Staff members at Berlin Raceway are still buzzing about Portage native Carson Hocevar’s first NASCAR Cup Series win last month at Talladega.
MARNE, Mich. — As president of Berlin Raceway and Entertainment Complex, Mike Bursley remembers being blown away by the talent and enthusiasm of a young Carson Hocevar.
“I met him at the age of 12, all he ever wanted to do was race. That’s the only thing he knew about,” Bursley said.
“I mean a 12-year-old kid that’s racing big stock cars against people that are 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 years old, and he’s racing and competing with them.”
Hocevar was doing more than competing. He was winning. The first time he graced victory lane at Berlin was during a late model race when he was 13. Bursley mentored Hocevar during those young years.
“You’re working with a teenage kid who is not allowed to drive on the road, but he’s able to drive on a race track, and just little things to where it’s starting off with the language, the lingo of a team and a driver, how they’re going to communicate,” he said. “You’re learning how to shift. You’re learning how to restart. You’re learning how to feel and diagnose the corners of the car.”
Hocevar has come a long way since those days. The staff at Berlin Raceway is still buzzing about his big win in the Jack Links 500 at Talladega last month.
“He’s kind of become really an overnight sensation, overnight superstar,” Bursley said.
“And on NASCAR at Racing’s highest stage, to go there and win and be one of the few drivers to be able to do it. It’s just, it’s an awesome thing to see, and I’m super happy for him.”
Hocevar went viral for his victory lap, where he drove the car with his legs while hanging out the side of the car. Bursley said with a laugh that is not one of the things he taught him.
“No, I was not, but he’s tall enough that he could be hanging halfway out the car and still be able to drive with his knee and his feet still reaching the pedals, but that was a very cool thing to see. I will say I’m sitting there watching it on TV, going, please don’t fall out of that thing and run yourself over,” he said.
“But I mean, like I said, that’s who he is. He wants to be one with the fans. He embraced that moment to the fullest, and it was just an awesome experience. And I think the fans really love seeing that type of emotion and then engagement with them, because I feel like that’s what NASCAR’s almost lost. It’s lost that fan driver engagement. And I think he’s finding ways to bring it back.”
Hocevar, along with fellow Michigan native Erik Jones, routinely comes back to Berlin Raceway for weeknight races.
“I don’t think I can say how much we appreciate those guys coming back here,” Bursley said. “The fans love it. People can’t always afford to go to a NASCAR race or take their family to a NASCAR event, but they can come back here and see that driver race, even against their neighbor, their husband, their kid at a local level. And it’s awesome to have those guys come back and race.”
Hocevar doesn’t currently have any confirmed dates at Berlin, however, Bursley strongly hinted that if fans come out to a race in early June there’s a good chance they may be able to see Hocevar race up close.