Carson Hocevar’s transition from the Truck Series to NASCAR’s top-tier series has been one of the most debated moves of the previous two seasons. Many praised his raw talent, while others questioned whether he had been rushed into the Cup Series before he was fully prepared. His Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson reflected on it in NASCAR’s latest YouTube video called “Rising.”
Carson Hocevar made his full-time NASCAR Cup Series debut in 2024 at the age of 21 with the series’ young team—Spire Motorsports. Before jumping into the Next Gen car, he had competed full-time in the Truck Series for Niece Motorsports from 2021 to 2023, where he won four races. He skipped the Xfinity Series entirely on a full-time basis, which is a traditional path to move into the Cup Series.
Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson admitted that he took a calculated, high-risk leap with Hocevar, pushing him into a full-time Cup ride arguably years ahead of the traditional timeline because he had seen the potential in the 22-year-old driver.
“I know the deep end that I threw him in. I take responsibility for putting him in the cup series at that age with that experience level. Carson didn’t win 27 truck races. Carson didn’t go through the Xfinity series. Carson is in a Cup car because of something that we saw in him and put him in that series probably years before he should have been,” Dickerson said in the first episode of NASCAR’s Rising. [4:48]
Before landing in the NASCAR scene, Carson Hocevar had won late model races—the 2020 Winchester 400, the 2020 Redbud 400, and the Money in the Bank 150. He was named NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year in 2024 for his impressive show.
“Nobody’s watching car cameras more than Carson”: Spire Motorsports on Carson Hocevar’s hunger to learn
Carson Hocevar wrapped up his second NASCAR Cup Series season at 23rd place in the championship standings with one pole, two top-five finishes, and nine top-10 finishes with an average finish of 21.5. The Michigan native showed speed multiple times and came very close to winning at Nashville in June, finishing second to Ryan Blaney.
On Hocevar’s preparation and hunger to learn, highlighting his relentless study habits pre- and post-race, his boss said:
“Nobody studies more than Carson. Nobody’s watching car cameras more than Carson. Nobody’s watching SMT more than Carson. Nobody’s watching racing more than Carson.”
Carson Hocevar may have been pushed early, but in Spire’s eyes, he was pushed for a reason. And if his trajectory continues upward, this bold move could someday be considered one of the smartest bets on young talent in modern NASCAR.
Edited by Yash Soni
