Carson Hocevar wins his maiden NASCAR race of the season in Kansas

Carson Hocevar survived late race chaos to punch his maiden NASCAR Truck Series win of the season at the Kansas Speedway. The Spire Motorsports driver led a race-high 75 laps before propelling his #7 Chevrolet to a victory by a 0.262-second margin.

Kansas marked Hocevar's second consecutive Truck Series race after Texas. The Spire driver began the 134-lapper from fourth and stood in contention through all stages. The Michigan native claimed fourth spot in Stage 1, aced the second stage, and braved eight lead changes among five drivers to lead the pack with seven laps remaining.

However, Hocevar's maiden win was threatened as Layne Riggs began closing in on him, reducing the distance to just 0.473 seconds on Lap 131. Moreover, the two made contact on the white flag lap, drastically reducing the momentum of their trucks. But Hocevar had enough advantage to beat the Front Row Motorsports sophomore at the Heart of Health Care 200.

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It's worth mentioning that, being a full-time Cup Series driver, Hocevar earned zero points from his Kansas triumph.

Carson Hocevar makes feelings known after fifth career Truck Series win

The turning point for Carson Hocevar emerged 37 laps before the checkered flag was supposed to drop. Actor turned NASCAR driver Frankie Muniz spun off Turn 4 during the final pit cycle, leading to a caution.

The untimely incident massively favored Hocervar. He was on the pit road at that time, which got him the lead-lap status with a setup ready to contend for the win. However, the Spire driver still had to hold off Riggs in a ferocious battle for the checkered flag.

As a result of the defeat, Riggs lost another shot at guaranteeing his playoff spot with a runner-up finish in Kansas. The first shot was during the Miami race.

"I didn't think he (Layne Riggs) would get to us for how far back he was super good. It's been a while since I've been in a finish like that, all out there. So credits to him, I know he was going for everything there," Hocevar said via Fox (0:30).

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Notably, William Byron also participated in the Truck Series race. He closed in on Carson Hocevar during the final lap mess but ultimately settled in third.

About the author

Aneesh is a Motorsports journalist at Sportskeeda and covers both NASCAR and Formula 1. An ardent sports fan since his early lawn tennis days, he has showcased his keenness in NASCAR, and has already garnered 5 million views at Sportskeeda thanks to his meticulous work.

When it comes to NASCAR, his top picks are Kyle Busch and Ross Chastain, while in Formula 1, he fervently supports Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. He believes F1 should continue to have more races in courses than in street circuits and feels NASCAR should be more proactive about global promotions to reach F1’s popularity level.

He is very particular about his sourcing for articles, largely relying on the official website of F1 and NASCAR, and relies on understanding different perspectives by browsing through social media and reputed publications for unique story angles.

Even in his spare time, Aneesh is keen to learn more about F1 cars and studies various aspects of them, including its design and engine. He enjoys driving himself and often explores new parts of his city when he can.

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Edited by Aneesh