Alex Bowman’s NASCAR Cup Series season in 2024 was a tale of two halves. While the #46 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 driver did not set the track ablaze with many exhilarating performances, he and his crew were consistent and fast enough to challenge for the Round of 8 during the season.
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However, a penalty after his Charlotte Roval appearance hindered his playoffs charge which could have changed the outlook of the 2024 season altogether. On the other hand, Carson Hocevar enjoyed a promising debut as a full-time NASCAR driver. Recently, however, his mysterious, captionless posts have sparked a wave of speculation.
The driver of the #77 Spire Motorsports entry recently uploaded an image of his car racing alongside Bowman’s #48 on the track. Not stopping there, he also shared snapshots of his vehicle with Kyle Larson’s #5 Chevy and Chase Elliott’s #9 in action.
While these posts might not specifically hint at anything, they’ve certainly set the rumor mill turning, with fans eager to decode their significance, with some speculating that he might be replacing Bowman at Hendrick Motorsports, the common team featured in all his posts.
One fan succinctly commented, “Next ride I hope,” while another enthused, “Carson you would be 3x the driver than Bowman is at Hendrick right now.” A NASCAR aficionado didn’t mince words in his support for Hocevar, bluntly stating, “Who gives a shit it’s fact that Bowman isn’t that good.”
— Carson Hocevar (@CarsonHocevar) November 16, 2024
But despite Hocevar’s impressive season, the idea of him replacing Bowman doesn’t quite line up. Moreover, back in September 2024, Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman, took to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio to set the record straight on Bowman’s future with the team.
He had declared, “We have a lot of confidence in [Bowman], and [Blake Harris], and the whole No. 48 team. Nobody wants to see them go deeper into the playoffs or go to Phoenix and compete for a championship more than we do. We believe in those guys.” This season, Bowman has notched one win, secured eight top-5s, and garnered 17 top-10s across 36 starts.
Hocevar wins the 2024 Rookie of the Year title
Throughout the season, Josh Berry and Hocevar were neck and neck in the race for Rookie of the Year honors. In the end, the laurels went to the Spire Motorsports driver as he consistently edged out his three rookie rivals — Josh Berry, Zane Smith, and Kaz Grala.
With an 18th-place showing at Phoenix Raceway during Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race, Hocevar wrapped up the season in 21st place overall, amassing 686 points and outpacing Berry by 107 points. Over the course of the year, the 21-year-old secured one top-5 finish in one race and landed in the top-10 six times.
It seems he successfully implemented what he said at the season’s outset, sharing his strategy to consistently finish all races within the top 20 and gradually elevate his performance. Whether he takes the next step in his Cup Series career next year remains to be seen.
