NASCAR: The rookie quietly having a strong season

NASCAR Truck Series driver Carson Hocevar is quietly having a very strong season for Niece Motorsports behind the wheel of the #42 Chevrolet.

Though Carson Hocevar is not receiving the same recognition as many other drivers in the NASCAR Truck Series, he has greatly exceeded expectations in his rookie campaign thus far.

Hocevar’s consistency and ability to keep the truck clean have landed him in the playoffs. The driver of the #42 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet has shown exceptional talent, maturity and growth to get to this point.

Niece Motorsports have duly rewarded Hocevar’s performance, announcing earlier this week that the 18-year-old Portage, Michigan native is set to return for another full-time season in 2022.

The #42 team’s consistency and avoidance of wrecks have allowed for improvement throughout the 15-race regular season and the start of the playoffs.

While other young drivers are prone to aggressive mistakes, Hocevar remarkably has zero DNFs and has completed 2,036 of the 2,038 laps that have been run. He has posted an average finish of 12.3, sixth best among full-time drivers.

Hocevar showed strong speed at Darlington Raceway and Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, earning finishes of third and second place in those races, respectively. So the #42 team certainly have the round of 10 race at Darlington Raceway circled on the playoff calendar.

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Hocevar’s 2021 season is the best by a Niece Motorsports driver since Ross Chastain’s three-win 2019 season, and unlike when Chastain drove for the team, Niece Motorsports no longer have a close technical alliance with series powerhouse GMS Racing.

Similar to Chastain’s 2019 Championship 4 run, Hocevar has Phil Gould as his crew chief. Gould has won in both the Xfinity Series and the Truck Series, and he has certainly aided in the the #42 Chevrolet’s speed and Hocevar’s development.

Hocevar sits in seventh place in the standings after the first race of the round of 10, the opening round of the three-round, seven race playoffs, 13 points above the round of 8 cut line.

Look for Niece Motorsports to continue building a solid program around Hocevar throughout the rest of the 2021 season and into 2022.