Carson Hocevar is happy he won't see Corey Heim in the NASCAR Chase.
Not because of the tension in the rivalry the two young Cup drivers developed over the 2026 season, but because Hocevar doesn't careto face any more competition than is already stacked against him in the 10-race postseason playoff.
Hocevar, in his third full-time Cup season, earned the 12th of 16 seeds in the Chase, which begins Sept. 6 at Darlington (4 p.m. CT, USA Network). Heim, who won't gain full-time status with 23XI Racing until 2027, did not make the Chase after competing in only nine Cup races.
"(Heim) is pretty fast, so with him sitting at home that just makes life a little easier for me," Hocevar said. "Personally, I wish some of these other guys would stay home too
because it makes life a little bit easier."
Jimmie Johnson weighs in on the Carson Hocevar effect
While he was coming up, Hocevar raced part-time for Jimmie Johnson's Legacy Motor Club. After not saying much about Hocevar since then, Johnson, the seven-time Cup champion, expressed his feelings on X on Aug. 28, saying Hocevar "is one of many personalities our sport needs."
It would have been fine with Hocevar if Johnson stopped here. But he didn't.
Johnson went on to give his opinion about Hocevar in several points.
- "1. He drove for us and has only spoken to (us) once in 2ish years since.
- 2. I’m frustrated with his mistakes wrecking our cars.
- 3. I by no means won over the core @nascar fan base.
- And 4. Merch sales don’t lie"
With Hocevar's popularity skyrocketing, his merchandise currently ranks number one in online retail sales through the official NASCAR Shop. It was 32nd at this point in 2025.
After seeing the post, Hocevar texted Johnson.
"I thought it was a compliment. He owns a race team that we race against, and he was talking about me, so that's cool," said Hocevar, who raced for Legacy Motor Club for eight races in 2023. "I texted him afterward and said, 'Whether it was meant to be or not, I'll take this as a compliment. I appreciate it.' We started texting back and forth, and truthfully it seemed like he was a fan of everything I'm doing in terms of him wanting what's best for the sport."
Carson Hocevar studies racing, just not like others
Hocevar, who reached victory lane at Talladega in the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, has a reputation for being kooky and a bit aloof. He prefers a more traditional, instinctive way of driving rather than relying on data analytics.
And that won't change for the 23-year-old driver heading into his first NASCAR Chase.
"For me, I don't like looking at data; I don't think it helps me at all," Hocevar said. "It allows me to really just kind of be free and enjoy it."
It's not that Hocevar is lackadaisical about his craft. His engagement is simply different than most of his competitors.
"You sound like you're not prepping, but all I think about is racing," Hocevar said. "And if all I think about is racing, then I don't need to work that hard at going to find more stuff about racing. For me it's just about enjoying Monday through Friday and trying to go and have fun and let loose."
The race day plan is always the same for Hocevar's team.
"All it is for us is every time we go to the racetrack we try to go as fast as we can, we see if we're good enough and our car speed is fast enough to be up front," he said. "If not, we'll work on it next time."
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why Carson Hocevar found 'compliment' in Jimmie Johnson's rant
