They’re racing toward their NASCAR Cup dreams. But first they have championships to win
Well before before he’d inked a NASCAR Cup Series full-time ride in 2024, Carson Hocevar heeded some important advice.
It was more of a directive, actually.
“Literally just finish,” he remembers being told a few months ago, chuckling. “That is your job. Make sure the car is clean at the end, and you’ll be just fine.”
Hocevar was referring to what he was told before his first Cup Series run in June at World Wide Technology Raceway (otherwise known as Gateway) in St. Louis. He was subbing for Corey LaJoie in the Spire Motorsports 7 car on a one-race deal, and the expectations, even for himself, were on the floor.
So what happened? Hocevar didn’t finish the race. His car suffered a brake rotor issue that sent him slamming into the wall and suffering damage he couldn’t return from. But the 20-year-old smiley-off-the-track and pugnacious-on-the-track driver impressed the NASCAR world that day nonetheless — running as high as 16th and earning acknowledgments from big time Cup owners on the way back to his hauler.
“I think Gateway was kind of the turning point,” Hocevar said.
For his season, perhaps — but also for his future.
Hocevar will race in the Cup Series full-time in the 77 car for Spire Motorsports in 2024, in large part as a result of that Cup Series debut. He’s a centerpiece of Spire’s expansion from two Cup cars and one part-time truck to three full-time Cup cars and three full-time trucks — a result, in part, to Spire Motorsports buying Kyle Busch Motorsports.
But before he can begin his tantalizing future, he has to take care of business this weekend: He’s got a championship of his own to win when he races as part of the Championship 4 in the Truck Series race at Phoenix Raceway at 7 p.m. Friday. (He’ll be battling for a championship against Corey Heim, Grant Enfinger and Ben Rhodes.)
“A lot of times, guys are in the seat I’m sitting in, and they’re trying to win the championship to try to guarantee themselves at least a shot at a job next year,” Hocevar told reporters on Championship 4 media day on Thursday in the Phoenix Raceway media center, adding that he was remarkably thankful. “I’m getting a hell of an upgrade in the ranks level, so that part I don’t have to worry about. This is a bonus for us.”
Hocevar isn’t the only one making the leap up to the Cup Series from a lower national series in NASCAR this year — either from the Truck Series or the Xfinity Series — both of which are considered more or less the “Triple-A” to the “Major Leagues” of Cup.
In fact, in terms of “silly seasons,” it’s been pretty busy.
From Truck elevations to Cup: Zane Smith, the 2022 Trucks champion and Trucks playoff driver, will join Hocevar at Spire Motorsports in 2024.
From the Xfinity elevations to Cup: Josh Berry will be taking over the 4 car for the retiring Kevin Harvick at Stewart-Haas Racing. Daniel Hemric will take over one of two Cup rides at Kaulig. And John Hunter Nemechek — who is competing for a championship in the Xfinity race, which will be broadcast at 4 p.m. Saturday at 4 p.m. — is heading to the Jimmie Johnson-owned Legacy Motor Club Cup squad.
Nemechek told reporters that he isn’t thinking of racing on Sundays this week. His sole goal is winning an Xfinity championship for Joe Gibbs Racing — beating out Sam Mayer, Justin Allgaier and Cole Custer — before moving on to Legacy in 2024.
“To be honest, I haven’t even thought about it,” Nemechek said, using a sporting platitude as old as time. “All of the focus has been on this year and this 20 team.
“In years past, yes, I have been worried at times about what my future looks like, and different things of that sort. But all in all, I’m happy with the spot that I’m in. I’m enjoying being able to run up front and win races. And even if I didn’t have a Cup deal, I would probably be in the same mindset.”
Hocevar agrees. But he also took some time during media day to be reflective.
Before he ran so well at Gateway, he was admittedly anxious about his next move. He said he was trying to put together a deal with JR Motorsports at the Xfinity level, but sponsorship money was sparse and rendered making a deal difficult.
“It was just super tough to get the sponsorship,” he said. “I mean, (JRM) was doing a lot to help me out, but I still couldn’t quite get there, and there’s just a lot involved, and I was like, ‘Man, maybe I’ll just never get in a Cup car or get in an Xfinity car because no matter how races you win or do, it just kind of comes down to what you bring to the table.’ And I knew I didn’t have a lot.
“So I kind of just relaxed and knew, ‘Hey, worst case, I’m gonna have a truck that I can go and win races and try and run for championships. So what am I auditioning for?’”
Nothing anymore.
Friday, Hocevar will be focused on following through on the sage advice he couldn’t quite accomplish at Gateway — the “turning point” of his season and future:
Finish the race.
And win.
This story was originally published November 3, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
