Carson Hocevar seems intent on driving as aggressive as ever.

After all, he was the runner-up in Atlanta for a career-best finish. It also prompted a week of criticism from some veteran drivers, and warnings not to make things harder on himself by making enemies on the track.

Spire Motorsports’ 22-year-old driver has treated it all with a shrug and a promise to keep it going today in NASCAR’s first road race of the season at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

“I’m planning to race no differently,” Hocevar said Saturday before he qualified fourth to put him near the front again. He dismissed criticism that comes from outside his team and its suppliers as “noise.”

“You know I just like racing ... and I’m excited to have fast race cars.” Hocevar said. “So, I race for me, myself, and I, and you know, obviously a little bit for Spire Motorsports for sure. That’s what they pay me to do.”

Spire co-owner Dan Towriss suggested Hocevar is just the latest young driver mixing things up on track.

“This happens every time there’s a young aggressive driver that comes along. ... Are there things that Carson needs to learn? Yeah. This is his second year. He’s not out there wrecking people, doing things like that,” Towriss said.

Hocevar even had some fun with all the drama.

Shortly after the race in Atlanta, when several drivers complained about him over the radio or confronted him in pit lane, Hocevar shot back: “We’re here to win races, not be a boy band and love each other and play in the playground together.”

By Friday, he was promoting “Wanna Join My Boy Band?” T-shirts on his social media accounts and website. The posts were briefly taken down Saturday, but Hocevar promised they would return and that all proceeds from the sales would go to the Drive For Life charitable foundation in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Hocevar’s reputation as an aggressive driver dates to his racing in the truck series. His talent also has stood out. He earned top rookie honors in the Cup Series last year with six top-10 finishes.

POLE POSITION

Tyler Reddick, the 2023 race winner, will start today from pole position. And it will be a front row lockout for 23XI Racing with teammate Bubba Wallace starting second.

The team is co-owned by NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin.

XFINITY SERIES

It’s hard to put Connor Zilisch off his game as the 18-year-old road-course prodigy proved once again in winning Saturday’s Focused Health 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Circuit of The Americas.

Sent to the rear for pitting when pit road closed suddenly for the race’s second caution, Zilisch restarted 32nd after the first stage break and drove through the field, taking the lead from Carson Kvapil on Lap 56 of 65 at the 2.4-mile, 17-turn circuit.

After making what proved to be the winning pass, Zilisch had to fend off his teammate until Kvapil’s right front tire went flat on Lap 60. That gave Zilisch all the breathing room he needed as he nursed his car to the finish line.

Runner-up finisher William Byron trimmed a four-second lead to 1.639 seconds at the finish but couldn’t mount a challenge.

As a result, the pole winner had his second career Xfinity victory.