CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carson Hocevar is not necessarily feeling the pressure as he prepares to compete in the Chase for the first time in his career.
Videos by FanBuzz
At this point, he is racing with the freedom that comes from the focus being placed on bigger organizations such as Joe Gibbs Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, and Team Penske.
"Our team moral or motto is we're playing with house money," Hocevar said during Chase Media Day. "Luke (Lambert, crew chief) and Matt McCall were on that 31 team in 2014, and that's how they approached it, and they finished second.
"I'm not going to look at the points until the end. They'll let me know when I walk up at the banquet where I finished."
Blocking out the noise. pic.twitter.com/Ty5SIW40p2
— Spire Motorsports (@SpireMotorsport) September 3, 2026
The 2014 season, which Hocevar referenced, marked the first time that NASCAR used the elimination format in the playoffs. Lambert served as the crew chief of Richard Childress Racing's No. 31 team that year while working with Ryan Newman.
The "Rocket Man" didn't win a single race that season. Yet, he moved through the rounds of the playoffs by finishing 18th or better in every race. He then punched his ticket to the Championship 4 by moving Kyle Larson at Phoenix Raceway.
Newman ultimately finished second in the championship standings. Kevin Harvick won the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway and clinched his lone championship. Newman crossed the line in second place.
Unlike Newman, Hocevar doesn't have to worry about the elimination rounds. He just has to overcome a points deficit while completing the final 10-week stretch of the season.
Hocevar, who won the spring race at Talladega Superspeedway, enters the Chase as the 12th seed. He reached fifth in the standings after a ninth-place finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but he has since fallen due to three finishes of 30th or worse.
He begins this quest 80 points behind leader Denny Hamlin. This is not a small hurdle to overcome by any stretch, but he knows that Spire Motorsports has run well at many of these tracks.
"The faster tracks are better for us," he said. "Talladega is exciting. The most difficult one is going to be Martinsville for us, but all the other ones, we've run top-five or top-10. I feel good about them excitement-level wise."
Having this "house money" mentality should provide Hocevar with the ability to race freer. If no one expects him to truly contend for the championship, he shouldn't have to worry about meeting expectations.
Whether this happens remains unknown. Honestly, the only thing that remains certain is that Hocevar will continue to be the center of attention regardless of how he is performing on the track. He has become the show during his Cup Series career, both for how he races on the track and for how he approaches life away from it.
He's earned the nicknames; especially the last one. pic.twitter.com/5i1A88GIV1
— Spire Motorsports (@SpireMotorsport) September 3, 2026
"Whether we run good or bad, there always seems to be some sort of talking point," he said. "But I enjoy it, I think it's funny a lot of times.
"Hopefully it's entertaining for the fans and TV and everybody. I'd much rather talk about something than nothing."
