Carson Hocevar cracks hilarious joke amid NASCAR running overschedule at Watkins Glen

During the final NASCAR overtime of The Mission 200 at The Glen race at Watkins Glen, NASCAR Cup rookie Carson Hocevar playfully chimed in with a prediction amidst the chaos. Following a race update by Jeff Gluck on his official X handle, Hocevar seized the moment to forecast Connor Zilisch's victory, but in a slightly different way.

Jeff Gluck’s update with six laps remaining in the Xfinity Series race stated:

"Matt DiBenedetto is stopped on the racetrack. Caution with six to go. This should get Zilisch closer on fuel, but he'll have to hold off the field on a restart."

The race featured an extended delay of 55 minutes, including two restarts, which included a 22-minute red flag period following a multi-car collision in turn 1, where Ed Jones spun entering the turn. Austin Hill, Anthony Alfredo, William Byron, and Sammy Smith were all caught up in the incident.

Finally, Jeff Gluck provided another update after almost an hour and it was still 6 laps away:

"This was posted 55 minutes ago. Six laps to go. Race still is not over."

In response to this update, Carson Hocevar playfully commented on the prolonged duration of the NASCAR race. Considering Connor Zilisch's victory in the Rolex 24 race earlier in January, Hocevar humorously suggested that the ongoing Mission 200 at The Glen might extend similarly. He quipped:

"Connor has a rare opportunity here to win the Rolex 24 and the Glen 24 in the same year."

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Carson Hocevar's NASCAR Cup Rookie season so far

Carson Hocevar joined Spire Motorsports after an impressive performance in last year's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, where he piloted the #42 Chevy for Niece Motorsports and clinched victories at Texas, Nashville, Richmond, and Homestead.

During his stint last year as a part-time driver in the NASCAR Cup Series with Spire and Legacy Motor Club racing teams, Hocevar finished five out of nine races in the top 20.

This season, Hocevar has continued to demonstrate his capabilities. Behind the wheel of the #77 Chevy as a full-time driver, he has started 27 races, finishing 13 in the top 20 and four in the top 10. His best performances were at Gateway and Richmond, where he secured an eighth-place finish in both races, starting from P20 and P19, respectively.

Following the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Carson Hocevar leads the rookie pack, which includes Josh Berry, Zane Smith, and Kaz Grala. As per the driver standings table, Carson Hocevar is positioned at 22nd with 492 points. Close behind, Stewart-Haas Racing's Josh Berry is ranked 24th with 469 points. Further down the list, Zane Smith is at 34th with 346 points, while Kaz Grala is 35th, holding 169 points.

Carson Hocevar is in a favorable position to clinch the 2024 Rookie of the Year title. However, Josh Berry is also proving to be a formidable competitor, having secured top-5 finishes in three of the last five races.