or not, you’re never going to say that to the person So, it just kind of just becomes a pony show a little bit. So, you know, if I don’t like it … it’s a little weird for me. I’ve never been on this side of it, but yeah. I’m just kind of just going through the actions of it," he further explained.

Carson Hocevar expressed some discomfort with being on the receiving end of such apologies, as it was a new experience for him.

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Edited by Sumeet Kavthale