The Toyota/Save Mart 350 race went south for several Cup Series drivers. For some, it was nothing new this season. One of them was Katherine Legge, a part-time rookie driver who is still learning the ropes in the NASCAR Cup Series. Since her debut at Phoenix Raceway in March, the British speedster has encountered several DNFs. Yet the same situation hardly applies to sophomore driver Carson Hocevar. And that is what makes their finishes at Sonoma astounding.

Carson Hocevar has rocked the headlines this season for the wrong reasons. From ruffling the feathers of multiple veterans in Atlanta to drawing vengeful remarks from Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in Nashville and Mexico City, Hocevar has been a rabble-rouser. But finishing badly was not among his faults, although Sonoma told a different story.

Is Carson Hocevar falling off his pace?

Well, that would be a bold claim for the 22-year-old speedster. Carson Hocevar already owns 4 top tens and 2 top fives this season. His runner-up finish in Nashville drew praise from veterans like Hendrick Motorsports Vice President of Competition Chad Knaus. However, things took a downturn after his top ten finish in Atlanta.

He started up near the front in Chicago but lost spots, spinning out on a tricky part of the street course not long after, marking his season’s 5th DNF. Something similar was in store for him in Sonoma, the next road course on the schedule. Hocevar started 23rd, but it was clear that the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevy was off pace. He could never crack the top ten and washed up in 32nd place. That finish not only tarnished Carson Hocevar’s good streak in 2025, but it is also astounding in one respect. Katherine Legge, who has just a handful of stock car racing starts as compared to Hocevar’s huge experience, ended up finishing better!

She could clinch a 31st finishing position after not making a qualifying time. What is more? Her previous Cup races were also better than Hocevar’s. The best was probably Chicago, where Legge beat Corey Heim in qualifying and went on to overcome chaotic hurdles to clinch an impressive 19th-place finish. Hence, one NASCAR fan posted the stark difference between the two drivers on X: “Katherine Legge has finished ahead of @CarsonHocevar in all 4 Cup races she has qualified for.”

Legge finished 30th on Cup Series debut in Phoenix, Hocevar 36th. Then, in Mexico City, Hocevar stumbled to a 34th-place finish after late-race contact with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. as Legge made it to 32nd. Chicago and Sonoma were more of the same, as Hocevar clearly isn’t able to get a hang of the road courses yet, while the former IndyCar driver seems to have a better grasp than him.

Given Katherine Legge’s limited resume in the series, this may be a blot on Carson Hocevar‘s career. The rabble-rouser may be young, yet he is already in his sophomore season. Hocevar had also expressed his apprehensions about Sonoma ahead of the race: “It is different than what it used to be, but I thought it was fun last year with how much grip there was. I do miss how worn out it was before. I think it has its own challenges. You are going faster and have to be more aggressive to be on the limit with that speed, but have to avoid overdriving the corner.” In his previous Sonoma start in 2024, Hocevar netted a 17th-place finish.

Clearly, Carson Hocevar needs to review his approach to road course racing. Meanwhile, however, he did have some fun over the weekend.

Offering fans a token of his gratitude

Carson Hocevar may have earned many rivals in the Cup Series, but in the NASCAR community, he already has a rapidly snowballing fan base. Managing to tick off so many competitors nonchalantly in a row is truly a skill. Hocevar did so when he ran aggressively against Kyle Busch, Ross Chastain, and Ryan Blaney in Atlanta.

Then in Nashville, he spun Ricky Stenhouse Jr. into the wall to get ahead, and his strategy worked after finishing runner-up. Hence, Hocevar always focuses on providing a show for his fans, as he did recently in a Chili’s promotional post. The hospitality brand became Hocevar’s sponsor in 2024. Recently, they developed a new marketing campaign, called ‘Ride the Dente.’

It featured a full-length country song of the same name and a reimagined version of the brand’s signature cocktail, the Presidente Margarita. ‘Ride the Dente’ was also featured on No. 77 in Texas. Ahead of the Sonoma weekend, however, Carson Hocevar took it a notch further and gave a treat to his fans. He wrote on X, “Hi. Anyone going to @Chilis this weekend? I’ll buy. retweet this post, reply a picture of your receipt total at Chili’s, and that you’re riding the ‘dente. (not an ad. they don’t know I am doing this, figured it’d be fun) I will pick a few winners on http://twitch.tv/carsonhocevar.”

Well, the fans Carson Hocevar picked must have counted themselves lucky! For now, however, Hocevar’s fans may be concerned about his stats. Let us see how the young racer wins them over on the track next week at Dover Motor Speedway.