21-year-old Carson Hocevar has managed to live up to expectations as a Cup Series rookie in 2024. Driving the #77 Chevrolet Camaro for Spire Motorsports, he has secured two top-10 finishes and multiple top-20 results. As hard and challenging as his job is, the young driver has all the motivation that he needs at close quarters via the example of his girlfriend, Peyton Lanphear, a cancer survivor.
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23-year-old Lanphear is a native of Waterbury, Vermont. Born in a racing family herself, she began racing street stocks as a teen and went on to compete in Late Models. It was in 2020 that she met Hocevar through their combined love for speed. However, fate had a harsh twist awaiting in their story. Lanphear was diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma in May 2022.
Following treatment at the Levine Cancer Institute in North Carolina, she successfully broke out of the disease towards the end of the very same year. Celebrating the victory of his counterpart, Hocevar wrote on X, “Cancer is [a] very tough thing to watch and can only imagine dealing first hand with it. However, my favorite person beat this battle today. Officially cancer-free!”
The driver’s love for his girl was apparent when he took her to his Spire Motorsports garage to celebrate her birthday with the entire team on March 2, 2024. He wrote, posting pictures of the moments on social media, “Dragged Peyton to the race track and got to celebrate her birthday with her and the whole 77 team today! I love you, babe, glad you could be here at the track with me!”
Carson Hocevar’s journey to the pinnacle of stock car racing
One of the most important relationships that Hocevar has is that of his father, Scott. He worked as a crew member for multiple teams in Portage, Michigan, which helped fuel Hocevar’s love for motorsports.
He began racing in quarter midgets at the age of 7 and transitioned to late models later. A short tenure in ARCA Menards resulted in him gaining a seat in the Driver’s Edge Development program in 2019.
This subsequently led to a three-year stint in the Craftsman Truck Series, where he won four races and 33 top-10s. His current role in the garage of Spire Motorsports is poised to take him to greater heights in the sport.
