“God created this car for me”: Carson Hocevar turning heads with his NASCAR Cup Series performances of late

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series regular Carson Hocevar has been making a name for himself in the highest echelon of the sport. Seen driving for Legacy Motor Club in the NASCAR Cup Series for the past couple of weekends, Hocevar's introduction to big leagues has been as good as a driver can hope for.

Starting out by filling in for Spire Motorsports driver Corey LaJoie as he filled in for a suspended Chase Elliott, Hocevar has been driving the #42 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

The young 20-year-old driver managed to crack the top 20 two times out of his four appearances in the Cup Series, along with a P11 finish at Bristol Motor Speedway last weekend.

Not only did Hocevar almost crack the top 10, if it was not for his teammate Erik Jones passing him, he also would have finished stage 2 of the previous race in fifth position. Elaborating on how the Next Gen Cup car plays to his strengths, the Portage, Michigan native elaborated after the race:

“This car, for whatever reason, suits me a lot. I don’t know if God created this car for me or something, but that’s where that delusion comes from. A lot of fun.”

Carson Hocevar will also be seen driving this weekend as the Cup Series prepares to race at Texas Motor Speedway for the first race of the Round of 12 in the 2023 playoffs.

Jimmie Johnson on Carson Hocevar's performance so far

The 7-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and co-owner of the Legacy Motor Club, Jimmie Johnson, was all praises for Carson Hocevar. This was after he drove in four races for the up-and-coming team. In a statement released by the former Hendrick Motorsports driver, Johnson said:

“I’m so happy it’s going well with Carson. I’m really impressed with how he drives the car to the limit and stays within his own means. That’s a skill usually developed over time and often through making mistakes. As we all know, he’s a young guy, just starting off on his Cup journey.”

Hocevar will also be seen behind the wheel of the #42 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 the coming weekend when NASCAR heads to Talladega Superspeedway for the second Round of 12 race this season.

It remains to be seen how the Niece Motorsports driver's part-time performances in the Cup Series influence his appearance on the 2024 field.