Corey Heim made NASCAR history in Sunday's Brickyard 400 by becoming the first driver to win multiple times in his first 15 Cup Series starts since A.J. Foy in 1965. But naturally, all everyone is talking about is yet another run-in involving Carson Hocevar.
Midway through the race, Hocevar exited pit lane during a green-flag cycle and got stuck behind Heim, who aggressively blocked him on much older tires. The part-time driver then made his own stop laps later, and on his way in, the Spire Motorsports star veered over to let him know he was No. 1.
After the race, Heim did not mince words. Team co-owner Denny Hamlin chimed in as well, remarking "[Hocevar] just wanted to wave to his Daddy."
All of this has the makings of what seems on track to be a generation-defining rivalry. And it's everything NASCAR needs.
Corey Heim and Carson Hocevar legitimately hate each other, and we've all got our popcorn ready
Let's face it: NASCAR is more exciting when there's drama. But not artificial, manufactured drama caused by gimmicks and forced narratives. We're talking about actual drama, when emotions run high and drivers let each other know how they really feel.
Heim and Hocevar's tiff traces all the way back to the 2023 Truck Series season finale, when they tangled while battling for a championship. There's been no love lost, not should there be. It's boring and fake when drivers run into each other on the track and then apologize and shake hands and all is forgiven. No one wants to root for generic nice guys who act like they don't even care if they're wronged.
We want to see passion. We want to see tempers. We want drivers who make it known that they absolutely can't stand when someone gets the better of them. We want to see years-long feuds like Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski or Jeff Gordon and Rusty Wallace or Dale Earnhardt and Geoff Bodine. We want guys fighting in the pits and dropping snippy one-liners and calling each other names.
Hocevar is the best personality to enter NASCAR in a long time for exactly this reason. He's never going to apologize for being himself. People either love him or love to hate him and he doesn't care. He knows he's rubbed a lot of his competitors the wrong way and it's not going to make him change. He embraces his reputation and gives the people what they want.
At the same time, Heim is the perfect foil because he dishes it right back. He's won more races in under half a season than Hocevar has in nearly three, and he's certainly very proud of that. He deserves every right to let everybody know who has the upper hand.
Heim and Hocevar are both going to be tearing it up at NASCAR's top level for a long time to come, and it's going to be top-tier entertainment for everybody. Grab your popcorn, because this feud is only just getting started.
