Editor’s note: This is the eighth in a series in which we goodbye the top 30 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in reverse order of the final 2025 standings.
Driver: Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Team leader: Luc Lambert
Final ranking 2025: 23
Key stats: 0 wins, 2 top 5s, 9 top 10s, 122 laps led
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How 2025 ended: Unsurprisingly, Hocevar has been a firecracker in 2025. The No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet has been bad for much of the season, and almost too fast at times. Hocevar retired three times due to engine failures, the most notable coming at the Coca-Cola 600, where he was on the front row on the restart to start the final stage before smoke billowed from his hot rod in Turns 1 and 2. Hocevar missed the playoffs, but strung together three top-10 finishes in the last 10 races at Darlington, Bristol and Talladega. On the other hand, he has finished 28th or lower in five of the last six races.
Best race: A handful of picks, but Hocevar’s home race at Michigan nearly delivered his first career Cup Series victory. With an onslaught of William Byron, Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin in pursuit, Hocevar held the field at bay until 19 hours to go, when the No. 77 saw a left rear tire fall. He finished 29th, but set a career high with 32 laps led on the 2-mile oval.
RELATED: 2026 Cup Series Schedule | Carson Hocevar Driver Page
Other highlights of the season: Hocevar has two second results in 2025 – in the spring in Atlanta and in Nashville. In Atlanta, the warning came out before the checkered flag as Hocevar battled for victory with Larson and eventual winner Christopher Bell. The second-year Cup driver had his most consistent run later in Nashville, finishing just behind a dominant Ryan Blaney. Hocevar won his first career Busch Light Pole Award at Texas Motor Speedway.
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Stat to know: Hocevar’s two second results came from the 26th starting position. Of his nine top 10 finishes, only two came from a top 10 starting position.
Quotable: “I already have this image, right? Like it’s never going to go away. I could go there in three years, and it’s just like oh, I’m back, per se. I think I already made this image before I walked into this garage, and I think it’s just about trying to balance one thing between owning it and trying to change the narrative while still being like, yeah, I get it. Like I’m aware of this and knowing that.” — Hocevar spoke about his image on the track during a press conference in Pocono.
Looking to the future: Hocevar will return to the No. 77 Chevrolet for Spire for the 2026 season. Alongside teammate Michael McDowell in 2025, Hocevar will be joined by Spire newcomer Daniel Suárez as the Mexican driver takes the helm of the No. 7. Not only will a win be on the mind of the driver entering his third full-time campaign, but making the playoffs will be Spire’s biggest aspiration for next season.
