Days after William Byron’s contract extension, Kyle Petty makes his demand about Carson Hocevar clear to fans

NASCAR veteran Kyle Petty has urged fans to take notice of Carson Hocevar after his standout performance in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He praised Hocevar for his ability to 'race competitive' with the frontrunners, stating that it deems him worthy of a long-term deal, much like William Byron's.

Driving the No.77 Chevy for Spire Motorsports, Hocevar began the crown jewel event from the backrow, but steadily made his way forward to P3 by the third stage.The final stage kicked off with a restart that saw Hocevar lining up just behind race leader, Denny Hamlin. As he made a push for the lead, misery struck when his car blew up smoke, causing him to quickly drop through the field.

The 22-year-old let out his frustration over team radio, as he recorded his fourth DNF of the season that left him in a dismal placing among the backmarkers. Despite the setback, his ability to run up front and challenge the established names hasn't gone unnoticed, with Petty now publicly calling for his contract extention with Spire Motorsports.

In a brand new youtube series titled, 'Kiss my A**phalt', Petty espoused Hocevar's talents, stating,

"Carson Hosvar showed that he can lead. He can run up front and he can race with these guys and he can race competitive and race clean with these guys. If not for a blown engine, we don't know what could have happened because I think he would have been a factor at the end of the race."

"So, pay close attention to people like this. Watch Carson Hocevar. If I'm Spire racing, I'm signing him to a long-term deal right now. We know that William Byron just got a new deal. Carson Hosvar deserves a new deal," Kyle Petty added.

William Byron recently signed a contract extention with Hendrick Motorsports that'll keep with the team until 2029. Meanwhile, Hocevar is currently on a multi-year deal with Spire Motorsports that began with his first full-time Cup season in 2023. Nonetheless, Byron leads the field at the top of the driver's standings, while Hocevar ranks one spot shy of the top-20.

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"You're seeing a changing of the guard": Kyle Petty highlights rise of young talent in NASCAR

Kyle Petty has acknowledged a noticeable shift with young drivers making their mark against established veterans. He pointed to the likes of Carson Hocevar, Chase Briscoe and Tyler Reddick as emerging talent poised to lead the sport's future.

Reflecting upon the same, Petty took note of Sunday's race being dominated by young drivers in the front.

"At one point in time, we had Carson Hosvar, Chase Briscoe, Tyler Reddick....These guys are all in their early 20s or late 20s, early 30s running up front. The only veteran in that pack was Denny Hamlin. He was still getting it done, but you're seeing a changing of the guard."

However, Kyle Petty cautioned that running up front leaves no room for error, pointing to pit road mistakes by both Hamlin and Reddick that ultimately derailed their chances durign the 400-lap event.