?I Get More Nervous?: Ross Chastain Expresses Fear for His “Brother?s” Well-Being as He Breaks Silence on Carson Hocevar?s Truck Series Shame

When it was announced in October that Carson Hocevar has landed a full-time Cup ride with Spire Motorsports, it drew significant attention from everywhere. Many were impressed by the Truck Series sensation’s driving prowess, which helped him skip an entire series [Xfinity] and get promoted to NASCAR’s top tier. One of them is a fellow Chevy driver, Ross Chastain.

The Trackhouse Racing sensation shares the Niece Motorsports garage with young Hocevar, driving the #41 Chevrolet Silverado alongside Hocevar’s #42. It’s no surprise that Chastain has always looked out for his teammate in the Truck Series. After Hocevar’s recent tussle with Tricon Garage icon Corey Heim during the Truck Series finale, a few Cup Series drivers like Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick did not look kindly upon Hocevar’s antics. However, the Watermelon Man differed in his opinions.

Ross Chastain worries, but has high hopes for his “brother” Carson Hocevar

Being his constant supporter, Chastain is ready to welcome Carson Hocevar into the Cup Series next year. But what happened at the Phoenix Raceway on Friday has enraged many in the community. With 31 laps to go, Carson Hocevar hit Corey Heim multiple times, ultimately making him spin out and hit Stewart Friese. This was followed by Heim getting back at Hocevar and sending him into the wall during the closing laps of the race. Although Hocevar looked apologetic about the way he drove, he incurred the anger of several NASCAR veterans. This pained Ross Chastain; to see Hocevar as the target of wrath.

Chastain admitted to having felt helpless while watching the race and said that he felt like his hands were tied, as he couldn’t do anything to help Hocevar. Referring to Hocevar as his “brother,” he said, “It was a large range of emotions for me last night.

“It was hard to watch a lot of it. Hard to consume it, and handle it personally myself… Arguably I get more nervous watching these trucks on track, watching my brother just race… because once I get in the car, I have control but I get more nervous watching them because I have no control once the race starts.”

However, unlike others, Ross Chastain is sure that Hocevar will learn from his mistakes. He believes that as long as Hocevar keeps putting in the work to hone his skills, he is good to go. “He’ll learn from it, he’s young and has a long career ahead of him,” said Chastain. “This will all be a distant memory one day as long as he wakes up every day, strives to be better, be the best racecar driver he can be next year, today, right qualifying; cup race tomorrow and next, got a long offseason to put a lot of good work in. Excited to watch him learn and grow.”

It’s evident that both of these drivers are really close to each other. But apparently, there is an interesting twist to this story. While Chastain thinks the world of Hocevar, the latter’s promotion to the Cup Series could prove to be somewhat threatening to Chastain.

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Firstly, very few drivers get the chance to move directly from the Truck Series to the Cup Series. Moreover, when a driver starts driving a Cup car, it’s natural for them to be nervous. And most of that feeling comes from the nuance of contact that just gets upped a notch in the Cup Series. But Hocevar is not one of those people.

Hocevar appears to be ready to blend in perfectly with the strong lineup that Jeff Dickerson, CEO of Spire Motorsports, has created for next year. With stalwarts like Corey LaJoie, Zane Smith, and Hocevar, Ross Chastain could expect at least one of them to enter the 2024 playoffs.

Interestingly, Hocevar’s ease of handling the Next Gen car is the fruit of the countless hours of sim work that he has put in. In a recent interview with Sports News Central, Hocevar said, “I think a lot of people, when they get in this car, they still have those horror stories. They are afraid to crash these things, they’re afraid on edge and honestly, they tell me all the time, can we not have a miraculous save or something this week?

“Well, I’m like, I’ve been able to be on the limit of this car and be able to find that really rather quickly, but honestly, all the Sim work has really gave me a lot more confidence of the car.”

Needless to say, this bubbling confidence in Hocevar could be a reason to worry for the Watermelon man. Currently, in his second season in Trackhouse Racing, Chastain got ousted from the playoffs in the round of 12 at the Charlotte Roval. He did get to win the season finale in Phoenix though, ending the season on a high.

Going into the next season, he will try hard to enter the Championship 4 and win the title. Do you think Hocevar will be an obstacle for him?

Read More: Carson Hocevar Reveals He Could Have Gotten Fired From Truck Series; New Update Shows a Happier Story