Carson Hocevar’s rookie season is off to a promising start. After a solid display in the Bluegreen Vacations Duel Race 1, the 21-year-old talent landed a top-5 finish and a hopeful starting position in the Great American Race. Hocevar is one of Spire Motorsports‘ big steps toward securing a successful future in the Cup Series and evolving into a NASCAR powerhouse. In a post-race interview, the youngster reaffirmed the team’s technical alliance with Hendrick Motorsports after trying to boost Chase Elliott in the Daytona duel.

The first Duel didn’t experience as much drama as the second one. With the big one taking out almost half the grid in the evening, it was a probable forecast of the things to come on Sunday. Having been a part of a wreck-filled 2023 Truck Series finale, Carson Hocevar is aware of the consequences such multi-car incidents can have. The #77 driver even drew comparisons between the two competitions with a sly dig at Truck Series drivers.

Carson Hocevar hoped to be of help to Rick Hendrick

Hocevar is one of the three rookies in 2024. His impressive performances with Legacy Motor Club ensured that Spire Motorsports included him in their plans for the team’s expansion. Having gathered Cup Series experience in his previous stint, he was able to synchronize with Corey LaJoie‘s pace instantly, which helped him stay close to a decent track position.

Revealing his fuel-efficient approach to the Duel, Carson Hocevar claimed, “I had a game plan, you know. We both did or we all did, I should say.”

“To just ride and save as much fuel as possible I got disconnected a little bit and had to make the best pit entry of my life to catch up. I had a big gap to make and got everything out of it. I kind of lost the draft a little bit but luckily I had a really strong #7 car with Corey behind me to get caught back up and just made some really good moves to put myself in a decent spot there before the yellow and have track position.”

Having stayed loyal to Chevrolet throughout his Cup Series experiences, Carson Hocevar made sure to portray his fealty. Claiming to help his team’s technical allies, Hendrick Motorsports, the Michigan native said, “I did my best to be a good Chevy teammate and help the boys over at HMS and get the #9 out front. But, just a little too draggy compared to them that I just couldn’t keep connected.”

Cup Series is a big upgrade for Carson Hocevar. Having transitioned to the top flight after failing to get the Truck Series championship, he unraveled that the only difference between racing in the 2023 finale and Daytona is controlled and clean racing.

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Hocevar is acquainted with the dangers of Daytona

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One of the reasons races at Daytona witness crashes every year is the parity in cars. The superspeedway’s straights give drivers a chance to use their equal equipment and drafting abilities to stay close to each other. That also implies that lead exchanges are a common occurrence at the track and race leaders are not safe from wrecks.

Wrecking in the front row is a deja vu for Carson Hocevar. His battle with Corey Heim at Phoenix last year left a devastating trail of damage in the season finale. When asked about the difference in the two situations, Hocevar claimed, “Pretty much the same honestly.”

“There’s not huge runs or anything. It’s actually pretty similar to what I felt like in the Truck when I ran fifth year and had chaos but like everybody’s kind of pushing but everyone knows. The only difference is nobody crashed across the line on this one just cause we got to save these things.“

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It seems that Carson Hocevar hasn’t forgotten his frustration from last year. However, having played a part in it, he hopes to not repeat the same mistakes in the unforgiving Cup Series.