Carson Hocevar Publicly Shrugs Off Cup Garage ‘Hate’ With Humble Spire Motorsports Admission

Carson Hocevar’s 2025 Cup season has been a gritty mix of highs and hard lessons. In 12 races, he’s nailed a career-best start at Atlanta, grabbed a pole at Texas, and notched two top-10s, including a standout second-place at Atlanta, while fighting through three DNFs and holding a 21.8 average finish despite a rookie-loaded schedule. He’s sitting around 20th in points, but it’s his growth that stands out, evolving week by week in the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevy.

He’s proven he’s no flash in the pan, turning heads with that Texas pole and battling veterans at Atlanta with poise and speed. Hocevar’s not just surviving, he’s building a foundation, outpacing expectations and showing he’s got the tools to stick around. But the Cup garage can be a tough crowd, and Hocevar’s humble admission about his start reveals how he’s handling the heat with grace.

WWT Raceway Is Memorable for Hocevar

In a recent chat with Speedway Digest, Hocevar opened up about World Wide Technology Raceway’s mixed bag of memories. “I try not to think about the wreck and the injury. I think that’s what most drivers would do, you just can’t worry about that. The Cup debut and then coming back last year to kind of make up for how that first race ended, means a lot more to me. That’s where all of this started. It’s where Spire Motorsports and Jeff Dickerson first saw something in me that made them think it might be good for me to move up. Whether other people think it was good or not doesn’t really matter, but Gateway is a special place for me and I love racing there every year.”

Gateway’s been a rollercoaster for Hocevar. In June 2022’s Truck Series race, he wrecked hard in his No. 42, clipping the wall and breaking his right tibia, which needed surgery and sidelined him for races. Daniel Suárez and others filled in during his recovery.

But Gateway flipped to a high in June 2023, when he debuted in Cup, subbing for Corey LaJoie in Spire’s No. 7 Chevy. Despite finishing 36th from a brake rotor failure, his poise caught Spire co-owner Jeff Dickerson’s eye, paving the way for his full-time No. 77 ride in 2024. For Hocevar, it’s not the lows that define Gateway, it’s the launchpad to his Cup dream.

When asked what he’d tell his 2023 self, Hocevar kept it real, “Just keep being you. There will be a lot of tough days, but the good ones make up for them. You’ll piss off a lot of drivers, and that isn’t always fun, but you’ll end up with a good group of guys on the No. 77 who have your back and believe in you.”

Hocevar’s earned a rep as a fearless, sometimes polarizing rookie since going full-time with Spire in 2024. Clashes with vets like Ryan Preece and Austin Dillon drew heat, with garage talk calling him a “rookie who needs to learn respect.” But he’s delivered: a top-10 at Bristol, a career-best sixth at Talladega, and consistent runs ahead of teammates.

The “pissing off drivers” bit nods to his Truck days, where late-race bumps riled rivals like Grant Enfinger and Matt Crafton. Inside Spire, though, it’s different. Crew chief Kevin “Bono” Manion and the No. 77 crew praise his speed and drive. Hocevar’s message is clear: stay true, lean on your team, and let the hate roll off.

Bell Blames Hocevar for Pit Road Crash

Christopher Bell’s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota took a hit at Darlington, but it wasn’t on the track. It was a pit road mess that tanked his night. As Bell exited his stall under caution, Carson Hocevar, who caused the yellow, crossed paths at the worst time, slamming into him. The contact wrecked Bell’s right-front, and even after lengthy repairs, he limped to 29th, leaving him just 11 points above the cut line in the playoff opener.

Bell didn’t hold back post-race: “I talked to Adam [Stevens, Bell’s crew chief] about it, and the more that he thought about it, the more frustrated he got. I need to make sure I dot my i’s and cross my t’s, and understand what fully happened. The picture that I see is that he [Hocevar] wasn’t going to gain a spot on pit road. He should have been able to give way to the playoff cars. I don’t blame Carson. He’s just doing what he’s told, right?  Adam told me that if he was tucked up to the field, he should have been in his pit box. That tells us that he was still behind the field, and not racing anybody on pit road, if that’s the case. If that is the case, then I’m frustrated with the team for not telling him to give way to the cars.”

In-car video shows Hocevar caught the field’s tail before pitting, but he wasn’t challenging for spots. Despite the wreck, Hocevar nabbed a top-10 for Spire Motorsports. Bell’s frustration underscores pit road etiquette. Playoff drivers expect courtesy from lapped cars. Hocevar’s move, whether intentional or not, cost Bell dearly, but his team-first blame shows maturity. As the playoffs heat up, incidents like this could swing the championship chase.