In a race defined by chaos, late moves, and razor-thin margins, Carson Hocevar edged out the field in a finish that had everyone holding their breath to capture his first NASCAR Cup Series win. It was the kind of superspeedway thriller that leaves drivers equal parts relieved and stunned. And once it was over, the entire garage had plenty to say about Hocevar’s breakout moment and everything else in between. Here’s who said what:

Jeff Dickerson left stunned

Spire owner Jeff Dickerson admitted even he didn’t see the celebration coming. “He looked like Shamu hanging out the window. It’s just like, ‘Man, we’re gonna get fined after our first one.’” He revealed Carson Hocevar never hinted at the stunt beforehand. Reflecting on the win, he added, “You already have Carson’s irrational confidence. He’s going to show up in a fur coat on Monday.”

Chase Elliott praises Carson Hocevar’s breakthrough

Chase Elliott, who finished fourth, was all smiles after the finish. “Super happy for Carson. He’s been really close many times. Glad to get team Chevy a win. Between Alex (Bowman) and everyone there at the bottom, I thought we were doing a good job keeping him in it. Happy it worked out for one of us.”

Alex Bowman proud of Chevy team effort

Alex Bowman, coming in third, emphasized the teamwork behind the win. “Congratulations to Carson and the No.77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet team. It’s cool to get the win for Team Chevy and the Hendrick Engine shop. We did all we could and glad we could push hard to get a Chevrolet into victory lane.”

Luke Lambert calls Victory Lane ‘More special’

Crew chief Luke Lambert reflected emotionally. “It’s a very special moment. I’ve been blessed to have a few opportunities to see Victory Lane before. This one truly does feel more special in a lot of ways.”

Kyle Larson caught in the chaos again

Kyle Larson, who was caught in the Big One, summed up his day bluntly. “There was a big stack-up and I was just in the middle of it. It was a bummer for this No. 5 Valvoline Chevrolet team. Just another Talladega result for us, but we got ourselves back there.”

Kyle Busch salvages a top-10

Kyle Busch fought back to finish 10th (finally a good outing for Busch!). “Solid run. We were good early, we just didn’t keep it clean all day. I felt like we had a really good race car early there, we got caught up in the wreck in the second stage and bent her up a little bit, but the guys were able to repair the Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet to get us back in the top 10.”

William Byron’s day ends early

William Byron endured a frustrating finish after sustaining damage in the Big One. “I was just trying to get slowed down so I didn’t get any major impacts. It didn’t feel like I hit that hard, but somebody got me in the right-front and I got damage to the suspension. It was cool to have Phorm Energy on our Chevrolet this weekend. It’s a new partner for us, so I wish we could have gotten a better finish for them.”

Ryan Blaney calls it ‘Just Talladega’

Ryan Blaney, another victim of the wreck, pointed to the nature of superspeedway racing. “It’s not like there’s any blame on anybody. It’s what this thing is. We see each other. We all just kind of get bumping and banging and one guy eventually gets turned with the car being as unstable as it is. It definitely stinks to be out early.”

Joey Logano finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time

Joey Logano described the helplessness. “They just started wrecking above me. You’re kind of seeing it happen and hope they stay up there and you’re able to get by it. The wreck started moving down the hill and there we were. It’s just unfortunate. That’s Talladega. You start pushing and shoving.”

Brad Keselowski grinds through ‘The Big One’

Brad Keselowski focused on damage control after managing to complete the race and finish 31st. “We got caught up in the big one and the team rallied really well to keep us from a DNF.”

Chris Buescher comes up just short

Runner-up Chris Buescher was left wanting more. “We were pretty good. To have the day like we had today here and be in the hunt every stage and there at the end, I can’t thank everybody enough at Kroger and Jack Link’s and being here for their entitlement sponsor. This was a big race for us and we just couldn’t quite get this Mustang into Victory Lane.”

Ross Chastain reflects on a clean finish

Ross Chastain avoided late trouble and finished 7th, reflected on his day, “I thought we executed the day really well. We got really fortunate through a lot of scenarios. We were in the right lane there at the end to not get caught up in the last wreck.”

Austin Dillon sees missed opportunity

Austin Dillon, coming in 19th, felt more was possible. “Not the way we wanted our day to end but our Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Long Beard XR Chevrolet had speed. We were in position to have a shot at it on the last lap which is a positive. I went to the middle and next thing I know, I had contact from behind and around we went. We were still able to finish but it could have been a much better day.”

Carson Hocevar soaks in a dream come true

At the center of it all, Carson Hocevar could barely put it into words. “I am just so thankful. This is the biggest dream I have ever thought of. Thank you to everybody at Spire Motorsports, Jeff Dickerson and Chevrolet. I couldn’t have done it a better way. Hopefully my grandpa’s watching. My grandma passed away last year, so I’m so thankful that I can give my grandpa a trophy now. We rode the Dente today, that’s for sure. I mean just unbelievable… it’s a dream.”