Carson Hocevar will compete for Rookie of The Year (ROTY) honors in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2024, as the pilot of the No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro for Spire Motorsports, the team announced on Tuesday.
Hocevar, who competes full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for Niece Motorsports, will replace Ty Dillon in the second entry for the team, which announced its expansion to three full-time entries for 2024 early last month.
“I mean, anybody in my position wants to be a Cup Series driver,” said Hocevar. “That’s what you dream about when you’re young. You want to race on Sundays. So, my opportunity to run a few times this year, to run on Sunday and get ready, I feel more than prepared to get in the No. 77 car with Spire.”
“That team is growing exponentially and I’m just excited for everything. I have a unique opportunity to build something and grow with it while growing myself at the same time. For what we’ve been able to do from the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series to the Cup is pretty crazy. I know it seems like a big jump. With all the tools and resources, and everybody at Spire Motorsports, they have put a lot of faith in me, and I have a lot of faith in them. We all have faith in the whole program. I feel like we can come out of the gate like we’ve done this for years.”
A native of Portage, Michigan, Hocevar first appeared on the radars of NASCAR team owners at just 15 years old, when he jumped into the ARCA Menards Series on a part-time basis in 2018, and with some strong results, bolstered his schedule the following year, which included a pair of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts.
The now 20-year-old driver joined Niece Motorsports for a seven-race campaign in the NASCAR Truck Series in 2020 and has stayed with the organization since, scoring his first career victory earlier this year at Texas Motor Speedway, followed by wins at Nashville Superspeedway, and Richmond Raceway.
But, the 2023 NASCAR season has also been one of immense growth for Hocevar, who broke onto the scene of the NASCAR Xfinity Series as part of a planning part-time run with Spire Motorsports, while also getting tossed into the NASCAR Cup Series in an interim role.
By the time the Busch Light Clash rolls around in February 2024, Hocevar will have already competed in 10 NASCAR Cup Series events, nine of which have come as the pilot of the No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro, and with impressive results.
In his five starts with LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, Hocevar has recorded a best finish of 11th and four results inside the top-20, with the sole exception being an event at Talladega Superspeedway where the entry was involved in a multi-car accident.
Before getting tapped to fill in as the driver of the No. 42 Chevrolet, Hocevar made his NASCAR Cup Series debut at WWT Raceway with Spire Motorsports, replacing Corey LaJoie in the No. 7 – who was replacing the suspended Chase Elliott in the No. 9.
An impressive first half of his debut race, where Hocevar drove into the top-15, was derailed after just 91 laps when a brake rotor exploded on the No. 7 Chevrolet, sending him to the garage and ending his afternoon.
Hocevar will finish the season – Las Vegas, Homestead, Martinsville, Phoenix – in the No. 42 for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, while also juggling his duties of attempting to clinch the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series title for Niece Motorsports.
“Carson Hocevar is a proven winner and excels with every opportunity,” said Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson. “He’s an undeniable talent and reminds me a lot of a young Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski. We’re thrilled to have him join the Spire Motorsports family and help us continue to raise our competitive bar. Carson has driven the wheels off everything he’s ever raced and done more with less on multiple occasions. He has a knack for getting the most out of his equipment and that speaks directly to his desire behind the wheel. His attitude is infectious and he’s the kind of guy who’s just fun to be around. We think he’ll complement Corey and Zane very well.”
“We’re also very grateful to Ty Dillon for everything he’s done for our organization and the No. 77 team, in particular. Ty came to Spire Motorsports after the 2022 season and has put his best foot forward. He’s done everything we’ve asked of him. We know he’ll land with a top-flight race team and wish him the very best.”
The newest pilot of the No. 77 will join long-time Spire Motorsports driver Corey LaJoie, and 2022 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Zane Smith as the organization’s three full-time drivers in 2024.
“Corey [LaJoie] and I have a great relationship. Obviously, that’s going to exponentially grow when we spend day-to-day and week-to-week together, talking in the same meetings, working with the same people and same group, trying to pull the rope in the same direction,” said Hocevar. “We’ve already started. He seems to have a lot of interest in what I’m doing, what my cars are driving like, and vice versa. We’ve started to compare driving notes a little bit. We talk about what each other is doing. I’m sure we’ll constantly be making ourselves go faster. There’s not a race within the shop, but we’ll work to make each other better.”
“Me and Zane have talked a little bit and compared driver notes, too, at the Cup race at Texas a couple of weeks ago,” Hocevar added. “Obviously, he’s coming in for a year at Spire so we talked a little bit. But, at the same time, we’re racing each other for a Truck Series championship so we compared Cup notes but stopped right there.”
Announcements regarding sponsorship of Hocevar’s No. 77 entry, personnel, and further details surrounding the landscape of Spire Motorsports in 2024, will be made later.
