There weren't very many positives to take away from the racing product that was put on display in Sunday's Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.
It was the type of race that needed to be saved by a greater storyline, and thankfully, NASCAR fans got exactly that.
Carson Hocevar outdueled Chris Buescher to score his first NASCAR Cup Series win in his 91st career start. Then, after taking the checkered flag, he rode the 'Dente.
Iconic. Carson Hocevar celebrates at Talladega hanging out the window. pic.twitter.com/Na2Qf3EPuE
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) April 26, 2026
Despite his polarizing reputation, Hocevar was serenaded with cheers from the grandstands. The expressive 23-year-old is one of NASCAR's most enigmatic personalities in years, and it begs a possibility that has felt out of the question for a long time.
If anybody can dethrone Chase Elliott as NASCAR's Most Popular Driver, it's Carson Hocevar.
Ever since Dale Earnhardt Jr. retired after the 2017 season, NASCAR's Most Popular Driver award has been monopolized by Chase Elliott. Yet, one of the most common critiques of the 2020 Cup Series champion is that he has "no personality".
Now, this belief has always been overblown. Elliott just has a very deadpanned personality, somewhat reminiscent of Matt Kenseth, and he's been known to come through with a classic one-liner when called upon.
That said, Elliott is not the type of outgoing character who is going to bring new fans to the sport in droves. His popularity has always felt less self-made and more inherited, from fans of his father Bill as well as many supporters of Jeff Gordon, whom he replaced at Hendrick Motorsports in 2016, and Earnhardt Jr., whose team he drove for in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series.
It feels conceivable that if a young star who is popular enough becomes successful enough, he could break Elliott's stranglehold on the award. Someone like Ross Chastain may have had a chance if he could have built upon his electric breakout season in 2022, but unfortunately for him, he's now stuck driving Trackhouse Racing's Kubota tractors at every non-superspeedway or road course.
Hocevar is the guy who can do it. His Spire Motorsports team is ascending and has virtually unlimited funds. He's nothing short of a championship-caliber raw talent, who is slowly learning how to harness it. And his charisma is unmatched.
If there is one driver in NASCAR today who can grow the sport's popularity more than anybody else, it's Hocevar. The comparisons to a young Dale Earnhardt Sr. from a personality standpoint are real, particularly in the vein that he embraces both the positives and negatives of his reputation. He may be disliked by some, but he is already beloved by many more, numbers which will only rise the more he wins.
Assuming Hocevar continues on his superstar trajectory, it might be a solid bet that by the end of the 2020s and perhaps as soon as the next season or two, the NASCAR Cup Series will have a new Most Popular Driver.
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