21-year-old Carson Hocevar is nearing the completion of his debut Cup Series season with Spire Motorsports. Just three more race weekends remain in the year and the Sunoco Rookie of the Year will be decided soon after. Hocevar has had an impressive campaign from behind the No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro, but will it be enough to land him the coveted crown?
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As things stand after the Las Vegas race, he leads the rookie standings with 618 points on the scoring board. 593 of these are regular points, 18 are stage points, and seven came from the Daytona Duels. His best finish was third in Watkins Glen. He also suffered a 25-point setback in Nashville for spinning Harrison Burton under caution. Next in line to him is Josh Berry.
The No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing driver started the season as the successor to Kevin Harvick. Things soon went awry with the team deciding to permanently close shop at the end of the season.
Berry and crew chief Rodney Childers failed to create an impressive mark in what time they had together. The driver now sits 27th in the standings with 519 points in his pocket.
His best finish was third, in Darlington and New Hampshire. It would require a near miracle for him to close the gap that he has with Hocevar at this point.
The third rookie in contention is Zane Smith. He has secured 481 points so far driving the No. 71 Chevrolet Camaro for Spire Motorsports. The final debutant is Kaz Grala, who sits 35th in the standings with 188 points (He didn’t run 12 races).
Hocevar’s reputation as an aggressive driver keeps growing
Even before getting into the Cup Series, Hocevar faced criticism for controversial racing methods in trucks. Experts and analysts expressed their opinions that he will have to tone his anger down a lot to become a mainstay in the premier tier. It was obvious throughout this season that he tried to do that. But it did not work out with 100% efficiency.
He was blamed for inducing a crash between Jimmie Johnson and Joey Logano in Indianapolis back in July. He wrecked Burton during a caution in Nashville to earn the wrath of many including defending champion Ryan Blaney. More such instances stand against him and whatever good intentions he has.
Kevin Harvick was one person who backed him despite all. He expressed on his podcast that people were pinning the blame on him just because he was in the middle of a lot of things. Either way, the Rookie of the Year award appears to be heading home to him.
