NASCAR Cup driver Carson Hocevar went from last-to-fourth in the 2026 Goodyear 400 at Darlington on March 22. It was another big step for the rapidly evolving Spire Motorsports team.
The team, founded in 2018 by Jeff Dickerson and T.J. Puchyr, has made its most significant improvement since Hocevar joined in 2024, driving the No. 77 Chevrolet.
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“For us it’s been working on three years of notes, working on what we want in the race team,” Hocevar said. “We kind of had a blank canvas in ’24. We had a few good runs, but the good runs were like running from eighth to 10th. Last year we legitimately had a handful of shots to win races. This year we’ve had shots to be up front and contend for wins and we’re just getting going this year.”
Hocevar will be in the Cook Out 400 on March 26 (2:30 p.m., FS1) at Martinsville Speedway.
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Carson Hocevar still doesn’t have friends in NASCAR
Hocevar told Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the Dale Jr. Download in the summer of 2025 that he has no friends in the NASCAR Cup Series, O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, or Craftsman Truck Series.
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As he has progressed and become more prominent in the Cup Series since then, Hocevar was recently asked again whether he has made any friends in the sport.
He has not.
“Within the garage, I just kind of enjoy having (other drivers) be competitors,” Hocevar said. “I have my friend group. Really, I just think it’s healthy that within your friend group you’re not doing all the same things, same stuff. They’re just friends that watch the races or only watch the races because I’m in it.”
Consistency has been key for Carson Hocevar at Spire
The fourth-place finish was the second of the 2026 Cup season for Hocevar, 23. He was also fourth at Atlanta on Feb. 22.
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The closest he’s come to winning was in 2025 at Nashville Superspeedway on June 1, when he was runner-up to Ryan Blaney, and at Atlanta on Feb. 23, when he was also second. He won the non-points 2025 Cup Series All-Star Open Race at North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
Hocevar said the key to the strides he’s made with Spire is the game plan the team has stuck to since he was the NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year in 2024.
“There hasn’t been any turnover on the 77 car since my rookie year,” Hocevar said. “We’ve had the same people when I first walked into the building as I walk in now. I think that’s been important to continue to build.”
The Portage, Michigan, native was a four-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race winner for Niece Motorsports before joining Spire. He won another truck race in 2025 at Kansas Speedway with Spire.
DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – MARCH 22: Carson Hocevar, driver of the #77 Chili’s Marg Machine Chevrolet, waits backstage during pre-race ceremonies prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway on March 22, 2026 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
How Carson Hocevar said Daniel Suarez has helped Spire Motorsports
Daniel Suarez, who left Trackhouse Racing after the 2025 season, joined Hocevar and Michael McDowell for the 2026 season at Spire. Suarez has bolstered the team, posting four top-20 finishes in six races compared to 2025 when he had two top-20s along with two outside the top-30.
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Hocevar is currently 13th and Suarez is 14th in the 2026 Cup points standings with McDowell at 17th.
“For Daniel it’s been good for the (No.) 7 car,” Hocevar said. “When a car struggles, it tends to be a distraction at times and it tends to be a thing where (the team) has to deviate from setups and ideas and just kind of halt the direction of the three cars going in forward progress. It tends to send them on an island. With them running well and Daniel doing a good job, that’s eliminated that distraction that’s been there the last two years.”
Suarez replaced Justin Haley, who struggled with speed at times in the No. 7 car in 2025 and had only two top-10 finishes.
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Carson Hocevar nearing first NASCAR Cup win for Spire Motorsports?
