Hocevar fans, the wait is finally over.
On Sunday, Carson Hocevar claimed victory in the 2026 Jack’s Links 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, the first of his career.
The race itself was anything but tame. In stage two of the race, 26 out of 40 cars were involved in a crash in turn three, lovingly called The Big One.
With a late-race restart due to Erik Jones spinning off of turn four, a dash to the finish was set up, with Hocevar leading on the inside lane, with Chris Buescher to his outside. Hocevar would hold off everybody behind him, crossing the finish line first as cars crashed behind him.
Hocevar was ecstatic on the radio, screaming, cheering, hooting and hollering while on the cool-down lap. As he prepared to do his celebration, he was seen trying to climb half-way out of the car, and after about a minute of attempts, Hocevar would sit on the windowsill, and start driving his car around while riding on the side.
Hocevar would actually hit up against the wall in front of the start/finish line, almost falling out, but continue to do a burnout using the wall as a ram.
The win is Spire Motorsports’ second win, their first since July 2019 at Daytona, where Justin Haley would lead at the time of a lightning delay, which would end the race prematurely when the rains came.
After the win Hocevar said the following,
“This is the biggest dream I’ve ever thought of. To win at Talladega is just a dream come true. I knew we were going to win. I really did. For whatever reason today, I never stopped myself from thinking it. I just kept believing. I just wanted to soak every bit of it in. I could tell you every second from coming off Turn 4 to right now. That means more than anything to me.”
Hocevar’s impact on NASCAR has been controversial throughout the years, and his rough driving style has given him comparisons to that of 7-time Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt.
Hocevar’s winning paint scheme is a nod to his comparison to Earnhardt, as his black #77 Chili’s Ride the Dente’ car takes inspiration from Earnhardt’s famed #3 GM Goodwrench car, which gave him the title of the Man in Black.
Hocevar has been close to winning on multiple occasions as far back as the 2025 season, when he blew an engine from the lead in the Coca-Cola 600, strong finishes at both Atlanta races, and this season, when he was spun from the lead of the Daytona 500 on the last lap.
Hocevar is now eighth in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series points standings, and the sky is the limit for him and his team, as Spire Motorsports attempts to prove that they can contend with the superteams and dynasties of NASCAR.
