When the NASCAR Cup Series season began, Spire Motorsports rookie Carson Hocevar was not the driver most fans and pundits expected to win Rookie of the Year. Josh Berry was getting into a playoff-caliber car, replacing future Hall of Famer Kevin Harvick at Stewart-Haas Racing. Hocevar was the new driver for Spire’s No.
77, which had a horrible season the prior year with Ty Dillon. Advertisement But ultimately, the rookie battle wasn’t even close: Hocevar finished 21st in the point standings, 107 points ahead of Berry (who was 27th) and 181 points ahead of rookie teammate Zane Smith (30th). Hocevar showed so much speed, he essentially ran veteran teammate Corey LaJoie out of a job halfway through the season.
Hocevar’s 18.3 average finish was better than some notable rookies of the last decade like Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, William Byron and Ty Gibbs — and this in a car with an average finish of 27.5 before the Michigan native climbed into it.
“I felt more comfortable within the first lap of driving a Cup car than I did at the end of the first race I drove in Xfinity,” Hocevar said. “Within three laps at Gateway in a Cup car (in 2023), I literally remember being like, ‘Oh, this isn’t that hard. It’s basically the same as the simulator.
'” The Athletic spoke to Hocevar about how he was able to get up to speed so quickly, how he perceives his reputation among fans and his plans for building on a successful first season at NASCAR ’s top level. This inte.
