Carson Hocevar has found himself in unfamiliar territory after the Brickyard 400. The Spire Motorsports driver sits fifth in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series standings points, ahead of all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers. Chase Elliott is sixth in points, Kyle Larson eighth, and William Byron 12th heading into this weekend’s race after a week off. Alex Bowman is further back in 29th.
During a press conference at Iowa Speedway, the No. 77 Chevy driver discussed his take on Spire Motorsports‘ strong run, mentioning his pit crew and team owner Jeff Dickerson.
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“I think it’s the first time Jeff can probably brag on Mr. H a little bit, I’m sure Jeff, knowing him, is soaking all that up for not knowing how long this all that might last,” Hocevar said (via NASCAR.com).
“The pit crew takes a lot of pride in being good because they’re not on the house cars per se. The engine shop enjoys it. I know Mr. H does, because he likes to see seven cars rather than just four have shots. I know they look at it like a seven-car deal because of the close alliance and everything.”
Carson Hocevar, who got his first Cup win at Talladega Superspeedway in April, has also impressed in qualifying this season. He won the pole at Texas Motor Speedway in May and earned another one at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last month.
Hocevar also led a 1-2 qualifying run for Spire Motorsports, with Daniel Suarez starting beside him in front row for the Brickyard 400 at the 2.5-mile oval.
“Off the track, it’s fantastic” – NASCAR CEO backs Carson Hocevar’s role as NASCAR’s new villain
NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell is in favor of Carson Hocevar off-track presence. During the Thursday episode of Racin’ with the Boys, he said:
“He’s doing everything we would want from a driver getting out there now on track. He’s gonna make his moves, and drivers, they’ll handle what they need to handle out on the track. So that’s on him to do that.” (17:15 onwards)
“But in terms of how he races, what Hocevar may or may not experience because of how he races on track, that’s one thing, but off the track, it’s fantastic. … We need rivalries. We need villains.”
O’Donnell added that the sport needs more rivalries like Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt had during NASCAR’s peak years.
Edited by Palak Gupta
