“The goal on our whiteboard is definitely win Rookie of the Year,” Carson Hocevar shared before hitting Daytona as a full-time Cup Series racer. He’s been keeping it realistic, focusing not on battling the whole 36-driver field but just squaring off against the three other rookies. So far, the standings hint he’s on track to hit his mark.

Carson Hocevar has been killing it at the top of the rookie leaderboard for a solid month

Josh Berry, Zane Smith, Carson Hocevar, and Kaz Grala have all been duking it out in the Cup Series this year. Initially, Berry looked like he had the upper hand with Stewart-Haas Racing backing him up. Smith and Hocevar were still in the mix, though, not to be overlooked. Grala wasn’t expected to run the whole season, so he was more of a long shot from the get-go.

But well, things have shifted. Among the rookie pack, Carson Hocevar is now sitting pretty at 25th place with 95 points, with Josh Berry trailing at 28th with 77 points, Kaz Grala at 33rd with 65 points, and Zane Smith bringing up the rear at 35th with 59 points.

This isn’t just a flash in the pan following the COTA race. Carson’s been on his A-game, leading the rookie pack since Vegas. Before then, Zane Smith had a moment in the sun for two weeks, placing 13th at Daytona and 35th at Atlanta, topping the rookie charts. But Hocevar swooped in after Vegas, where Smith had a rough ride finishing 36th. Rookie standings have had a Spire Motorsports driver at the front of the line right from the start, whether it was Smith or now Hocevar.

From the get-go this season, Carson Hocevar had his eyes set on a clear target – he and the #77 team were all in to snag Rookie of the Year. For Carson, it wasn’t about nabbing top fives or gunning for the win; cracking the top 20 was where his sights were firmly planted. Whether it’s landing in the top 20 in points this season or the next, that’s been his milestone to hit. Aiming for a consistent finish or points average above the top 20 marks a significant leap from his previous year’s performance.

Hocevar’s been upfront about his ambitions, or rather, the lack of specific ones like clinching a bunch of top fives or victories. His goal has been pretty simple – to be among the top 20 in points. Then, come the end of the season, he’d take stock and see if he reached that goal. If he did, it’d be time to set new sights.

So far, he’s been sticking to his game plan. Even though the Daytona race did not go as planned with a 40th place finish due to an early wreck on lap 6, he bounced back with finishes of 19th, 15th, 15th, 27th, and 22nd at Atlanta, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Bristol, and COTA, showing he’s got the chops to chase down that Rookie of the Year title.

Last year’s truck races hinted that Hocevar might need to mature a bit, especially after some aggressive driving, but his performances this Cup season are hinting at a bright future, possibly even clinching the Rookie of the Year title. And with the mindset that the season’s a marathon, not a sprint, Carson’s ready to dig deep and keep pushing.

#77’s diving headfirst into the full-time Cup Season with gusto.

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Known for his no-holds-barred racing style from his days in the Truck series, where he wasn’t shy about mixing it up to snag a better spot, it looks like rubbing elbows with the big dogs in the Cup has given him some food for thought on finding the right mix of aggression and strategy. What he’s really aiming for as he races through 2024 is to make the #77 squad a name that comes up more often among the racing chatter.

His latest tweet gives us a peek into his game plan for the season: “very thankful for everyone at @SpireMotorsport and to be able to do this full time. we have a lot of potential in this group and it’s just the beginning of a long marathon.”

NASCAR Insider Warns Notorious Carson Hocevar Against Drivers Making His “Life Miserable” in Cup Series

Yet, he’s not one to point fingers when things don’t go as planned. After crossing the finish line 22nd at COTA, he tweeted, “had top 15 pace just faded late unfortunately attempting a strategy that didn’t play out. didn’t feel bad for first road race in this car!”

So, what do you think? Does Carson Hocevar have the mindset and the moxie to clinch Rookie of the Year?