A former champion was ready to wreck Carson Hocevar. Another former champion called him a “moron.” And the driver who has been his mentor, pulled Hocevar aside after Sunday’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway for a lengthy discussion that ended with a handshake but little satisfaction.

Carson Hocevar earned the best finish of his NASCAR Cup Series career, but not without agitating his competitors. Hocevar, who came in second place after overtime in Sunday’s race at Atlanta, felt confident to put together a strong run following another disappointing result on a superspeedway to open the season.