Carson Hocevar is one of NASCAR’s most intriguing prospects, and a win at Nashville this weekend in the Craftsman Truck Series furthered his case for a full-time Xfinity Series ride. A particularly good ride officially opened up this past week with Josh Berry making the move from JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series to Stewart-Haas Racing in the Cup Series. Hocevar is a popular name to replace Berry, and that came from a tweet from the bossman himself, Dale Earnhardt Jr. after Hocevar’s first Cup Series start.
This understandably raised some eyebrows, with many already knowing that Berry was likely on his way out by this point. Well, Hocevar, who was in the Xfinity race this past weekend for Spire Motorsports, had a couple of interesting tweets in the lead-up to the Xfinity Series race this Saturday. First, a reply to a JR Motorsports paint scheme reveal.
Carson Hocevar replying to a tweet with a team he has no affiliation with, and a sponsor that he has no affiliation with either. Seems harmless, and maybe he just has a great taste in cereal. However, that was not the last reply, and this next one was interesting too.
I mean, Carson Hocevar wishing his competition good luck. This is not an uncommon thing to do to competitors, and, of course, you want your competitors to run a safe race. That was not the last tweet Hocevar replied to on social media.
What is the word? I do not know what the word is, and Carson Hocevar is going a great detective’s job in finding out for me and the rest of NASCAR Twitter about what the word is. Innocent enough right? RIGHT????
No official announcement has been made, and no reputable reporter has said that Hocevar is the favorite for the JR Motorsports number 8 car next year. These Tweets may merely be coincidences, but what could Carson Hocevar with JR Motorsports look like? Why could it, and what are the risks?
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Of all Chevrolet drivers in the Craftsman Truck Series, Hocevar seems to have the most upside. He is only 19 years old and he has won two races this season.
His last race win at Nashville was also a race where he outdrove the competition. It was not based on fuel mileage, or knocking someone out of the way – Hocevar was the best driver driving the best car that night.
Not only that, but Hocevar has proven that he can run well in series higher up the ladder. He ran in the top-15 before a brake rotor exploded at Gateway in the Cup Series for Spire Motorsports. In the Xfinity Series, Hocevar has two top-10 finishes, and he was running well before being caught up in an accident at Nashville last weekend.
He definitely is a driver that deserves a chance to race in higher divisions. JR Motorsports is arguably the best equipment in the Xfinity Series, and, if Hocevar runs well with Spire, what could he do with better equipment?
Hocevar is only 20 years old, and he, at times, has shown the ability to be a bit overly aggressive. Most notably, with the way he won his first career Craftsman Truck Series race at Texas earlier this season.
Add to that, Hocevar is a slightly later bloomer in the Truck Series. This is his third full-time season in the series, and he just this year won his first race. Could he be a later bloomer in the Xfinity Series or the Cup Series, and would someone be willing to bring someone in who could be a project?
Now, with how Hocevar has improved over the years, it’s possible that these concerns may be unfounded. However, that is always a risk when hiring young drivers, and, just because Hocevar ran a few races well, does that mean he can consistently for a full schedule?
Brian Vickers won an Xfinity Series Championship in 2003, but he was done at Hendrick Motorsports in the Cup Series after three mediocre seasons. That’s just one example, but it proves how complicated it can be for drivers to make the jump up to the higher divisions.
These Tweets could mean nothing, but they could also mean everything. Ultimately, time will tell whether or not Hocevar to JR Motorsports actually materializes. It would an interesting story.
