After Unexpected Nascar Cup Debut Carson Hocevar Ready For More

Carson Hocevar is like any young driver climbing through the NASCAR ranks. His ultimate goal is to race in the top tier Cup series eventually. At just 20-years-old Hocevar’s climb up the ladder has been slow and steady. He has been racing in the Truck series since 2019 scoring his first career win earlier this season at Texas. The Michigan native is also racing part time in the Xfinity series this season.

Then last week he was thrust to the top rung of the ladder; given the opportunity to make his Cup series debut a lot quicker than he, or anyone, could have imagined.

Hocevar was the end domino in a chain that started with the suspension of NASCAR Cup series star Chase Elliott, and ended with Carson Hocevar taking the green flag in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup series race at World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis.

Elliott, the 2020 series champion, and driver for Hendrick Motorsports, was suspended for Sunday’s race after he crashed Denny Hamlin during the race at Charlotte Motor Speedway the previous week. Elliott had missed seven races earlier in the season after breaking his leg while snowboarding. For those races Hendrick tapped Josh Berry and Jordan Taylor as fill in drivers.

After Elliott’s suspension was announced, Hendrick revealed that fulltime Cup driver Corey LaJoie would be behind that wheel of Elliott’s Chevrolet. That move left LaJoie’s fulltime team Spire Motorsports without a driver for the car LaJoie normally races.

The call went to young Hocevar who has run a couple of Xfinity races for the team this season. When he first got the call, he didn’t want to believe it was actually possible.

“Honestly, I just answered ‘no’,” he said. “’No’, really like ‘are you serious?’. And all in my mind, I was just trying not to oversell it and think it’s a for sure done deal because they weren’t sure where they were at.”

While everyone waited for NASCAR’s approval for the moves, Hocevar had to carry on with his day job. That meant he needed to try and focus on a meeting with his fulltime truck team, Niece Motorsports, for a debrief of the previous race.

“I’m trying to be as present and prioritized and that’s my day job,” Hocevar said. “And I had seven missed phone calls and a bunch of texts blowing my phone up during the debrief. So, I was a little nervous and probably a little distracted in that meeting.

“I finally got a chance to pick it up and they told me the good news.”

There was a great deal of preparation that had to happen in a short amount of time for everyone involved: seats had to be fitted, pedals adjusted. And sponsors had to approve of all the moves.

It also resulted in a side benefit for Hocevar and a longtime sponsor of his. Schluter Systems, a company that specializes in installation systems for tile and stone, was the primary sponsor for Spire’s No. 7 Chevy Sunday.

There was only one problem. Hocevar is taller than LaJoie and given the short amount of time before Sunday’s race Hocevar had to wear his own firesuit with branding from his fulltime sponsor in the truck series. Premier Security not only sponsors Hocevar in the truck series but on his part time Xfinity rides as well with Spire. Hocevar was able to call Premier’s CEO and founder Daniel Walker to tell him the company’s branding was on the firesuit and helmet and would be in the Cup race on Sunday.

“He got into this a year ago as a truck sponsor for just one or two races like I think it was two years ago,” Hocevar said. “And now his suit, his helmet is going to run on Sunday, and he was beyond pumped and excited.”

Schluter Systems and Celsius, an energy drink company that shares the sponsorship of the LaJoie car, both signed off on the deal.

“I just really appreciate them letting me drive their race car and let me be a part,” he said. “I’ve heard a lot of great things and I’ve heard they’ve said a lot of great things about me.”

Prior to the race weekend, Hocevar didn’t get a chance to meet with the sponsor representatives, but he hoped he would once everyone got to the track.

“I’ll be excited to meet and introduce and just thank them in person,” he said. “For more than anything trusting me with their investment…just allowing me to be myself and fulfill a dream with their racecar.”

Hocevar qualified 26^th on Saturday, ahead of Lajoie who started 30^th. Sunday at the track Hocevar made the most of his time in the Cup series. Prior to the race he walked around handing out Celsius products reminding anyone who would listen that while Corey LaJoie’s name was on the car for the race, it would be Hocevar behind the wheel.

Once the race itself started, Hocevar grabbed the attention of many racing up to 16^th, higher in the running order than Lajoie. The Fox
FOXA
TV team followed his progress giving him plenty of airtime. It appeared that his stated goal of finishing inside the top 15 was a very real possibility.

The racing gods had another plan. On lap 92 the right front brake rotor on his Chevy exploded sending the car into the wall entering Turn 1, ending his day. Hocevar was scored in last place. However, the driver was able to smile after it was over.

“I thought it was great,” he said. “I had a blast. Just so thankful for the opportunity.

“I was running 16th… just so surreal for the first time ever. I thought we were going to have a good day and be in a good spot for Schluter Systems, Celsius, Spire Motorsports, Ryan Sparks and the No. 7 Chevy team.”

Hocevar will now move back down the ladder and continue his climb into the Cup series. Now though he’s had a taste of the big leagues and seems ready for more.

“Hopefully that call for a Cup ride isn’t the only one I get in my life,” he said smiling.