The Daytona 500 was a major heartbreak for Carson Hocevar. After spending the entire race managing his tires and pushing teammates, Hocevar’s moment of glory was snatched at the last second. The last-lap drama completely destroyed his entire race. After his crash, Hocevar could not stop himself from being honest about his emotions during the interview. He was visibly upset and shaken as he discussed the race and the results of the 2026 Daytona 500.

Carson Hocevar goes numb in front of the media

When asked about his intentions in the final lap, Hocevar made it clear that he had a plan. Apparently, he was ready to pick a lane and breeze through in order to race for the victory. However, the car behind him dropped out of the race because of its own bad decisions.

“Yeah, I was trying to pick which lane to cover. It just looked like the top had a huge run and was probably offset to the right. I don’t know if I didn’t commit all the way, or he got me off center; it hooked into the wall, then obviously bounced off it. Our goal is to lead at the white flag.”

Even though Hocevar is going through a tough crisis, he still appreciates his team and the work they did over the weekend. No matter the consequences of the Daytona 500, Spire Motorsports did manage to cover the weekend pretty well.

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“We finished really well in the Duels, stage one, and got a lot of points. The s***** finish kind of makes us decent about it, with a few more points in the bank. But yeah, I mean, ultimately you want to be leading this thing and have a shot.

“Everybody cares about this race more than anything. For us up front, two-car Spire cars. If anything, I’m really proud of that.”

Even though there was nothing he could do about it, Hocevar was really close to winning the Daytona 500. He is in his third year as a full-time Cup Series driver, trying to help Spire Motorsports gain traction. The win would’ve been a monumental success for him and the team.

In the final lap of the race, the Daytona 500 saw its third and fourth Big Ones for the weekend. At first, Erik Jones initiated a crash that took out both Carson Hocevar and Michael McDowell. Later, Brad Keselowski initiated a pileup that ultimately left Tyler Reddick as the last man standing, who went on to win the race.

After a good race turned bad, you would expect Carson Hocevar to dwell on the defeat. But even during his emotional interview, the driver was ready to move on owing to the positives from his weekend.

Carson Hocevar and Spire are ready for the next weekend

Hocevar has nothing to regret about his performance from the weekend. He was able to do whatever was asked of him. During his interview, he easily listed everything that went well for him during the 2026 Daytona 500.

“Our goal is to lead at the white flag. I feel like I was a really good pusher, and I felt like I did the job pushing the 45 to the lead. Then the 71 had a strategy and pushed him all the way to the lead. Sometimes we were getting too far out, but felt like that’s what worked for the Duels, so trying to get us going.”

The entire team’s strategy was unified by Hocevar’s calm, collected racing throughout the three stages. He also managed to work better on his tires and keep his car from degrading more than other drivers during the race.

“I mean, at least I didn’t blow any tires compared with the rest of the grid. So yeah, really happy with the speed. We’re going to a track that I feel really good at. I felt good, comfortable with my fuel saving, taking care of it.”

Ending a rather positive weekend on a solemn note, Carson Hocevar will need to perform at the same level next weekend. Spire Motorsports’ plans seem to be coming together for the weekend, and the next race will be their ultimate chance at redemption.