If the 2025 NASCAR season were a long-running TV series, Carson Hocevar felt like the breakout character who dominated early episodes with shock value alone. Loud moves, fearless restarts, and an unapologetic edge kept cameras glued to him week after week. But as the season wore on, the script started to change.

The hype cooled, patience wore thin, and fans began shifting their attention elsewhere. Now, heading into 2026, the conversation in NASCAR circles feels different. Instead of debating Hocevar’s ceiling, fans are buzzing about a fresh crop of young drivers who look more polished, more consistent, and better positioned to turn raw speed into real results.

Carson Hocevar’s 2025 numbers didn’t match the noise

On paper, Carson Hocevar’s 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season doesn’t exactly jump off the page. After winning Rookie of the Year honors at the end of 2024 (with one top-five and six top-10 finishes), expectations were naturally higher heading into his sophomore campaign. But statistically, 2025 ended up looking flatter than many anticipated.

Hocevar finished the season with zero wins, missed the playoffs entirely, and wound up 23rd in the final standings with a 21st-place average finish. In fact, those numbers were technically worse than his rookie season.

Yes, he did improve in certain areas, adding more top-fives and top-10s compared to 2024. But the overall results didn’t reflect the speed or spotlight that followed him all year.

Where Hocevar did dominate headlines was with his aggressive, take-no-prisoners driving style. That approach didn’t sit well with several veterans. After a run-in at Atlanta in March, Kyle Busch famously labeled him a “f—— d—–bag,” a comment that spread faster than any highlight reel.

Later in the season, Austin Dillon piled on after an early incident at the Chicago Street Race, calling Hocevar the “biggest dumb-ss” in the sport following contact on lap three.

Those moments cemented Hocevar’s reputation as one of the garage’s most polarizing figures. Yes, he’s fast and fearless, but Hocevar often goes over the line. And as the season wore on, that reputation began to matter more to fans than his raw potential.

Which brings us to NASCAR 2026. With Hocevar no longer the shiny new disruptor, attention is shifting. And fans are already rallying behind a new wave of breakout candidates ready to take center stage next season.

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Fans shift focus to fresh faces and familiar fire for NASCAR 2026

If there’s one thing NASCAR fans are brutally honest about, it’s patience (or the lack of it). Even some Carson Hocevar supporters admit the honeymoon period is over. One fan summed it up bluntly: “As a Hocevar fan, he needs to win a race or smarten up. Too many bonehead moves last year.”

That sentiment echoes across the garage. The talent is obvious, but without cleaner execution and results, fans are already eyeing safer bets for 2026.

One of those bets is Shane van Gisbergen, with a twist. “SVG but on ovals,” one fan commented. While SVG dominated road and street courses in 2025 with five wins, fans are increasingly intrigued by his oval progression. A top-10 finish at Kansas in the Hollywood Casino 400, plus solid top-20 runs at Daytona and Martinsville, showed real growth. The idea of SVG becoming competitive everywhere, not just on left-and-right layouts, has fans hooked.

Another name gaining traction is Kaden Honeycutt. As one fan pointed out, “Honeycutt moving over to Tricon.” His move to TRICON Garage feels perfectly timed. Honeycutt was a model of consistency in 2025, reaching the Championship 4 and finishing third in the Truck Series standings. With four top-fives and 14 top-10s, his switch to the No. 11 Toyota in 2026 has fans expecting a breakout rather than a rebuild.

Then there’s Brad Keselowski, whose name always carries weight. History has fans optimistic after his recent leg injury. “Keselowski. Last time he broke something in his leg he won the next race and went on a tear with only 12 finishes outside the top 15 that carried him a year and a half later to a championship.”

The last time Keselowski raced through a broken leg, he went on an absolute tear that eventually led to a fifth-place finish in the championship in 2011. But the next year, he improved his performance and won the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. Fans know better than to count him out, especially when adversity is involved.

Finally, there’s the cult favorite pick: “Butterbean.” Butterbean, as you may know, refers to Brenden Queen. And his rise has been hard to ignore. The 2025 ARCA Menards Series champion is headed for a full-time Truck Series ride with Kaulig Racing in 2026. Between solid Xfinity cameos and respectable Truck finishes, fans are betting his momentum is just getting started.

In essence, for NASCAR 2026, hype hasn’t disappeared. It’s just been redistributed.