Very few drivers have a legacy as versatile as Tony Stewart. The three-time Cup Series champion famously attempted “The Double,” where he raced in both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Carson Hocevar’s recent words might have hinted that. Having raced in all three NASCAR national series races, the Spire man could enter the NASCAR and IndyCar double race weekend and follow Smoke’s footsteps.

Could Hocevar attempt The Double?

In a recent interview with NASCAR journalist Jeff Gluck, Hocevar opened up about his interest in racing in the IndyCar 500, the equivalent of NASCAR’s Daytona 500, the most important stock car race of the season. Being from Michigan, a state where all sorts of motorsport is quite popular, the #77 driver said:

“I would love to. I would love to do the 500, obviously. You know, being from Michigan and racing USAC sprint cars, that would be something I would love to do, but try to be successful at the day job first.”

Following this, Hocevar shed light on how Spire Motorsports, the team he races for, has a deep connection with Andretti Global, one of the teams competing in the IndyCar championship. Here’s what he said on this:

“Better shot than most others could say when, you got similar bosses or same bosses, basically. But I would love to do it. We’ll see.”

Notably, NASCAR team Spire Motorsports is co-owned by Dan Towriss-led holding company called TWG Motorsports. The company has an impressive portfolio that includes IndyCar outfit Andretti Global, NASCAR team Spire Motorsports, the Cadillac F1 team, and IMSA team Wayne Taylor Racing.

Towriss brought all the teams under the TWG umbrella in late 2024, and this was when Andretti Global and Spire Motorsports came under the same owner. As a consequence, Carson Hocevar will now have the opportunity to race in the Indy 500.

That being said, Hocevar could have also tried his luck for the double header this weekend at Phoenix, where NASCAR and IndyCar will shake hands — IndyCar will have its NTT IndyCar race on Saturday, just hours before the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race.

If Hocevar had locked in, the Spire man could have followed Tony Stewart’s legacy, as the former NASCAR driver is still the only driver to race simultaneously in both competitions and come out successfully. Drivers like John Andretti, Robby Gordon, Kurt Busch, and Kyle Larson have attempted it but didn’t succeed as Stewart did.

Stewart made two attempts at the 1999 and 2001 Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600. In his 1999 attempt, he finished 9th at Indianapolis and 4th at Charlotte. In 2001, he placed 6th at Indianapolis and 3rd at Charlotte, completing all 1100 miles.

To this day, Stewart’s result in the doubleheader is considered the benchmark. Even though Kyle Larson tried the double header twice, he could not succeed like Stewart, who has now embarked on a new journey.

Tony Stewart wants absolute competitiveness at NHRA

As Tony Stewart is all set to start his NHRA journey with Elite Motorsports, the 54-year-old wants to be immensely competitive, even if he has to race directly against his wife and the mother of his child, Leah Pruett. Speaking about this, Stewart recently said in an interview:

“First off, at the end of the year, no matter who wins or loses, we’ll still be married. You can put that in ink. I’m a race car driver,” Stewart said. “I drive race cars. I’m not a trophy wife. For the first two years we met, I kind of leaned in the doorway and didn’t do a very good job of being pretty enough to be a trophy wife. So I figured I’d better do what I do best and put a helmet on.”

Leah Pruett, Stewart’s wife, is a long-time NHRA Hot Rod racing driver. She stepped away from racing for several months after becoming pregnant with their son, Dominic. However, as she returned last year, Stewart handed her the ride and switched to Elite Motorsports for the 2026 season.