NASCAR is reportedly mulling a move to allow Cup Series drivers to participate more in the Xfinity Series and the Craftsman Truck Series. And several top-tier drivers have been expressing their excitement about it.
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Kyle Busch had said last week that he judges whether a driver in the lower tiers is ready for the Cup Series by assessing how they fare against the premier tier drivers. This comment was pointed out to Spire Motorsports driver Carson Hocevar at the World Wide Technology Raceway last weekend.
Hocevar was asked if he ever graded himself against the Cup Series drivers when they came out to race against him in the Craftsman Truck Series.
“Yeah, I mean, I think any time you’re racing a Cup guy in Trucks or Xfinity, you know, ultimately their owners are watching that and that’s how they really grade it,” Hocevar replied.
The 22-year-old, who joined Spire as a full-time driver in the 2024 season, is clear that winning a race with Cup Series drivers on the grid was always better than winning with none of them on it. He used his journey to illustrate it.
“I’m here because I got to go to a Cup field and race against them and got thrown to the deep end, and I didn’t sink right away,” Hocevar said.
“So yeah, I think that’s the biggest thing. If I never got that shot, I would just be hoping Cup guys would come run Trucks and maybe I can outrun them,” he added.
The No. 77 Chevy driver added that he had won the pole at Sonoma Raceway as a Truck Series driver in 2022. The achievement was all the more special because there were four Cup Series drivers right behind him. Such days boost the confidence of youngsters in the lower tiers and with good reason.
Former driver Kenny Wallace supports the move as well. He felt bad for drivers because they couldn’t race against the big dogs. “They don’t have an opportunity now to outrun the best,” he said in a YouTube video.
“They don’t have an opportunity to outrun the Cup drivers. So, although it seemed like this grand idea, what it’s done now is it has dumbed down the Xfinity Series and the Truck Series,” he added.
With many advantages, NASCAR allowing Cup Series drivers to race more in the lower tiers will prove beneficial for both the drivers and the sport’s future.
