DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 15: Carson Hocevar 77 Spire Motorsports Spectrum Chevrolet waves to the crowd prior to the running of the 68th NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Daytona 500 on February 15, 2026 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL. Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire AUTO: FEB 15 NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2602151934500
DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 15: Carson Hocevar 77 Spire Motorsports Spectrum Chevrolet waves to the crowd prior to the running of the 68th NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Daytona 500 on February 15, 2026 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL. Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire AUTO: FEB 15 NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2602151934500
Apr 18, 2026, 10:30 AM CUT
Carson Hocevar Left Disappointed Despite a Top 10 Finish In Bristol
Carson Hocevar had to settle for a 10th-place finish and 38 points at Bristol Speedway on Sunday. The track that he was scintillating at in 2025 seemed less of a happy hunting ground this time around.
The 23-year-old Spire Motorsports driver was visibly disappointed during his post-race conversation with the media. The pressure of not having a single win in his third year of the Cup series might be piling onto him.
Given that Hocevar has been quick enough to secure two top fives in eight Cup races this season, the disappointment seems valid. During a post-race interview with Frontstretch, he explained how a P10 wasn't exactly the result he wanted.
"That was the lowest we ran all day," said Carson Hocevar. "Should have ran fourth earlier, but there was just... really tough to drive on the restarts.
In a Spire Motorsports' race report, Hocevar elaborated on his miseries and the impact of back-to-back restarts towards the end of the 500-lap race, which sent it into overtime.
"Tenth was the lowest we ran all day. Not the way we wanted to end it, but we were really good on the long run. It was really tough to drive forward on the restarts at the end because I was just too loose. I’m happy we had the speed to run top five all day and have a shot at it at the end. We did a really good job of getting some nice stage points early in the race, so it was a really good day points-wise overall," he said.
Hocevar secured seventh in Stage 1 and fourth in Stage 2, earning him 11 stage points. His No. 77 Chevy had handling issues and "drove like s***" on fresher "pre-fired" tires.
Could Kansas Be the Site of Carson Hocevar's Breakout Win?
Though a 10th place at Bristol wasn't what Carson Hocevar wanted, it is a decent base to have heading into the Kansas Speedway Cup weekend. He secured his fifth and last Truck Series victory on the same 1.5-mile tri-oval in May 2025, after taking the lead from Layne Riggs in a very dramatic way.
After Bristol, Hocevar highlighted why he is confident heading into the AdventHealth 400 Cup weekend at Kansas.
"We excel at the intermediates, so we’re looking forward to Kansas next week," the No. 77 Chevy driver said.
In his two Cup appearances at Kansas, he hasn't finished in the Top 20. After eight races this season, he stands 13th in the standings, two places up after his 10th-place finish at Bristol.
Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!
Written by
Sanskriti Pastor
Edited by
Yask Kotak