Carson Hocevar is one cool customer ahead of Friday night’s TSport 200 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. (Photo: Mitchell Richtmyre | The Podium Finish)
CLERMONT, Ind. – Carson Hocevar has emerged as one of the top, consistent NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series racers this year.
Truth be told, the 20-year-old Portage, Michigan native has been on the precipice of becoming a stock car superstar. Placing 10th in the championship standings in the past two years, it was only a matter of time before the Niece Motorsports racer showcased his unbridled potential.
For starters, Hocevar has shown his toughness on and off the track. He has pushed through the pain as evident after his accident at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway last year.
After four agonizing runner-ups and 10 podium finishes, he rallied around his team as he believed they could win multiple races.
Through it all, the fifth-year Truck competitor has showcased that he belongs in NASCAR as a staying power.
In 2023, he is a proven winner as seen with his victories at Texas, Nashville and Richmond. Most of all, he is genuine threat to win this year’s championship.
Like anything else in his career, Hocevar understands that the seven-race Playoffs series is not about swinging for grand slams. Instead, it is about getting the best at-bat, in a manner of speaking, while maximizing on the rewards of his three wins.
Mainly, Hocevar is going off the belief to work smarter, not harder, starting this Friday night at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
The familiar teal and black No. 42 Chevrolet Silverado has been like a rock in the Truck Series. (Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)
“I mean, it’s huge,” Hocevar said. “Any points you can have in the bank, it just makes your life easier. It allows you to run seventh on that day. You don’t have to push for fifth or sixth or being a must win.
“So just being in the green as much as you can, I’m looking at it. If we could qualify really good and just get stage points, if we could just get stage points in all three races, you can almost wreck out with our cushion just because those stage points are so important.”
Netting 21 Playoff points to rank third in the Playoffs standings, Hocevar does not dismiss the importance of having a margin for error with the cutoff positions.
“Yeah, that’s just huge,” he said. “I mean, it’s 19 points. Yeah, it doesn’t look like a lot, but that’s 19 positions. And we’ve been super fast and our worst finish in the last like six or eight, 10 races has been 12th.
“We haven’t finished 19th in a long time. To just be able to continue opening that gap just relaxes us and allows us to start working ahead.”
Throughout the season, drivers have expressed concerns about the increased aggression on the track. At times, competitors have compromised each other in moments before crunch time in a race.
Despite the rough and tumble action in the Truck Series this year, Hocevar believes it will be a delicate balance in the postseason.
Arms raised in victory. (Photo: Mitchell Richtmyre | The Podium Finish)
“That’s a tough one especially considering very rarely is like seventh and eighth (or) sixth and seventh one point away,” Hocevar said. “And they’re both racing next to each other. And especially (at) Kansas and Homestead, those are the cut races and those often get really spread out.
“So it’s not like we’re going to Martinsville in a must win situation like we did 2 or 3 years ago. So I don’t foresee anything really changing. I just think everybody’s going to race a lot harder. There’s going to be a little bit more mistakes.”
Most of all, Hocevar, who balances his intensity with remarkable poise and guile with his No. 42 Worldwide Express Chevrolet Silverado, is ready for whatever comes his way.
“I think the respect level is going to still be there and I think everybody wants to keep their stuff clean,” he said. “I just think everybody’s going to race harder, just try and put each other in a little bit weirder spots or the risk versus reward, people are going to take a little bit more risk.”
