NASCAR Accused Of Insulting Dale Earnhardt With 'Abhorrent' Tribute

It's been 25 years since Dale Earnhardt died on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, and NASCAR is still trying to find his replacement. 

It won't happen, because he's not out there, but … NASCAR keeps trying to find him. Bless their little hearts. 

The latest example comes in the form of Carson Hocevar, and Spire Motorsports. 

Hocevar is set to run a Dale Earnhardt throwback scheme this weekend at Darlington, which is fine. He ain't the first to run a Dale throwback, and he won't be the last. It's a cool concept, and a good-looking automobile. No problems there. 

If it was just the scheme, fans would dig it. They probably wouldn't have said a word. But, it's not just the scheme. It's the whole damn act. 

And that ain't gonna fly with NASCAR fans in 2026, especially when the driver pretending to be Dale has won as many Cup races as you and I have:

NASCAR fans not on the Carson Hocevar train yet 

I could go on and on. It's a BRUTAL scene in the comments. Tough look for Spire. Tough look for Carson. Feel like they just need to take this one on the chin and move on. 

Look, I think it's fine. I don't mind it. Carson Hocevar ain't Dale Earnhardt. Duh. I don't think that needed to be said, but a lot of folks seem to think Spire is implying he is, so I'll say it just to be safe. 

Carson has won exactly zero Cup races since becoming a full-time driver in 2024. Zero. Like Team USA the other night, he's 0 for 86. 

Dale Earnhardt, for those who don't know (that's none of you), was 76 for 676. He won seven championships. He and Richard Petty are largely considered the greatest NASCAR drivers ever. Again, I'm not breaking news here, but context matters in this situation. 

So, yeah, there is obviously no comparison. And that's why folks are annoyed at this marketing ploy from Carson and Spire. The paint scheme is fine. Again, they're not the first to run a Dale Earnhardt throwback. 

But dressing him up like THAT? Eh. Come on. It's a little much. But, that's who Carson Hocevar is, if you haven't noticed. He's a wild card. He's the dude who dresses kind of goofy, and leans way into whatever sponsor he's running that week (Chilis, usually), and can rub some people the wrong way. 

This is his shtick. 

If he could just win a race or two, it would go a long way. Hell, forget two. Just win a race. That's it. One race. Then, you can probably dress up like a cowboy Dale Earnhardt all you want. Knock yourself out. 

Fair?