There was a time when Carson Hocevar was fifth in the NASCAR Cup Series standings and viewed as a dark-horse championship contender.
Those days were less than three weeks ago, prior to the green flag in the Aug. 9 race at Iowa Speedway.
In the three races since, Hocevar has slipped from fifth to 11th in points. Mechanical issues at Iowa resulted in a 31st-place finish. A blown engine at Richmond relegated him to 37th. He finished 19th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday — a fantastic result considering he spun on the pace laps and was backwards twice during the race, including a particularly egregious incident that saw him get frustrated with Connor Zilisch and turn himself across Zilisch’s nose.
It was a microcosm of the chaotic nature that has made Hocevar a favorite of fans and a frustrating figure to his fellow drivers.