NEWTON, Iowa — Carson Hocevar isn’t ready to call himself a NASCAR Cup Series championship favorite.
But for perhaps the first time in his young career, the 23-year-old driver is openly acknowledging that the possibility exists.
As NASCAR rolled into Iowa Speedway for the weekend’s Cup Series action, Hocevar arrived carrying the momentum of a career-best season and sitting fifth in the points standings, a remarkable position for both the driver and Spire Motorsports as the playoffs rapidly approach.
With strong tracks looming on the postseason schedule and the No. 77 Chevrolet consistently running near the front, Hocevar believes his team can put itself in position to capitalize if championship contenders stumble.
“I think it’s an advantage for us that all the Chase races this year are good tracks for us,” Hocevar said Friday. “We’re just going to try and click off as many good races as we can and see where it shakes out.”
The Michigan native pointed to NASCAR’s unpredictable playoff format as a reason for optimism. While powerhouse organizations such as Joe Gibbs Racing, Team Penske and Hendrick Motorsports are expected to lead the championship battle, Hocevar believes consistency can create opportunities.
“Sometimes they take themselves out of it by just trying to get a little bit more,” Hocevar said. “You want to be next in line if it somehow gets given to you or they have trouble in front of us.”
The comments reflect a growing confidence from a driver who has emerged as one of the season’s biggest surprises.
After years of rebuilding and investment by Spire Motorsports, the organization now finds itself consistently competing near NASCAR’s elite teams. That progress was highlighted following Indianapolis, where Hocevar moved into fifth in the standings and Spire’s transporter lineup temporarily leapfrogged alliance partner Hendrick Motorsports in the garage area hierarchy.
It’s a development that has not gone unnoticed inside the organization.
“It’s great for us,” Hocevar said. “I think we’ve all noticed it and taken pride in it.”
While Spire remains closely aligned with Hendrick Motorsports through engines, pit crews and technical support, Hocevar views the relationship as mutually beneficial rather than competitive.
“Mr. H likes to see seven cars, rather than just four, have a shot,” Hocevar said, referring to Hendrick owner Rick Hendrick. “They look at it like a seven-car deal because of the close alliance.”
The rise of Spire has coincided with significant gains in Hocevar’s weekly performance.
One of the biggest improvements has come in qualifying. After frequently battling to advance into later rounds last season, Hocevar has dramatically improved his average starting position in 2026, allowing him to spend more time racing near the front and accumulating valuable stage points.
“It just makes life a lot easier for you,” Hocevar said. “When we’re up front, have better pit stalls and everything, it just makes life a lot easier when we can have smooth, up-front days.”
Hocevar believes many of his team’s gains have come not from flashy race wins but from maximizing opportunities throughout an event.
“Our season has been kind of built on stage points that just kind of add up,” he said.
Despite his strong position in the standings, Hocevar acknowledged that the playoff picture remains fluid, especially with Daytona International Speedway serving as the regular-season finale.
The superspeedway race could dramatically alter the standings thanks to playoff bonus points and the unpredictability synonymous with Daytona.
“I think it’s great,” Hocevar said. “From a fan perspective, I’m sure they enjoy it.”
As for Iowa Speedway, Hocevar enters the weekend with confidence after strong performances at the short track in past visits. He expects his recent qualifying speed and overall performance gains to translate into another competitive weekend.
“We ran good here last year,” he said. “It seems like we’ve been faster everywhere we’ve gone lately from year to year.”
Hocevar also voiced support for NASCAR’s recently announced stage-racing procedural changes, believing the adjustments could create more strategy variation and increase opportunities for teams to gain track position.
“I think it’s an improvement,” he said. “It will probably allow for crew chiefs to make mistakes, maybe flip the field or just catch people off guard. Ultimately, just make the race not predictable.”
Beyond this weekend, Hocevar is already looking ahead to 2027, when Iowa Speedway’s Cup Series race is scheduled to move to the Fourth of July weekend. The change is expected to add another marquee event to NASCAR’s summer calendar and further energize one of the sport’s most enthusiastic fan bases.
“This place already sells out,” Hocevar said. “Hopefully the Fourth of July weekend just adds a little bit of excitement to it.”
For now, however, Hocevar’s focus remains on finishing what has already become a breakthrough season.
A year ago, merely making the playoffs would have represented a major achievement for Spire Motorsports. Today, Hocevar and the No. 77 team are discussing something much bigger.