Michael Andretti spoke to the media in St. Petersburg, Florida on Friday, and he dropped some hints about Andretti Autosport’s potential future in NASCAR. According to Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press, Andretti is working on a potential entry into NASCAR, likely through partnering with a current team.
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Denny Hamlin fires off on Carson Hocevar, Sheldon Creed finally gets his long-awaited breakthrough, and 13-year-old Keelan Harvick makes a massive career move. From sharp words on a podcast to a feel-good victory and a headline-grabbing development deal, this episode covers three very different stories that could all have long-term ripple effects.
There’s controversy, redemption, and a glimpse at the next generation all wrapped into one packed show. Some reputations are being tested, others are being rebuilt, and one young driver may have just taken the first major step toward the Cup Series.
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NASCAR veteran Elliott Sadler is set to return to competitive racing next month as he joins the SMART Modified Tour for their March 20 and 21 race weekend at South Boston Speedway.
This race will end a retirement from racing that began when Sadler last raced in NASCAR with Kaulig Racing during the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.
While it is not a NASCAR-sanctioned race, the now 50-year-old will have his hands full as the SMART Modified Tour has a very competitive field of drivers.
Though Sadler may not be known for his exploits in Modified racing, he is familiar with South Boston Speedway. The Virginia native is a former track champion at the legendary 0.400-mile track, having won the track’s NASCAR Late Model Stock Car Division in 1995.
Sadler worked his way to the top of NASCAR in the late 1990s and early 2000s. But, unlike many drivers who came through the ranks at that time, such as Dale Earnhardt Jr and Ryan Newman, since stepping away from the sport, Sadler has not made a hobby of short track racing.
In a post to X following the announcement, Sadler credited Earnhardt with giving him the confidence to race again:
“Look @DaleJr… you made me feel like I can do it !!! So I’m doing it !! Back in the saddle again !! Bigger (literally) and better than ever!!!” — Elliott Sadler via X
The race weekend kicks off on March 20 with two practice sessions and a qualifying session. On track action will resume on Saturday, March 21, with a Last Chance Qualifier Race at 1 PM EST, and the feature race scheduled for that afternoon.
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Following comments about Carson Hocevar on his podcast Actions Detrimental, NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin made an interesting comparison of Hocevar in a social media post late Monday night.
This past weekend, EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta offered fans another classic race weekend full of solid racing and an exciting finish.
While the sport itself had a great weekend, the attention of the NASCAR community was lasered in on one driver, Carson Hocevar, whose aggressive driving, while nothing new, always seems to catch the attention of his peers.
This week, the key incident involving Hocevar was a wreck involving Christopher Bell during an overtime restart, in which Hocevar attempted to shoot for a gap between Bell and race leader Bubba Wallace.
While Hocevar was gunning for the lead, many commenters, such as FOX Sports analyst Kevin Harvick, said the young Spire Motorsports driver had “nowhere to go.”
Much like anything involving Hocevar, there has been a somewhat mixed reaction to this crash, with some praising his unapologetic style of racing and others, such as Bell’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Denny Hamlin, disapproving of this decision.
During the latest episode of his podcast Actions Detrimental, Hamlin called the situation “tough to watch,” saying that while the media loves Hocevar’s somewhat brash on-track style, as a competitor, he knows that Spire Motorsports driver’s actions will come back to bite him.
“It’s going to come back around. He’ll be in a position where he thinks he’s about to win, and then someone will decide that he’s not going to, and that’s gonna suck.” — Denny Hamlin
Following this episode, in which Hamlin also said Hocevar lacks the “craftsmanship” needed to win races, “beyond just having a fast car,” fans reacted to Hamlin’s take after Dirty Mo Media uploaded the clip on X.
In response, one user responded by comparing Hocevar’s competitiveness to a changing of the guard, saying, “Same old story, old dog doesn’t like puppy.” Hamlin, the proverbial old dog in this case, using this same symbolism, responded to this fan saying:
“Puppies are great, but if they shit in your bed you gonna just lay in it? Or teach the puppy where to properly take a dump?” — Denny Hamlin via X
The fan reaction to Hamlin’s comment ranged from praise to support for Hocevar, and even questions of past on-track actions made by the future Hall of Famer.
Of course, this comment, paired with the latest episode of Actions Detrimental, paints a broader picture of how Hamlin sees this lesson playing out for Hocevar.
Hamlin said on the podcast that he understands that this is just how Hocevar races, but that style will come with consequences, as the former Rookie of the Year is never going to get a break from the rest of the Cup Series garage.
“You’re just never gonna get anyone to give you a break when you clearly won’t give anyone else a break,” Hamlin said. “His style is his style, and he’s free to be whoever he wants to be.”
Nonetheless, it doesn’t seem that Hocevar has reached a point where Hamlin feels a need to take action into his own hands, with the veteran driver adding, “I don’t think we’re gonna do anything about it. I think you gotta just let it play itself out over time.”
What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
