On Sunday at EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta, 23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick made history in becoming the first driver in 17 years to win back-to-back races to start a NASCAR Cup Series season. But it was the fourth-place finisher who captured everybody's attention.
Carson Hocevar.
"The Hurricane", as NBC broadcaster Leigh Diffey dubbed him last year, and his afternoon in Atlanta was most certainly that. He ran up front early, had a tire go down, lost two laps, got them back, was involved in multiple wrecks, and nearly won.
He's the most exciting driver in NASCAR. And whether you're a fan or not, you'd better get ready to start hearing a whole lot more from him.
Carson Hocevar's unapologetic checkers-or-wreckers mentality makes him NASCAR's most enticing villain in decades
A few years ago, the NASCAR world couldn't stop talking about Ross Chastain. He either won, wrecked someone, or both. He and his Trackhouse Racing team came out of absolutely nowhere to challenge the Cup Series' established powers for their throne, and they didn't like it.
Then, he messed up one too many times at Darlington Raceway in 2023, and Rick Hendrick had some conversations with Chevrolet that conveniently resulted in Trackhouse experiencing an immediate drop-off in speed.
The version of Chastain we've seen ever since is a much quieter agent of chaos; he'll show up once in a blue moon to spoil the party, but not nearly often enough to live rent-free in his competitors' heads the way he used to. And the sport is less interesting as a result.
No worries, though, because now Hurricane Hocevar has touched down. The Portage, Michigan native is a full decade younger than Chastain, and he might be even more polarizing. He's yet to win a Cup Series race, and he's already Public Enemy No. 1 among many of his peers.
And the best part? He does not care.
That was as clear as ever on Sunday. On the first overtime restart, Hocevar shot for a gap between race leaders Bubba Wallace and Christopher Bell, inadvertently hooking the latter into the outside wall. He apologized for the incident, but also made it known that he'd gladly take the same risk if given the opportunity again.
It's what makes Hocevar NASCAR's perfect villain. In a world where drivers are constantly taking the corporately correct approach, always looking for someone to please, whether that be their manufacturer, their sponsors, or fellow competitors, he has no interest in scoring PR brownie points. He's not going to change, nor is he going to pretend otherwise.
Hocevar knows he needs to earn his peers' respect. But he wants to earn that respect through force, rather than by cozying up to the old guard. He's a personality the sport hasn't seen the likes of perhaps since Kyle and Kurt Busch were his age, a baby-faced young hotshot who comes in and embraces the heel role by being shamelessly authentic.
Hocevar is the type of driver who can transcend NASCAR. He can bring new fans to the sport and become a mainstream marketing machine. He has the talent, the charisma, and the edge-of-your-seat showmanship. All he needs to do is start winning; and make no mistake, he will. Likely this year.
Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Tyler Reddick all scored their maiden victories in their third seasons, which is where Hocevar is at now. His Spire Motorsports team has gotten a little bit better every year for the past several, and they just added longtime successful crew chief Chris Gabehart as Chief Motorsports Officer. They are a rising powerhouse, built around one of the sport's most enigmatic young stars.
If you haven't fastened your seatbelts yet for the Hurricane Hocevar Experience, you'd better buckle up. He's going to wreck some cars. He's going to win some races. He's going to steal the show in the type of way that makes you either love him or love to hate him, but no matter the case, you'll sure be glad you watched.
He's NASCAR's newest supervillain. And he's exactly what the sport needs.