Carson Hocevar came close to challenging Kyle Larson in the final stage at Bristol Motor Speedway — a race largely dominated by the #5 Hendrick Motorsports driver, who completed a weekend sweep after winning the Xfinity Series event as well. However, a costly misstep on pit road derailed Hocevar’s momentum, dropping him two laps off the lead and putting a potential podium finish out of reach.
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After qualifying P9 for the Food City 500 at Bristol, Carson Hocevar wasted no time climbing the ranks. By the end of Stage 1, he had already cracked the top five. In Stage 2, he continued his charge, finishing fourth — outpacing Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs, who would ultimately claim second and third, respectively.
Come Stage 3, up until lap 142, Hocevar was running toe-to-toe with Larson and Hamlin, having engaged in a fierce, back-and-forth battle with Gibbs for track position.
However, the tide turned during a green-flag pit stop in the final stage. What should have been a routine stop stretched to 22 seconds, derailing his run entirely. After the crew completed the right-side tire change, the #77 car slipped off the jack while they moved to the left side. The delay in resetting the jack and bolting the tires dropped Hocevar two laps down — a mishap that took him out of contention.
Though crushed, Hocevar took to social media to express pride in his team’s performance rather than dwell on the disappointment. The Spire Motorsports driver, who had already secured a top-five earlier this season at Atlanta, looked ready for another P2 or P3 finish before things took a turn for the worse.
Reflecting on the emotional upheaval, he wrote, “idk if i cry or laugh. but i do know i am proud of our speed and our team to bring that good of quality of race car.”
idk if i cry or laugh. but i do know i am proud of our speed and our team to bring that good of quality of race car.
— Carson Hocevar (@CarsonHocevar) April 13, 2025
Back on track, his pace was nearly identical to that of Larson and Hamlin, making the setback all the more agonizing. Realizing what could have been, Hocevar’s frustration boiled over on the radio. “Can I get some info on where the f*ck I’m at?” he snapped. In the end, Carson Hocevar had to settle for an eleventh-place finish, ending the race one lap down.
Speaking on pit road after the checkered flag, Hocevar didn’t hide his frustration. He said, “You just go back out and run. For me, it was really helpful that, motivation-wise, the #5 and the #11 were right there.”
“I did everything I could to work past the No. 11 and get myself (into the) free pass spot … We held onto [Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin]. Just wish we were on the lead lap, obviously.”
While Hocevar had hoped to close out the weekend with a strong result — perhaps even contend for his first Cup Series win as a tribute to his late grandmother, who passed away last week — it simply wasn’t in the cards. For the #77 Spire Motorsports driver, it was a week that tested both his strength and patience.
