Ken Schrader makes a bold bet on choosing ‘baby’ Carson Hocevar as his top pick for a Cup team  

After watching Carson Hocevar’s performance last Sunday at Nashville Superspeedway, NASCAR veteran Ken Schrader was impressed. He went on to state that if he ever started a Cup Series team, he would want to have Hocevar on it.

The 22-year-old started from P26 but gained spots methodically as the 300-lap event was underway. He passed Denny Hamlin for second in the final green flag pit cycle of the day, never to give it back again. The result was his second runner-up finish of the year.

Lauding his talent on the latest episode of the Herm & Schrader show, Ken Schrader said,

“Hey, I don't know Carson Hocevar, but if I was starting a Cup team, I want Carson Hocevar. Because he is 22, is he?”

“22 announced last week, it's like 'My lord, he's a baby',” replied Kenny Wallace, who happens to be the co-host of the show.

“You know, as they always say, it's a lot easier to slow someone down than it is to speed him up,” Schrader added.

Carson Hocevar’s run at Nashville not only showed how close he was to delivering his maiden series victory, but it also got him the fifth-most points. As of now, he sits 17th in the driver standings with 287 points to his name, four points below the provisional playoff cutline.

Next up for the Portage, Michigan native is the Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway, scheduled for June 8. It’s his home track, so all eyes are on him. Fans can watch him in action on Prime Video, 2 pm ET onwards, or listen to live radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

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“Ricky Stenhouse will absolutely wreck Carson Hocevar”- Denny Hamlin sends a clear warning to the Spire Motorsports sophomore

Carson Hocevar, who’s in his second season driving the No. 77 for Spire Motorsports, is often talked about due to his aggressive driving style. Nashville did get him a career-best finish, but even in that race, on Lap 116, the Chevy star wrecked Ricky Stenhouse Jr., whose day ended with his first DNF of the 2025 season.

Denny Hamlin believes that Stenhouse is going to return the favor soon enough. Detailing the same on his Actions Detrimental Podcast, the Joe Gibbs Racing ace said,

“Ricky Stenhouse will absolutely wreck Carson Hocevar sometime in the near future. He ain’t gonna punch him in the face but he’s absolutely gonna wreck him. If you’re Carson, just know that it’s coming.”

“Carson hasn’t done anything to me yet that has been egregious, but I guarantee you if he does I’m gonna get him,” he added.

Whether Stenhouse Jr. will get back at Hocevar is something that only time will tell. Meanwhile, the drivers are getting ready for the 15th race of the season, following which a week-long countdown for this year’s race in Mexico City will begin. It will be the first time since 1958 that the series will run a point-paying race outside of the US.