- Carson Hocevar comes into the Food City 500 leading the Sunoco Rookie of the Year rankings and tied with Spire Motorsports teammate Corey LaJoie for 23rd in the NCS championship point standings. Both drivers are 10 points outside 20th, while just 17 markers separate them from the top 15.
- In his lone NCS start at Bristol Motor Speedway, Hocevar started 16th and finished 11th in last September’s Bass Pro Shops night race to record his best finish to date in NASCAR’s premier division.
- In collaboration with Gainbridge, a Group 1001 company, Hocevar’s No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will carry the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation (CRSF) this weekend. The CRSF helps to strengthen America’s most underserved and distressed communities by supporting and advocating for children, building Youth Development Parks and STEM Centers, partnering with law enforcement and youth-service agencies, and addressing community needs through its national program initiatives. CRSF has opened 465 STEM Centers nationwide, gifting children in communities across the country a new access to state-of-the-art technology, hands-on learning experiences, and skill sets essential to the future of STEM.
- Hocevar continues his impressive rookie campaign following a hard-fought 15th-place finish at Sunday’s Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix Raceway. In four NCS races this season, the 21-year-old has recorded a 17.0 average start and a 22.3 average finish.
- In his four previous Bristol starts in the NCTS, Hocevar has earned two top-10s and boasts an average finish of 11.5. The Portage, Mich., native led six laps and completed 799 of the 800 laps contested (99.9 percent).
- Season ticket holders at BMS can meet Hocevar for a question-and-answer session in the Loyalty Lounge on Sunday, March 17, at noon.
- Hocevar’s crew chief Luke Lambert called Noah Gragson’s 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series win at the high-banked, half-mile oval. The victory was part of a four-race win streak that spanned Darlington, Kansas, Bristol and Texas Motor Speedway.
- In 372 races a top the pit box, Lambert has called one win, 26 top-five and 86 top-10 finishes in NASCAR’s premier division.
Carson Hocevar Quotes
You’ve secured two consecutive top-15 finishes to kick off your rookie year. How are you staying focused and motivated to maintain this momentum and build on your impressive start?
“I feel like we’ve been able to capitalize on a couple challenging races and finish in the top 15. Both races ended up being solid days for points. It all builds together. So, to keep momentum, we keep bringing fast race cars and capitalize, adapt and overcome any challenges that are thrown our way. That way you know when we have those good days, we’ll really let the results show.”
Last year, your best NCS finish was an 11th at Bristol, where you even reached fifth by the end of stage two. What strategies can you use to replicate that success and potentially achieve an even better result at Bristol this time around?
“You know, we got to fifth and had to hold on with a loose wheel and finished in 11th which really showed the strength of our racecar that week, to be able to hold on like that for 130 laps. So, I think Luke and I, having that notebook of confidence walking into this place with the help of our pit crew, we should be able to have a better finish than what we got in the fall.”
Spire Motorsports PR
