The line between racing hard and racing aggressively is a thin one. Cup Series rookie Carson Hocevar is one of the drivers who has a lot of trouble spotting this line and keeping within its boundaries. Driving for Spire Motorsports this season, he has picked up issues with many drivers and earned the wrath of fans. But are the criticisms of reckless driving against him fair? A key stat denies it.
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Of all the drivers in the 2024 Cup Series field, Hocevar has gone the longest without a DNF. The last time he did not finish a race was during the season-opening weekend, in the Daytona 500. He was caught in a wreck just six laps into the event. Keselowski stands second to him having gone 23 races without a DNF and his RFK Racing teammate comes in third, with a 22-race streak.
Races since last DNF
(Full-time drivers) pic.twitter.com/fwNQkiusWp— Trey Ryan (@TreyRyan99) August 26, 2024
Though this stat doesn’t necessarily speak of the crashes that the youngster has caused, it does make a case for why he isn’t as mindless in the car as many portray him to be. Ryan Blaney was one of the drivers he’d angered after wrecking Harrison Burton under caution in Nashville. The defending champion did not go easy on him despite the 25-point penalty and $50,000 fine.
He told NBC Sports, “There has to be repercussions for what you do when it’s something like that. And like I said, that’s something I’ve seen reoccurring with him that hopefully, he learns from it.” Unfortunately, Hocevar did not seem to learn from his mistakes and went on to wreck Joey Logano and Jimmie Johnson during the Brickyard 400. It is undeniable at this stage that he has a lot to work towards if he wishes to have the support of the stands.
Hocevar stands ready to grab Rookie of the Year honors
The 21-year-old driver earned his full-time ride at the premier level after winning four Truck Series races in 2023. His part-time Cup Series run with Legacy Motor Club had also been a huge success with five top-20 results in eight races. Few drivers prove their worth when they get to the highest level of the game and Hocevar has certainly done so, particularly in the past month.
Beginning in the 2024 Brickyard 400, he has finished 12th, 8th, 10th and 11th. These performances have given him an average finish rate of 10.25, one of the highest in the field. He has a 19-point advantage over Josh Berry in the Rookie of the Year battle.
Just a year back, he was preparing for his second-ever Cup Series race in the Southern 500. He goes into the same fixture this season as a driver who has displayed strong potential to be one of the top-runners.
