It’s no secret that sponsors are crucial to NASCAR and that drivers often collaborate with them off-track as part of the job. But Carson Hocevar only seems to be doing it out of “fun” recently.
Even though his latest move might take restaurant giant Chili’s sales off the roof ahead of the Sonoma weekend.
How Did Carson Hocevar Become Chili’s Unofficial Marketing Genius?
If you recall, Chili’s made its NASCAR debut with Spire Motorsports in the 2024 season, sponsoring Corey LaJoie. But with Lajoie sacked and a revamped Spire Motorsports entering the 2025 season, the hospitality giants continued their partnership with the team, backing youngster Justin Haley and Hocevar.
Along with them, they developed a new marketing campaign titled “Ride the ‘Dente,” featuring a full-length country song of the same name and a reimagined version of the brand’s signature cocktail, the Presidente Margarita.
“Ride the ‘Dente” was also featured on Hocevar’s No. 77 car at Texas Motor Speedway this season as he flaunted his Chili’s paint scheme in the race.
The point is that the brand seems to have found its footing within NASCAR, along with Spire Motorsports. Hocevar appears to love the brand. To be fair, who doesn’t? Ahead of the Sonoma weekend, he even wanted to treat some of his fans at Chili’s, as he recently announced in an X post.
While Hocevar claimed this was not a promotional event, it could have been a perfect marketing stunt. Maybe it still is. The No. 77 driver wrote, “Hi. Anyone going to
@Chilis this weekend? I’ll buy. retweet this post, reply a picture of your receipt total at Chili’s, and that you’re riding the ‘dente. (not an ad. they don’t know I am doing this, figured it’d be fun) I will pick a few winners on http://twitch.tv/carsonhocevar.”
The post’s comments section is already flooded with screenshots of bills from Chili’s.
Why Is Hocevar So Confident Heading into Sonoma?
Also, Hocevar is feeling so generous ahead of Sonoma because of how well he’s been on road courses this season, and he is probably hoping for the same at the upcoming 1.99-mile, 12-turn track.
If you recall, he finished 13th in COTA and also managed to earn a P3 start at the Chicago Street Race circuit so far in the season – his best qualifying effort on a road course until now. Unfortunately, he got a DNF in the race. However, his recent race craft on road courses would have him confident heading into Sonoma.
But still, Hocevar remains cautious about the challenges that the track poses. Ahead of the race, he said, “It is different than what it used to be, but I thought it was fun last year with how much grip there was. I do miss how worn out it was before.
“I think it has its own challenges,” Hocevar said. “You are going faster and have to be more aggressive to be on the limit with that speed, but have to avoid overdriving the corner.”
Hocevar has been eyeing his maiden Cup victory for a long time now. Who knows, Sonoma could be where he finally gets it.