Editor‘s note: This is the eighth in a series in which we review the top 30 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in reverse order of the 2025 final standings.
Driver: Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Crew chief: Luke Lambert
Final 2025 ranking: 23rd
Key stats: 0 wins, 2 top fives, 9 top 10s, 122 laps led
Advertisement
How 2025 ended: To no one’s surprise, Hocevar was a firecracker in 2025. The No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet was bad fast for a good chunk of the season, and almost too fast at times. Hocevar DNF’d three times due to engine failures, the most notable of which came at the Coca-Cola 600, where he was on the front row during the restart to begin the final stage before smoke billowed out of his hot rod in Turns 1 and 2. Hocevar missed the postseason, but strung together three top 10s in the final 10 races at Darlington, Bristol and Talladega. On the flip side, he finished 28th or worse in five of the last six races.
Best race: A handful to choose from, but Hocevar’s home race at Michigan nearly delivered his first career Cup Series win. With an onslaught of William Byron, Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin chasing, Hocevar kept the bunch at bay up until 19 to go when the No. 77 had a left-rear tire go down. He wound up finishing 29th, but set a career-high in laps led with 32 at the 2-mile oval.
RELATED: 2026 Cup Series schedule | Carson Hocevar driver page
Other season highlights: Hocevar had two runner-up results in 2025 — spring Atlanta and Nashville. At Atlanta, the caution came out before the checkered flag as Hocevar was in a battle for the win with Larson and eventual victor Christopher Bell. The second-year Cup driver had his most consistent run later at Nashville, finishing just behind a dominant Ryan Blaney. Hocevar earned his first career Busch Light Pole Award at Texas Motor Speedway.
Advertisement
Stat to know: Both of Hocevar’s runner-up results came from the 26th starting position. Of his nine top 10s, only two came from a starting position inside the top 10.
Quotable: “I already have that image, right? Like it‘ll never go away. I could go three years from now, and it‘s just like oh, I‘m back, per se. I think I‘ve already made that image before I got in this garage, and I think it‘s just trying to balance one thing of owning it and trying to change the narrative while still being like, yeah, I get it. Like I‘m aware of this and knowing that.” — Hocevar said about his on-track image during a press conference at Pocono.
Looking ahead: Hocevar will be back in the No. 77 Chevrolet for Spire for the 2026 season. Along with 2025 teammate Michael McDowell, Hocevar will be joined by Spire newcomer Daniel Suárez as the Mexican driver takes over the No. 7. Not only will a win be on the mind of the driver entering his third full-time campaign, but making the playoffs will be Spire’s biggest aspiration for next season.
