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<\/p>\nIn the immediate aftermath of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, Bubba Wallace approached Carson Hocevar for a private conversation atop the outside pit wall.<\/p>\n
It lasted around five minutes, was respectful and cordial, and ended with appreciative shoulder slaps.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s fast,\u201d Wallace told a media scrum after the conversation. \u201cHe\u2019s fast, and he deserves to be in Victory Lane multiple times out here, but making mistakes is going to cost him, and he hasn\u2019t realized that yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
On Sunday, those perceived mistakes included a crash on a Lap 83 restart when Hocevar tagged the rear of John Hunter Nemechek, who then bounced off Wallace, who himself then bounced off Ty Gibbs.<\/p>\n
The contact with Gibbs resulted in contact with championship leader Tyler Reddick, Wallace\u2019s 23XI Racing teammate, who then crashed hard and out of the race. Reddick slid down the track into the direct path of Austin Dillon, who had nowhere to go.<\/p>\n
Dillon was sharp in his criticism.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe almost got through it,\u201d Dillon said after being released from infield care. \u201cI saw the (Denny Hamlin) coming down. I kind of gassed up to get past him, but (Reddick) was there.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m frustrated because we had a fast car. I hope at some point he (Hocevar) figures it out, but I know I\u2019m not going to show anything to him for a long time. I\u2019m mad because we had a fast race car. That truly sucks\u201d<\/p>\n
Immediately after the crash, Dillon\u2019s grandfather and team owner respondly even more harshly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah. Any time their eyes are that close together, it means they\u2019ve got a small brain,\u201d Childress said over the team radio.<\/p>\n
But again, Wallace took a more diplomatic approach after the race in talking to Hocevar in person.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was pissed. He\u2019s playing the game, the point by \u2013 letting me and Larson by, and (Erik Jones) by was nice, but doesn\u2019t ease the pain,\u201d Wallace said. \u201cThat\u2019s what I told him. It\u2019s like you have to \u2026 I don\u2019t know if you\u2019re doing that on purpose, but you\u2019re having to do that because like, \u2018oh man, I wrecked that guy earlier. I wrecked him last week. I gotta just stop hitting shit.\u2019 You can race to your potential.\u201d<\/p>\n
For his part, Hocevar said he was receptive to the message.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I get his point and perspective and everything,\u201d Hocevar said. \u201cI mean, I\u2019m just racing really hard, and there were times where I tried to make a move and get two spots when I probably should have just got one, and it cost me \u2013 especially almost wrecking myself in (Turns) 3 and 4 there early in the race when I was next to him. So yeah, just a bummer today, obviously.\u201d<\/p>\n
For what it\u2019s worth, Spire Motorsports team co-owner Jeff Dickerson said after the race that he didn\u2019t want Hocevar to change. He said he didn\u2019t see anything wrong with the way his young driver approached the race.<\/p>\n
Dickerson said he frankly didn\u2019t understand the criticism coming from the other drivers.<\/p>\n
Hocevar finished the race in fifth behind Larson, Wallace and Jones and was more disappointed that he didn\u2019t win at him home track, one day after his mom\u2019s birthday, more than anything else.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I mean, this one\u2019s going to sting,\u201d Hocevar said. \u201cI would have really liked to have this one, just because of how good our car was. It\u2019s just probably just going to eat me up watching (Hamlin) come in my rearview, drive by me and then drive away, and then have a car in between us.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Watch: Hocevar explains move leading to Lap 83 Michigan crash<\/p>\n
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