Why Carson Hocevar & Zane Smith’s Cup Jump Could Backfire for the Truck Series Duo?

Following the massive silly season maneuvers in the wake of the upcoming 2024 season, Truck series drivers Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar were recently promoted to the Cup Series directly, thereby skipping the Xfinity division. Carson Hocevar was roped in to pilot the #77 car for Spire Motorsports and Zane Smith inked a multi-year contract with Trackhouse Racing, but will be seen running for Spire in 2024. While it’s certainly good news for the duo, it’s also a departure from the traditional route that saw drivers rise up the ranks by going through the Truck division and then the Xfinity division to reach the Cup Series.

The massive jump by the duo has ruffled the feathers of a few who opine that skipping an entire division would do more harm than good. But, how true is that?  Well, let us try to dive deeper into what Carson Hocevar and Zane Smith might find ahead of them.

Here’s how Carson Hocevar and Zane Smith’s Spire Motorsports entry might be disastrous for truckers

Unlike old-school drivers, the current wave of racers in NASCAR seems to have it the easy way. The recent trend of driver promotion has the community alarmed quite a bit.

Carson Hocevar and Zane Smith are the ones who have started this debate with the duo being elevated to Spire Motorsports while the team got its driver, Ty Dillon off the roster. From the outside, it might seem like a great move for the youngster to get their dream Cup Series opportunity but a closer look will reveal the issue right away. Unlike the short format races truckers are accustomed to in the Truck Series, the Cup Series is a whole new ball game with races stretching for more than 500 laps.

And one needs more than luck to master the hyper-competitive Cup Series field. Racing alongside seasoned drivers, who have decades of experience in the division already, is certainly going to be something to worry about. Even for an experienced racer like Ty Dillon who has more than 12 years of experience across the three divisions, it was a giant leap that got his hopes crushed in his 2023 season.

But after his dismal performance and owing to the team’s ambitious expansion plans, Dillon was let go, ending the season with zeroes across wins, top 10, top 5, and pole columns in his resume, as he could only manage a measly 11-lap lead in the whole season. Consequently, the team roped in Truck Series phenom’s Hocevar and Smith to the team, in an attempt to replicate Toyota’s John Hunter Nemechek‘s move(going back to the bottom division only to come back stronger).

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Talking about the trend, Brennan Poole, earlier, had uncovered the harsh reality of Truckers going straight for the Cup title without making a stop in the Xfinity Series. The Xfinity driver believes that such a leap could be too much since they wouldn’t be able to handle the long races in the Cup given that they’re accustomed to short races in the third-tier division. Even though the Trucks and the Cup Series cars are very much similar in handling and dynamics, Poole believes the drivers need to take more time to habituate themselves. And to ensure that, a slow transition could perhaps be more ideal.

As the youngsters look forward to making their mark in the top division, Ty Dillon is also set to return to his old days. Ahead of his return, the driver opened up about how he felt.

“Excited to go back..” – Ty Dillon reveals his delight to get back to Truck Series despite the bittersweet Cup Series experience

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Logically speaking, Dillon’s move to the Truck Series might be great for the driver as he gets to brush up on the basics, probably to get himself a ride back into the Cup Series grid. While that might seem highly unlikely at this point, it isn’t an impossibility either. A few days ago, W.A.R. announced Dillon’s name as the new driver for the 2024 season after terminating its contract with veteran Matt DiBenedetto.

Dillon, having the opportunity to get back into the Chevy truck, relayed his delight. According to Motorsports.com, he said, “I’m excited to go back to the Truck Series and compete in the series that got it all started for me. I have a lot of good memories from earlier in my career with winning races and poles, and our goal is to create more this season.” 

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He further added to his words, saying, “Rackley W.A.R. has built a solid foundation, and it’s an honor to be a part of taking them to the winning level they want to be at. I’m very appreciative of this opportunity and ready to get started in Daytona.”

But can the 31-year-old prove his detractors wrong and bounce back or will he succumb to the pressure and drop further down the drain considering the tough competition in Trucks Series? Only time will tell.