As a NASCAR fan, whenever one hears the word ‘underdog’, the name Michael McDowell comes to mind, doesn’t it? However, it should not surprise you if another, way younger driver takes on the name and proves himself worthy. To make things more impressive, he is just 20 and already has a stunning line-up of achievements to his credit.

Carson Hocevar started off the current NASCAR Xfinity Series season with consecutive top-10 finishes in his second and third starts. Besides that, he has three wins in his bag in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. But he did not stop there. Hocevar made his Cup Series debut with Spire Motorsports and proceeded to go three-for-three, driving the number 42 Sunseeker Chevrolet for Jimmie Johnson’s team.

Despite failing to make a top-10 finish, Carson Hocevar confides in his Legacy Motor Club team

The Michigan native put up a great show in one of the most physical short tracks of NASCAR. Bristol is a racetrack where seasoned drivers get caught up in other people’s problems. Take Joey Logano, for example. The No.22 Ford Mustang icon lost his chances of making it into the playoffs after Corey LaJoie‘s crash collected him into the mess. However, Carson Hocevar did not make any mistakes.

After qualifying for the Bass Pro Shops Night race, Carson Hocevar ran in the top 10 all day long. Perhaps his stage 2 finish at place 5 marks the cherry on the cake.

The 20-year-old did admit that the number 42 team might be frustrated with the way he ran. And so might Jimmie Johnson. While talking to a reporter during the post-race interview, Carson Hocevar said, “I had so much fun… I always say if you’re excited and your guys are confident walking into this place, you’re gonna run really good. We struggled a little bit right at the start, but got this thing super fast. Once it became around the top, I was super comfortable up there; these guys worked really hard.”

Carson Hocevar said that Bristol was his crew chief Luke Lambert’s favorite race, and they really wanted to win this one. He exclaimed, “I’m allowed to be a little upset about 11th, and so are my guys, but the fact is that they’re frustrated about 11th. A month ago, if they had a magic genie and had two wishes, I think a good run here would have been one of those wishes.”

Unfortunately, he got a little loose in the end after he was hit by another driver. Surely, the fact that they ran so well shows how fast the #42 Cup car can be and how competitive LMC can be.

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Hocevar let out a shocking revelation moments after the race

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What made Hocevar’s run in the first elimination round exceptional was the fact that his car had a loose wheel during the last stage. Where big-shot drivers fall out of contention for car-related issues, this young speedster finished the 500-lap race in the top 11 with a loose wheel.

Jimmie Johnson definitely recognized his talent behind the wheels of a stock car. Hence, Carson Hocevar will return with the team Chevy in the next two races at the Texas Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.

Texas is extra special for Carson for a very different reason. He said, “Texas…where I won my first career Truck Series race!”

“I have another shot to try and get them a win and try to run up front,” he added.

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