Carson Hocevar

Carson Scott Hocevar (born January 28, 2003) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 77 Chevrolet ZL1 for Spire Motorsports, part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 14 Chevrolet SS for SS-Green Light Racing with BRK Racing, and part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado RST for Spire. He is a former member of the Drivers Edge Development driver development system.

Carson Hocevar
Hocevar at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2025
Born	Carson Scott Hocevar (2003-01-28) January 28, 2003 (age 22) Portage, Michigan, U.S.
Height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Achievements	2020 Winchester 400 Winner 2020 Redbud 400 Winner 2020, 2021 Money in the Bank 150 Winner
Awards	2024 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year
NASCAR Cup Series career
54 races run over 3 years
Car no., team	No. 77 (Spire Motorsports)
2024 position	21st
Best finish	21st (2024)
First race	2023 Enjoy Illinois 300 (St. Louis)
Last race	2025 Food City 500 (Bristol)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 7 0
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
6 races run over 2 years
Car no., team	No. 14 (SS-Green Light Racing with BRK Racing)
2023 position	83rd
Best finish	83rd (2023)
First race	2023 Pit Boss 250 (COTA)
Last race	2025 Focused Health 250 (COTA)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 2 0
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career
77 races run over 5 years
Truck no., team	No. 7 (Spire Motorsports)
2023 position	3rd
Best finish	3rd (2023)
First race	2019 Eldora Dirt Derby (Eldora)
Last race	2023 Craftsman 150 (Phoenix)
First win	2023 SpeedyCash.com 250 (Texas)
Last win	2023 Baptist Health Cancer Care 200 (Homestead)
Wins Top tens Poles 4 33 1
ARCA Menards Series career
16 races run over 3 years
Best finish	12th (2019)
First race	2018 Toledo ARCA 200 (Toledo)
Last race	2021 Clean Harbors 100 at The Glen (Watkins Glen)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 13 2
ARCA Menards Series West career
1 race run over 1 year
Best finish	44th (2022)
First race	2022 Desert Diamond Casino West Valley 100 (Phoenix)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 0 0
Statistics current as of April 18, 2025.

Racing career

Early career

Hocevar began competing in quarter midgets at the age of 7, winning 79 feature races and 15 national championships.^[1] He started racing at Berlin Raceway in 2015 as a 12-year-old and won the track's Outlaw Late Model championship.^[1] He won his first Super Late Model race at the track in 2016, but NASCAR stopped all drivers under 14 from competing at sanctioned tracks.^[1] Hocevar returned in 2017 and won the track's Super Late Model championship.^[1]

ARCA Menards Series

Hocevar standing next to his No. 28 car in 2019 before the race at Madison

Hocevar competed in 11 ARCA Menards Series races between 2018 and 2019,^[2] with 9 top-ten finishes^[3] and 2 pole positions.^[4]

In 2019, he joined the Driver's Edge Development Program.^[5]

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

Hocevar made his NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series debut in the 2019 Eldora Dirt Derby driving the No. 3 Chevrolet Silverado for Jordan Anderson Racing.^[6][1][7] He qualified for the main event by finishing third in the third qualifying race.^[8] He returned to the series in November at the Lucas Oil 150, driving a No. 56 for JAR in a partnership with Hill Motorsports.^[9]

On December 20, 2019, Hocevar joined Niece Motorsports for a nine-race schedule in 2020.^[10]

On September 24, 2020, Hocevar and Niece announced a full-season schedule in 2021.^[11] During the season, Hocevar would have a very successful rookie season nearly winning multiple races. He finished second at Charlotte and fourth at Las Vegas. He re-signed with Niece in 2022 and led the most laps of the Spring Vegas race until he was turned with 36 to go.

On June 4, 2022, Hocevar broke his right tibia at the ankle during the final lap of the Gateway race when his truck was T-boned by Tyler Hill.^[12] He underwent surgery prior to the Sonoma race.^[13] Hocevar took the pole position before wrecking in turn 10.^[14] On lap 11, he was relieved by Daniel Suárez, who took the No. 42 to a sixth-place finish.^[15]

Hocevar started the 2023 season with a 12th-place finish at Daytona. He scored his first career win at Texas in double-overtime after race leader Nick Sanchez made contact with Zane Smith on the final lap and Hocevar unintentionally spun Sanchez from behind.^[16] Hocevar also scored wins at Nashville and Richmond.^[17][18] He won at Homestead to make the Championship 4.^[19] He decided to wreck Corey Heim and Stewart Friesen. After that, Heim retaliated on Hocevar so he finished 29th at Phoenix after Corey Heim slammed him on the turn 4 wall in retaliation for spinning him earlier in the race; he also finished fourth in the final points standings.^[20] After NASCAR penalized Heim 25 driver points for intentionally wrecking him, Hocevar was credited with a third-place points finish.

On April 18, 2025, it was announced that Hocevar would drive part-time for Spire Motorsports in their No. 7 in four races.^[21]

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Hocevar takes his damaged car out of the race at Nashville Superspeedway in 2023.

On March 7, 2023, Spire Motorsports announced that they will expand their racing operations to the NASCAR Xfinity Series, with Hocevar running six races in their No. 77 car, making his debut in the series at Circuit of the Americas in the No. 07 for SS-Green Light Racing before suffering a brake failure leading to a 36th-place finish.^[22] He was initially on the entry list for the race at Dover Motor Speedway, but was withdrawn due to the weather providing the risk of qualifying being canceled. His debut with the team was thus scheduled for the next race at Darlington Raceway. He would finish 6th at Darlington and 8th at Charlotte Motor Speedway but would DNF at Nashville Superspeedway.

On February 24, 2025, it was announced that Hocevar would drive for SS-Green Light Racing with BRK Racing, replacing Garrett Smithley at COTA.^[23] He was involved in an early wreck, earning a 38th place DNF.

NASCAR Cup Series

2023: Part-time

Hocevar's No. 42 car at Martinsville Speedway in 2023

On May 30, 2023, Hocevar was named the driver of the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Camaro ZL1 for the Enjoy Illinois 300 at Gateway Motorsports Park after Spire's full-time driver Corey LaJoie would fill in the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy while HMS driver Chase Elliott served a one-race suspension.^[24] He finished in 36th place after suffering a brake rotor explosion going into turn 1 in the second stage on lap 91 while running in 16th place. Hocevar drove the Legacy Motor Club No. 42 (originally driven by Noah Gragson, then by Josh Berry and Mike Rockenfeller on road courses after Gragson was suspended prior to the Michigan race) to a 17th place finish at Darlington.^[25] He then scored a career-best 11th place finish at the Bristol night race.^[26][27] On October 4, Hocevar was signed to drive the No. 42 for the remainder of the season,^[28] except at Homestead-Miami where the team's 2024 driver John Hunter Nemechek drove in the No. 42 car instead.

2024–present: Spire Motorsports

Hocevar's No. 77 car at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2024

On October 10, 2023, Hocevar announced on NASCAR Race Hub that he will bypass the Xfinity Series to join Spire Motorsports in the Cup Series full-time for the 2024 season, driving the No. 77 car under a multi-year deal.^[29][30] Hocevar started the season with a 40th place DNF at the 2024 Daytona 500. He scored his first career top-10 finish at Texas. At Nashville, Hocevar spun out Harrison Burton during a caution lap; as a result, he was fined US$50,000 and docked 25 driver points.^[31] At Richmond Hocevar would score his third top-10 finish of the season, tying his best finish of eighth. In qualifying for the regular season finale at Darlington, Hocevar put the 77 car on the front row, qualifying second. It was the best starting spot for Spire Motorsports in the team's history, along with Hocevar's best starting spot for his own Cup career.^[32] Unfortunately, Hocevar would crash on Lap 335 and would DNF in 33rd place. At Watkins Glen on September 15, Hocevar once again eclipsed his best career NCS finish for the third time in 2024 with a third place finish, leading a triple top 10 for Spire Motorsports and even contending for the win in the final restarts. At the end of the season, he won the NASCAR Rookie of the Year honors.^[33]

Hocevar's No. 77 car at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2025

Hocevar started the 2025 season with a 30th place DNF at the 2025 Daytona 500. The following week at Atlanta, Hocevar once again eclipsed his best career NCS finish for the fourth time in his career with a second place in a close, controversial finish. He was behind Christopher Bell and ahead Kyle Larson at the time of caution coming to the checkered flag during an overtime restart.^[34]

Other racing

Hocevar has also run in Midgets, Micro Sprints, and Dirt Super Late Models on a part-time basis in addition to his full-time rides since 2015.

Personal life

As a kid, Hocevar, while racing Quarter Midgets, was around many notable drivers due to his dad, Scott, who was a crew member as well as a sponsor for various local teams, and through this Carson was mentored heavily by Bryan Clauson, whom Scott Hocevar was a crew member for.^[35] Later he would also be mentored by Johnny Benson who was sponsored by Carson's dad which let Carson have the opportunity to turn wrenches for him on Benson's racecars and later also drive for him in his Outlaw Late Model program.^[36]

Hocevar is the son of Scott and Amy Hocevar. He graduated from Gull Lake High School in 2021.

Hocevar was in a relationship with Super Late Model driver Peyton Lanphear. In May 2022, Lanphear was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma; she would go into remission in December of that year.^[37]

Motorsports career results

Stock car career summary

Season	Series	Team	Races	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Points	Position
2018	ARCA Racing Series	KBR Development	3	0	2	2	645	31st
2019	NASCAR Truck Series	Jordan Anderson Racing	2	0	0	0	29	62nd
	ARCA Menards Series	KBR Development	12	0	4	10	2320	12th
2020	NASCAR Truck Series	Niece Motorsports	7	0	0	0	125	37th
2021	NASCAR Truck Series	Niece Motorsports	22	0	3	8	2204	10th
	ARCA Menards Series		1	0	1	1	40	72nd
2022	NASCAR Truck Series	Niece Motorsports	23	0	7	12	2186	10th
	ARCA Menards Series West		1	0	0	0	44	65th
2023	NASCAR Cup Series	Spire Motorsports	1	0	0	0	0	NC†
		Legacy Motor Club	8	0	0	0
	NASCAR Xfinity Series	SS-Green Light Racing	1	0	0	0	0	NC†
		Spire Motorsports	4	0	0	2
	NASCAR Truck Series	Niece Motorsports	23	4	11	13	4008	3rd
2024	NASCAR Cup Series	Spire Motorsports	36	0	1	6	686	21st

^† As Hocevar was running for points in the Truck Series, he was ineligible for championship points in the Cup and Xfinity Series.

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Cup Series

NASCAR Cup Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	NCSC	Pts	Ref
2023	Spire Motorsports	7	Chevy	DAY	CAL	LVS	PHO	ATL	COA	RCH	BRD	MAR	TAL	DOV	KAN	DAR	CLT	GTW 36	SON	NSH	CSC	ATL	NHA	POC	RCH	MCH	IRC	GLN	DAY											48th	01	[38]
	Legacy Motor Club	42	Chevy																											DAR 17	KAN 20	BRI 11	TEX 16	TAL 35	ROV	LVS 36	HOM	MAR 31	PHO 19
2024	Spire Motorsports	77	Chevy	DAY 40	ATL 19	LVS 15	PHO 15	BRI 27	COA 22	RCH 27	MAR 17	TEX 10	TAL 17	DOV 22	KAN 24	DAR 26	CLT 21	GTW 8	SON 17	IOW 14	NHA 17	NSH 16	CSC 24	POC 17	IND 12	RCH 8	MCH 10	DAY 11	DAR 33	ATL 16	GLN 3	BRI 18	KAN 32	TAL 14	ROV 12	LVS 23	HOM 9	MAR 25	PHO 18	21st	686	[39]
2025				DAY 30	ATL 2	COA 13	PHO 36	LVS 30	HOM 37	MAR 19	DAR 32	BRI 11	TAL	TEX	KAN	CLT	NSH	MCH	MXC	POC	ATL	CSC	SON	DOV	IND	IOW	GLN	RCH	DAY	DAR	GTW	BRI	NHA	KAN	ROV	LVS	TAL	MAR	PHO	-*	-*	[40]

Daytona 500

Year	Team	Manufacturer	Start	Finish
2024	Spire Motorsports	Chevrolet	9	40
2025			33	30

Xfinity Series

NASCAR Xfinity Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	NXSC	Pts	Ref
2023	SS-Green Light Racing	07	Chevy	DAY	CAL	LVS	PHO	ATL	COA 38	RCH	MAR	TAL	DOV																								83rd	01	[41]
	Spire Motorsports	77	Chevy											DAR 6	CLT 8	PIR	SON	NSH 36	CSC	ATL	NHA	POC	ROA	MCH 32	IRC	GLN	DAY	DAR	KAN	BRI	TEX	ROV	LVS	HOM	MAR	PHO
2025	SS-Green Light Racing with BRK Racing	14	Chevy	DAY	ATL	COA 38	PHO	LVS	HOM	MAR	DAR	BRI	CAR	TAL	TEX	CLT	NSH	MXC	POC	ATL	CSC	SON	DOV	IND	IOW	GLN	DAY	PIR	GTW	BRI	KAN	ROV	LVS	TAL	MAR	PHO	-*	-*	[42]

Craftsman Truck Series

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	NCTC	Pts	Ref
2019	Jordan Anderson Racing	3	Chevy	DAY	ATL	LVS	MAR	TEX	DOV	KAN	CLT	TEX	IOW	GTW	CHI	KEN	POC	ELD 25	MCH	BRI	MSP	LVS	TAL	MAR					62nd	29	[43]
		56																							PHO 23	HOM
2020	Niece Motorsports	40	Chevy	DAY	LVS	CLT	ATL	HOM	POC	KEN	TEX	KAN	KAN	MCH	DRC 28	DOV 12	GTW 15	DAR	RCH 22	BRI 17	LVS	TAL	KAN	TEX					37th	125	[44]
		42																							MAR 13	PHO 32
2021				DAY 5	DRC 14	LVS 24	ATL 12	BRD 21	RCH 12	KAN 23	DAR 3	COA 7	CLT 2	TEX 11	NSH 16	POC 13	KNX 16	GLN 10	GTW 8	DAR 11	BRI 6	LVS 22	TAL 25	MAR 12	PHO 9				10th	2204	[45]
2022				DAY 9	LVS 13	ATL 27	COA 8	MAR 17	BRD 2	DAR 2	KAN 15	TEX 4	CLT 16*	GTW 24	SON 6	KNX 35*	NSH 3	MOH 3	POC 5	IRP 21	RCH 10	KAN 2	BRI 19	TAL 28	HOM 12	PHO 10			10th	2186	[46]
2023				DAY 12	LVS 7	ATL 31	COA 34	TEX 1	BRD 17	MAR 34	KAN 31	DAR 5	NWS 4	CLT 4	GTW 4	NSH 1	MOH 12	POC 11	RCH 1	IRP 4	MLW 2	KAN 6	BRI 4	TAL 11	HOM 1	PHO 29			3rd	4008	[47]
2025	Spire Motorsports	7	Chevy	DAY	ATL	LVS	HOM	MAR	BRI	CAR	TEX	KAN	NWS	CLT	NSH	MCH	POC	LRP	IRP	GLN	RCH	DAR	BRI	NHA	ROV	TAL	MAR	PHO	-*	-*

^* Season still in progress
¹ Ineligible for series points

ARCA Menards Series

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

ARCA Menards Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	AMSC	Pts	Ref
2018	KBR Development	35	Chevy	DAY	NSH	SLM	TAL	TOL 11	CLT	POC	MCH	MAD	GTW	CHI	IOW	ELK	BLN 4	POC	ISF	DSF	IRP 5	SLM	KAN	31st	645	[48]
2019		28		DAY	FIF 17	SLM 3	TAL	NSH 4	TOL 6	CLT	POC	MCH	MAD 6	GTW 5	CHI	ELK 6	IOW 4	POC	ISF 8	DSF 15	SLM 7	IRP 9	KAN	12th	2320	[49]
2021	Niece Motorsports	50	Chevy	DAY	PHO	TAL	KAN	TOL	CLT	MOH	POC	ELK	BLN	IOW	WIN	GLN 4	MCH	ISF	MLW	DSF	BRI	SLM	KAN	72nd	40	[50]

ARCA Menards Series West

ARCA Menards Series West results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	AMSWC	Pts	Ref
2022	Niece Motorsports	40	Chevy	PHO	IRW	KCR	PIR	SON	IRW	EVG	PIR	AAS	LVS	PHO 29	44th	65	[51]