Carson Hocevar faces mystery opponent for his 100th Cup start
It is absolutely wild to watch Carson Hocevar approach his 100th NASCAR Cup Series start with this level of casual indifference. The driver of the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet reached this milestone without even seeming to notice, remarking that you just blink and you are suddenly at a century of starts. Honestly, his perspective is refreshing: he is just glad to have that win from Talladega Superspeedway already secured before hitting the triple digits.
But there is a bit of tournament business to handle this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. Hocevar has been so focused on his racing that he genuinely did not know who his second-round opponent was in the In-Season Challenge. When informed it was Todd Gilliland, who knocked Daniel Suárez out in the first round, Hocevar kept it simple: “Oh, it’s Todd? I don’t know. Hopefully he’s slow.”
To be fair, Hocevar has reason to be confident. He advanced to this stage by beating Zane Smith at Sonoma Raceway last Sunday, taking an 11th-place finish compared to Smith’s 18th. The momentum seems to be with the No. 77, especially after Friday’s practice session where Hocevar clocked in as the ninth fastest driver. In comparison, Gilliland struggled a bit more, ending the session 27th best.
Whatever happens on Sunday, Hocevar is clearly enjoying the ride. He is sitting eighth in points with eight races left in the regular season, and he is determined to enjoy every moment of this career path. It is a stunning pace to reach a 100th start, and if he manages to take down Gilliland, his tournament run will keep right on rolling.
