Truck Series Star Shows Early Promises After Forging a Bond With Jimmie Johnson

The first race of the highly anticipated 2023 Cup Series playoffs got off to a flying start at the Darlington Raceway. In an impressive display of skill and resolve, Kyle Larson led much of the race and went on to collect his first Southern 500 win. But the Hendrick Motorsports star wasn’t the only one to steal the show on Sunday.

Jimmie Johnson’s Legacy Motor Club has had a pretty rugged season, marred by unimpressive results, manufacturer hiccups, and Noah Gragson’s suspension. For the last few weeks, the suspended Gragson’s #42 Chevrolet was driven by Mike Rockenfeller and Josh Berry. But going into the playoffs, Jimmie Johnson had one unlikely driver take over the car. And as the race at Darlington proved, his choice has begun yielding results.

The unlikely youngster that Jimmie Johnson betted on yields results

Usually seen driving the #42 Chevrolet Silverado for Niece Motorsports, Carson Hocevar had raced in the Cup Series on just one occasion before. Yet, it was he the 7x Cup Series champion chose as his driver to compete alongside the big guns on the Darlington track.

The 20-year-old participates predominantly in the Truck Series and has won 3 races in the ongoing season. While Johnson did have options to choose from, insiders are in the dark about this surprise choice. Nulling the previously announced plans that Hocevar would be driving the #77 for Spire Motorsports in the Xfinity Series race in Darlington, Legacy Motor Club announced that he will be taking over the #42 Camaro instead.

The optimism that Jimmie Johnson placed the youngster was apparent from the words of his CEO Cal Wells III. “Carson is a very talented driver and has a bright future. We are thankful to Chevrolet, Spire Motorsports, and Niece Motorsports for making this happen and look forward to seeing what he can do in the No. 42 this weekend,” he was reported by RacingAmerica as saying. While the driver’s previous outing with Spire Motorsports in their #7 Chevrolet had resulted in a DNF, all hopes were on better fortunes this time and the star kid ended up delivering more than what was expected of him.

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Carson Hocevar proves Johnson right in Darlington

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Entering Darlington, Carson got to work immediately and secured the 15th spot in qualifying. Managing to stay on the lead lap throughout the race, he kept his car inside the top 20 and successfully held off experienced racers like Martin Truex Jr. Considering that the first stage of the race went entirely green, Carson’s ability to stay on course and display speed deserves a lot of praise. The youngster found the checkered flag as the 17th driver and gave yet another reason for Legacy Motor Club to rejoice after Erik Jones finished in the top 10. With this impressive show of potential in his belt, he will most likely be piloting the #42 in the next couple of races as well, shouldering more expectations.

Speaking to the media after the race, Hocevar reflected on his performance and said, “The weak part of my game was definitely the pit lane. I felt like I was losing four or five spots on each cycle just trying to maximize the lights. These guys get it right every time. But I felt like I was OK on the track. I felt pretty good and just kept working at it. I passed some of my heroes who win races on Sunday. I didn’t expect that and I think I exceeded my own expectations.”

Going ahead in the playoffs, the 20-year-old will face bigger challenges at tracks like Talladega and Bristol. While the strength of his mettle is proven by the fact that he navigated through “The Lady in Black” expertly, it should only take the continued guidance of Jimmie to help him reach his complete potential and break out as the next big thing in NASCAR.

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