Cup Series driver Carson Hocevar goes 1-on-1 with NASCAR Roundtable's Tyler Jones at Texas, giving insights on his first career win at Talladega, the aura of the Intimi'Dente, his future aspirations to run the Indianapolis 500, and the Chili Bowl
FORT WORTH, Texas - It is Carson Hocevar’s world, and we’re all just living in it. The 23-year-old NASCAR Cup Series driver pulled into victory lane for the first time last Sunday in Talladega, but he’s hungry for more.
Speaking exclusively to NASCAR Roundtable, Hocevar said he had a lot of fun getting back at it in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series on Friday night, winning the SpeedyCash.com 250. Between the two wins, he’s enjoyed the last six days to say the least.
With his first career Cup Series win in the rearview mirror, Hocevar has the monkey off his back. Hocevar stated, “Walking much lighter with very little pressure to what it was before when you’re trying to get your first one. They’ve always said they come a lot easier after the first one, so hopefully that bones to be true.”
Hocevar’s win at Talladega came in his 91st career start in NASCAR’s premier series, and it was a long time coming for his team, Spire Motorsports. The organization had one previous victory, which dated all the way back to 2019 with Justin Haley at Daytona.
For Hocevar, the win was something special for him to deliver to the team and his sponsors that he’s built a deep bond with, specifically Chili’s, “Between Chili’s being apart, and being on the car was awesome. Everybody at Spire, the whole shop was super super excited.”
The post-race celebration at Talladega will be one that fans remember for a very long time, after Hocevar celebrated by driving the car on the driver side door in his infamous “Intimi'Dente” Chili’s paint scheme.
“It’s great to have a sponsor that has such a cool paint scheme obviously. We had the white car last year, and they wanted to just kinda flip it, feel something fresh or new compared to what it was. The easiest way to do it was to go white to black,” Hocevar said.
The “Intimi'Dente” means something special for Hocevar, with a big-picture mindset. He said, “It’s fun to have a paint scheme that people can enjoy. Paint schemes were super important to the sport’s growth in the 2000s for sure.”
Beyond NASCAR, Hocevar has teased interest in running the Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa, as well as the Indianapolis 500.
For Hocevar, bringing the Chili’s “Intimi'Dente” to the Chili makes perfect sense, stating, “The Chili Bowl is always a good time. A lot of the Chili’s folks are from there, not far from the track.”
After getting a victory already this weekend at Texas, Hocevar will be looking to win his third-straight NASCAR event this Sunday in the Würth 400, as he says he’s just hoping to keep the momentum going.
Carson Hocevar has arrived, and the best is still yet to come.