Spire Motorsports full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver Carson Hocevar has competed in eight of the first nine races on the 2026 Craftsman Truck Series season.
He is not bound by the eight-race limit that other drivers are, since he is only in his third season as a full-time Cup driver, and his only missed start thus far came in the series' inaugural race on the St. Petersburg, Florida street course, since the Cup Series was competing at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) that weekend. He won the race at Texas Motor Speedway earlier this month.
He had been lined up to compete in each of the next three races at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway, and Michigan International Speedway as well, but after competing in six consecutive races dating back to the March race at Darlington Raceway, he is no longer in line to be back behind the wheel of the No. 77 Chevrolet until next weekend's Nashville race.
With Hocevar instead set to focus squarely on Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 Cup Series race this weekend, Spire Motorsports have turned to a familiar face to fill the seat of the No. 77 truck.
Carson Hocevar replacement confirmed for Charlotte
Spire Motorsports have fielded a third truck just twice this year, and when they did so at Watkins Glen International two weekends ago, it was Trackhouse Racing Cup Series driver Connor Zilisch who drove the No. 71 Chevrolet.
This weekend, Zilisch, who finished second in that race, is set to take Hocevar's place in the No. 77 truck, joining a roster that consists exclusively of full-time Cup drivers.
The team have once again added the No. 71 truck, this time for Trackhouse Racing Cup driver Shane van Gisbergen, while Kyle Busch is set to make the fifth of his eight scheduled starts of the year in his usual No. 7 truck.
Van Gisbergen also competed in the Truck Series race at Watkins Glen, finishing third for Niece Motorsports. He hasn't run a Truck Series oval race since his series debut at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in 2023. As for Busch, he has won two of his first four Truck Series starts this year, and he is an eight-time Charlotte winner in the series.
Zilisch does not currently have any further plans to compete in the Truck Series beyond this weekend.
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