Carson Hocevar won his first-ever NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway in dramatic fashion on Sunday.
Hocevar fought hard after starting twelfth and grabbed the most points of the day with 55.
Hocevar has been close to winning a couple of times since becoming full-time in the Cup Series in 2024.
In the Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Feb. 23, 2025, Hocevar made a big run coming to the checkered flag, but a last-minute caution gave the win to Christopher Bell, instead of the charging Hocevar who finished second.
At the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Hocevar was on the front row, fighting for the lead with less than 100 laps to go before his engine blew up and his day ended. Hocevar was up at the front pretty much the entire race fighting with Denny Hamlin, which made the blown engine so much more painful.
On June 1, 2025, the Cracker Barrel 400 took place where Hocevar again finished second after his late comeback versus Ryan Blaney fell just short at the checkered flag.
During the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway, Hocevar was leading with 19 laps to go when he got a flat left rear tire that left him falling down the order. Hocevar led the second most laps on the day with 32 but was still short on fuel before the puncture.
In the Daytona 500 on Feb. 15, 2026, at Daytona International Speedway, Hocevar was leading on the final lap of the race when he got bumped by Eric Jones, causing him to lose control and crash. Hocevar would finish in 18th place.
For the Autotrader 400 on Feb. 22, 2026, at EchoPark Speedway, Hocevar would take the final restart on the front row but contact with Reddick coming to the white flag would send him down to fourth when the win was in reach.
But on Sunday, April 26, 20265, Hocevar would take the checkered flag to take his first ever Cup Series win at Talladega.
Hocevar led 19 laps during the race, including the final one with a fantastic battle with Chris Buescher for the final four laps.
The win on Sunday puts Hocevar into the top eight of the standings, which is firmly in the Chase top 16.
Hocevar is also having a career year in the Cup Series. On top of getting his first win, Hocevar already has the most top five’s in a season in his career with three, beating out 2025 where he had two top five’s. Hocevar already has four top 10’s as well, which puts him on pace for around 14 top 10’s which would also be a career best in a season.
Hocevar has been the most exciting driver for the past year, and at the rate he is improving, the sky is the limit for him.