NASCAR drivers expressed strong wariness about the dangers at the Darlington Raceway with the new short-track package throughout last week. Their fears came true on Sunday as they struggled for grip and battled tire wear in the final stages, but Carson Hocevar was able to handle the package with ease and finish fourth after starting from the rear of the field.
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The Spire Motorsports driver came to Darlington in a swaggering fashion, wearing a cowboy hat and a vintage Earnhardt-inspired design on his No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro. He dealt with the pressure that came with the look and charged through the field in the homestretch to secure his best result yet on the track.
Notably, he passed Chase Briscoe and Austin Dillon with five laps remaining in a daring three-wide move to earn the last of his positions. His performance was impressive for the reason that many other capable drivers found it tough to make passes. He was asked for his opinion on the package after the race, and he shrugged it off as creating only a negligible difference.
“I didn’t think it was too big a difference for me,” Hocevar quipped. “But it was a big difference for a lot of people. Which I am all for. I feel like we kind of hit it, so it would make sense why I am like, ‘Ah! It made a little difference. Its not huge.’ Obviously, it was easier for me to pass because everybody’s stuff was driving so bad.
“It just left a lot of gaps for comers and goers. So, I enjoyed it,” he added.
Carson Hocevar on his day in the 1981 Dale throwback and doing that justice and thoughts on the package pic.twitter.com/cSwUDaZNre
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) March 22, 2026
Unapproved adjustments to replace an upper arm control were discovered during pre-race inspection, and Hocevar was forced to start from the rear of the 37-car field. His only option from there was to force speed. He quickly fell a lap down due to the blistering pace that race leaders Tyler Reddick and Brad Keselowski carried.
When a Stage 2 caution came out, Hocevar’s crew chief, Luke Lambert, used the wave-around rule to put him back on the lead lap. He was 16th at the end of Stage 2. He roared his Camaro to life in the final stage and raced very strategically to make up positions. As he stated, he used the gap in the field to his advantage, making exemplary passes.
Safe to say, Hocevar lived up to the comparisons with Dale Earnhardt on Sunday. It will be interesting to see what his competitors thought of the package and his opinion on it.
