Carson Hocevar usually makes headlines for his aggressive driving. Whether he is pulling off a bold pass or sparking a garage feud, the young driver stays in the spotlight.
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This time, though, the story had nothing to do with racing. Instead, it came from a star-studded night in New York, where the 23-year-old found himself sharing the room with some of the biggest names in sports. And one small, personal moment ended up stealing the show.
Hocevar was invited to the TIME100 Sports Gala after being named to TIME’s list of the 100 Most Influential People in Sports. It was a big moment, especially because he became the first NASCAR driver ever selected in the publication’s “Leaders” category.
The choice may have been surprising for plenty of people. After all, Carson Hocevar is known as much for stirring controversy as he is for winning races. But TIME looked at the bigger picture. His Talladega breakthrough, his growing fan base outside NASCAR, and his strong social media presence all played a role.
He attended the event with influencer Tabitha Swatosh, who has been spotted with him at races in recent weeks. After the gala, Swatosh shared a TikTok video that playfully gave a nod to Hocevar’s viral karaoke radio moment from EchoPark Speedway. Carson Hocevar also shared photos from the night, and that’s where fans noticed the company he was keeping. He posed with Prince Harry and LeBron James, two of the biggest names at the event.
The meeting with Prince Harry, surprisingly, took a more personal turn. Hocevar told him that a photo of the two would make his mom’s day because she’s a huge fan of Princess Diana and the royal family. Prince Harry laughed, happily took the picture, and asked Hocevar to pass along his best wishes to her.
His conversation with LeBron was a little different. Hocevar later admitted he almost didn’t ask for a photo. Then someone mutual seated them together, giving them time to talk. During their conversation, Hocevar learned that the child of one of LeBron’s trainers actually races cars. The shared connection quickly broke the ice.
Naturally, the internet had plenty to say about Hocevar’s photo with LeBron. Most fans joked about the NASCAR driver looking dapper.
And then, of course, Denny Hamlin joined in. Instead of going with something normal, or what a lot of people would call boring, Hamlin replied with a picture of himself standing next to Michael Jordan. It was playful, but also fit perfectly. As Jordan’s partner and co-owner at 23XI Racing, Hamlin was basically answering Hocevar’s celebrity photo with one of his own.
Only days earlier, people were talking about Carson Hocevar’s latest on-track run-ins and his ongoing rivalry with Zane Smith. Now, the conversation had gone towards celebrity selfies and viral social media moments. That says a lot about where Hocevar is right now.
He’s no longer just a promising young NASCAR driver. He’s already won in the Cup Series, is comfortably inside the playoff picture, and has been attracting attention left and right.