Editor’s Be aware: This marks the ultimate story in a three-part collection as Spire Motorsports permits NASCAR Digital Media to cowl its preparation for the 2025 Daytona 500.
MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Luke Lambert knew in the summertime of 2023 that Carson Hocevar was the actual deal. On the precipice of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Collection season, the crew-chief-driver combo is able to show it.
Hocevar highlights an thrilling, contemporary roster of driver expertise at Spire Motorsports, lined up for his second full season within the Cup Collection behind the wheel of the No. 77 Chevrolet with Lambert atop the pit field. Alongside him is Justin Haley within the No. 7 automotive, one other younger driver who has showcased his personal bursts of potential, in addition to 2021 Daytona 500 champion and two-time Cup race winner Michael McDowell, who steps into the No. 71 Chevy after seven years with Entrance Row Motorsports.
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Now 22, Hocevar made his Cup debut at World Extensive Know-how Raceway at Gateway in June 2023, coincidentally at Spire within the No. 7 automotive. He instantly proved his pure pace and talent regardless of his novice nature — and earlier than a mechanical failure finally sidelined him. So when Legacy Motor Membership wanted a substitute driver via 9 of the ultimate 10 races of that season, the Michigan native received the decision with Lambert then calling the photographs for the No. 42 Chevrolet.
That mixture produced improved outcomes almost instantly, netting top-20 finishes in every of his first 4 begins and together with an Eleventh-place effort in his first 500-lap characteristic at Bristol Motor Speedway. Collectively, Hocevar and Lambert moved to Spire’s No. 77 crew forward of the 2024 season and have become a weekly fixture inside the highest 20 — evidenced by his 18.3 common end — as Hocevar earned Rookie of the 12 months honors.
There may be greater than hope that his sophomore 12 months as a full-time Cup driver will produce even higher outcomes. Fairly, there’s an expectation to contend for a spot inside NASCAR’s 16-driver playoff area on the entrance finish of what might be a prolonged keep on the sport’s prime degree.
“I really feel like his runway is actually lengthy right here,” Lambert mentioned. “I really feel like that my function in it with him is to work with him and assist him to anticipate a number of the issues which are going to be huge challenges on this sport and study the fitting occasions to push the fitting occasions to make aggressive strikes actually attempt to reinforce the self-discipline that it takes to compete at this degree.”
Managing that aggression degree might stand as probably the most important problem for each Lambert and Hocevar. A younger, quick and fiery driver, Hocevar has discovered himself within the middle of controversy over the previous few years — first as a full-time Craftsman Truck Collection contender from 2021-23 and persevering with to the Cup degree final 12 months, earmarked by a Nashville Superspeedway run-in with Harrison Burton that resulted in a after spinning Burton underneath yellow-flag circumstances.
“It’d clarify typically after I do dumb issues or make errors, however a whole lot of occasions, it’s actually simply going off intuition and doing every little thing and actually being on autopilot,” Hocevar instructed NASCAR.com Feb. 4. “That’s why I need to race every single day of my life, simply because the extra I could be on that autopilot, the higher I believe I’m.”
Therein lies the not possible steadiness Hocevar should navigate: Preserve doing what has labored and gotten him to the world’s prime degree of stock-car racing, however refine these tough edges and remove any doubt that he belongs — and maybe take away any lingering friction amongst his rivals.
“Thankfully, he’s on this place as a 22-year-old now,” Lambert mentioned. “I believe it’s an superior alternative to be that younger and to be competing on the prime degree of motorsports in america. I need to be part of watching all of that develop and see him be the most effective model of himself. And so I need to have the ability to be part of that by serving to reinforce the self-discipline and serving to him learn to work inside the remainder of our crew. However as a lot as the rest for me, it’s enjoyable to be part of the trip and to do it with him, together with his crew. And we now have a superb time working collectively, and that’s icing on the cake.”
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Lambert and Hocevar head the one Spire crew that returns intact from its 2024 marketing campaign. Inside the store are loads of new faces that needed to navigate competing in opposition to Hocevar in prior years.
“It’s been fascinating as a result of a whole lot of the blokes that got here on this constructing have raced in opposition to me,” Hocevar mentioned. “It’s humorous. Plenty of them didn’t like racing in opposition to me, however they like racing with me. In order that’s been enjoyable for me. And in truth, like I do know Matt McCall, like, he loves it. I really feel like I’m some of the assured individuals in myself. And I really feel like that’s a part of the rationale that was quick in a Cup automotive instantly was you’ve gotten this confidence as a race automotive driver, and a few of it’s blended with delusion and daydreaming and pipe desires and every little thing. However when you’ve got the boldness to only go and do it, there’s a whole lot of occasions there’s pace and availability there.
“The one factor I’ve ever been afraid of was being sluggish. I’ve by no means been afraid of pushing too laborious or making errors.”
In his inaugural Daytona 500 look one 12 months in the past, Hocevar certified ninth however accomplished simply 5 laps after falling sufferer to different drivers’ errors and getting collected in , finally ending fortieth — final — within the “Nice American Race.”
“Superspeedways should not my forte,” Hocevar mentioned.
His typical technique, he continued, is to trip close to the again of the sector for almost all of the race and capitalize on others’ misfortune. That technique usually performed in his favor within the different 5 drafting-style races in 2024, averaging a 15.4 end throughout them.
This 12 months, Hocevar has two new teammates behind the wheel. Haley, a Daytona winner in 2019, changed Corey LaJoie within the No. 7 automotive for the ultimate seven races of 2024 and has crew chief Rodney Childers becoming a member of atop the pit field this 12 months. McDowell, who earned 5 of his six 2024 Busch Mild Pole Awards on superspeedways final 12 months, joins this 12 months with crew chief Travis Peterson to interchange Zane Smith and Co. within the No. 71. Every driver has their very own particular person strengths, which Hocevar says he believes will solely higher all of them.
“I believe we’re gonna be capable of make one another quicker,” Hocevar mentioned. “After I don’t know (tips on how to be higher), they’ll know. And once they don’t know, I’ll know. And I believe it’s that method in crew chiefs, proper? I believe Rodney’s robust swimsuit is the quick tracks, and Travis’ robust fits (are) the street programs and superspeedways, and our robust swimsuit’s the mile-and-a-halves and actually quick tracks, proper? So whenever you look even at our crew-chief lineup, and you then throw Matt McCall and Ryan Sparks in there, you’ve gotten all of your bases lined.”
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Haley, 25, has spent this offseason studying the microscopic element that Childers and his crew put into every step of preparation. What he hasn’t fairly found out is Hocevar.
“I don’t know if I’ve realized something about Carson,” Haley instructed NASCAR.com with fun on Feb. 4. “He’s sort of his personal animal, and I let him do his personal factor and let him discover his personal method. Clearly, he’s tremendous fast and has a whole lot of pace, and, you already know, McDowell is skilled and been round it perpetually. I sort of fall within the center.
“We actually haven’t even actually developed a crew dynamic on the race monitor. Clearly, we’ve been in a number of conferences on the store, however Bowman Grey was fairly rushed, and we didn’t have a debrief as a result of we went straight into qualifying. So, we had our first debrief in the present day. It went effectively, and we’ll construct off of that.”
At age 40, McDowell is definitely the elder statesman of this system. With that comes built-in belief in his suggestions. However he additionally gives a contemporary perspective to a still-burgeoning group of racers. In becoming a member of Spire, McDowell pointed to his belief within the possession group’s outlook via co-owner Jeff Dickerson and crew president Invoice Anthony.
“I believe everyone knows tips on how to make race vehicles go quick, and I really feel like we’ve introduced individuals to make race vehicles go quick,” McDowell mentioned Jan. 29. “But it surely’s having a transparent imaginative and prescient, and it’s having good management and having the ability to execute that. And so I really feel that’s in all probability the most important power that I’ve seen right here, is that Jeff and Invoice and all people dedicated to the expansion of this race crew, and never simply quick time period, however long run. They’re doing all of the issues that additionally symbolize them, proper?
“It’s one factor to speak about it and say, ‘Oh, we’re gonna be actually invested on this and this and this. However they’ve been, and so they’re doing it.”
Collectively, they’ll go into battle Sunday with hopes one of many three walks away with a Daytona 500 victory.
