Just when Carson Hocevar thought his weekend at Iowa Speedway couldn’t get messier, Shane van Gisbergen made sure it did. At Iowa Speedway on Sunday, the race took a wild turn on Lap 253 when Carson Hocevar drove into a three-wide situation inside Turn 1, nudging Shane van Gisbergen (SVG) up into Joey Logano’s door, which happened just before a caution flag flew for an earlier spin involving Tyler Reddick and Christopher Bell. The bump wasn’t just incidental, it triggered Logano’s positioning and sparked immediate outrage from SVG, all while being broadcast live.

Though no penalties were issued for the incident, SVG’s frustration echoed well beyond the race broadcast. Fans quickly clipped and circulated the radio chatter across social platforms, turning the insult into an instant meme. It wasn’t just the profanity it was the sheer unfiltered, international flavor of it that caught everyone off guard. In a series often dominated by controlled PR lines, SVG’s brutally honest reaction felt like a throwback to raw, unfiltered racing days.

SVG, normally the picture of composure, sounded absolutely furious over team radio. He said, “Hey, go apologize to the 22. That wanker in the 77 just shoved it three‑wide.” That direct quote cut through Iowa’s post‑race chatter and lit social platforms on fire. Fans couldn’t believe the usually calm, collected Hillbricks driver unleashed such raw expressions live.

Hocevar has made a name for himself this season not just with flashes of raw speed, but with decisions that have drawn ire from fellow drivers. Zane Smith confronted him in the garage just two races ago. Tyler Reddick and Christopher Bell were caught up in chaos that partly stemmed from his decisions. His “Hurricane” nickname fits and now. The 20‑year‑old has rattled doors all season in the Truck and Cup Series, pulling into tight gaps and courting controversy. Now his reputation tacks on a second, far more colorful label, thanks to SVG’s very public disgust.

The fans’ spin was even wilder

The reaction on Reddit was instant. Some fans couldn’t resist turning Hocevar’s evolving identity into internet gold. One quipped, “Hocevar now has two nicknames: Hurricane and wanker. What a combo.” Another one chimed in, “Hurricane Wanker is a winner, not gonna lie.” For someone constantly stirring the pot, the nickname feels too on-the-nose to ignore.

Others saw this as a bizarre, unexpected upside to international drivers entering NASCAR. One fan posted, “This is why we need a more international field. More creative curses to call Carson” The irony here is, fans are poking fun at NASCAR’s lack of international flavor while celebrating SVG’s colorful lexicon. It suggests a craving for more global personalities and linguistic spice in the sport.

Then came the growing consensus: Hocevar isn’t just rubbing SVG the wrong way, he’s wearing thin with just about everyone. A fan summed it up with, “The bloke is making no friends on track, ” and they’re not wrong. From mid-pack drama to high-stakes scrambles, Hocevar’s been involved in more than his fair share of weekly chaos. Drivers remember. And Hocevar himself has admitted he is not here to make friends. 

The rising tension feels like a slow boil heading toward a boil-over. “Hocevar is going to have every driver in the entire field mad at him before the end of the season,” another comment read. It’s not just hyperbole. Across the last five races, Hocevar’s name has come up in multiple dust-ups, from Richmond to Pocono. The SVG incident simply spotlighted the broader unrest simmering around his driving style.

Carson Hocevar’s heatwave before Iowa

Before the Iowa drama, the heat was already building around Hocevar courtesy of his feud with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., which erupted at Pocono Raceway in June 2025. Under caution, Hocevar, who was a lap down, made contact with Stenhouse and spun him, only Hocevar’s second run-in with him in a few weeks. Stenhouse didn’t hold back on expressing his frustration. He warned that Hocevar would soon be “looking over his shoulder for a long time,” promising potential payback now that they were back racing in the States.

Of course, no NASCAR drama is complete without a wildcard fan doubling down in a totally different direction. “Never apologize to the 22, he’s an even bigger w—-r,” one wrote, deflecting attention toward Joey Logano, another driver with no shortage of critics. It’s a reminder that in the world of NASCAR fandom, loyalties are chaotic, opinions are ruthless, and nobody’s reputation is safe, not even the guy caught in the middle of a rant.

For Hocevar, the label might sting, but the buzz it’s created is undeniable. SVG’s outburst may have started as raw frustration, but in the court of fan opinion, it’s become a defining moment. And while the insult itself won’t appear in any official race stats, it’s echoed across social media, stamped all over the conversation, and fueling one of the season’s most talked-about rivalries.