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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

After NASCAR revealed the format for the 2024 All-Star race, the hype around watching some of the favorite drivers go head-to-head has taken the community by storm. With that said, several drivers not fortunate enough to have qualified for the race on merit now turn their attention toward the ‘fan vote’ in hopes of a last-minute hurrah.

However, Carson Hocevar took things to another level by outwitting the competition for the fan vote with a hilarious plan. Sidelining the other fourteen drivers on the voting list, Carson Hocevar opted for an unorthodox approach to garnering the ‘support’ of his fellow Cup Racers in the fan vote.

Carson Hocevar assembles the Cup Series ‘Avengers’ to help with his All-Star campaign

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As NASCAR spilled the beans on the 2024 All-Star race weekend format, here’s how eligibility works. Drivers that have won a points race in 2023 or 2024, or have won the All-Star Race or the Cup championship and are still full-time drivers, filled up the 18 official spots for the final race. That being said, three opportunities still remain for those who have had tough luck in the past or are rookies.

Apart from the two finishers of the All-Star Open who shall qualify for the final race, one driver stands the chance to enter by winning the fan vote. But out of the 15 drivers listed in the fan vote, perhaps Carson Hocevar took the creativity prize with his unique approach to bringing home votes from other drivers on the same ballot! Taking to X, the Spire Motorsports ace shared a compilation of other Cup drivers requesting fans to vote for a certain “Carson” on Cameo, a platform that allows users to make all sorts of requests from various stars.

Hocevar stated, “So, I’m sure you’re already aware that the fan votes for the All-Star race are finally open. But I’ve done a lot of research on campaigns and a lot of them have a bastion for support, so I got a few of my own. Just, if you’re not convinced of me already, take a listen.” Immediately, the video cuts to Cameo clips from Kaz Grala, Anthony Alfredo, and Austin Dillon, all pitching in their votes for Hocevar.

Grala shared in the video, What’s up Carson! It’s Kaz Grala. I also heard you’re in a tight voting battle. If I could vote for you every day, I would.” As the Cup Drivers innocently chimed in with their ‘support’ for Carson Hocevar, little did they realize they were actually campaigning for their own competition. Dillon also stated, “Hey Carson! Heard you’re a fan, I’m a fan of you also. Heard you’re in a tight battle right now. You’ve got my support man, I’ll be pulling for you the whole way. Go win, and everybody, vote for Carson.” 

But perhaps the most committed to the role was none other than Anthony Alfredo. The part-time Xfinity and Cup driver shared, “What’s up Carson! I may not always push at the end but, I’m pushing for you brother.” Seemingly, Hocevar’s witty campaign had worked wonders. Not only did he get the support of fellow competitors like Grala and Dillon, but he also got the entire NASCAR community behind his push for the All-Star race.

The NASCAR community bursts into a frenzy as Kaz Grala falls victim to Carson Hocevar’s shenanigans

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In all the years of the All-Star fan vote, no driver’s campaign had come close to Hocevar’s in terms of creativity. Compared to Justin Haley’s video campaign that consisted of the slogan #HaleYES, Hocevar may have upped the aspiring entrant with his unique approach. Fans took a moment to fathom what had just happened. One user stated, “Paying other guys ON CAMEO FOR THIS 😭” as another added, “Hold up, he got other drivers IN THE VOTE to vote for him!?!?!”

This is when Bob Pockrass spilled the beans on how Hocevar could have achieved such a feat without the drivers figuring out what was going on. The veteran insider tweeted in reply to a fan who asked why Hocevar didn’t just directly approach them. He shared, “They wouldn’t have done it. On Cameo, you can trick people like this. Because when you fill out the form it’s kinda vague. He probably put ‘Carson is in a social media campaign where he needs votes. Please send him some encouragement.’ You know?”

As for the Cup drivers, they finally caught up with Hocevar’s shenanigans once he released the video on X. Anthony Alfredo was hysterical about the incident, “BRO I KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THIS WAS FOR WHEN I GOT THE REQUEST 🤣” But not every driver shared the same sentiment. After his recent heavy hit at Dover practice, Grala felt Lady Luck just wasn’t playing fair. He stated, “Between the car snapping in turn 4 and this, I have major trust issues rn.”

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Although the driver’s reactions were mixed when it came to Hocevar’s campaign, the fans loved every second of it. One user shared their change of heart, “Carson is brilliant! LMFAO. He needs to win the Fan Vote just for his hysterical brilliant effort” as another commended Hocevar for his efforts; “Bravo! Please tell me these were actually paid for and the other drivers had no clue!😂”

But that wasn’t all. Fans also dissected which driver delivered the best Cameo, with the most evident answer being; “Might have to get Alfredo to cameo for one of my friends one day. The commitment was A+” And though it’s safe to say Kaz Grala may have a newfound fear of trusting the budding Spire Motorsports driver, can Carson Hocevar’s creativity off the track help him end up at the final All-Star Race?