Carson Hocevar reacts to viral Chili's fire suit worn by Justin Haley for Daytona 500

Carson Hocevar loved seeing Justin Haley in the unique Chili’s firesuit for this year’s Daytona 500. While speaking to The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi during the Daytona 500 media day, Hocevar was asked about his reaction when he first saw the Chili’s firesuit.

“I thought it was funny,” Hocevear said. “I thought it was aggressive, for sure. It’s got a hat, and the shoes are the coolest part. The shoes look like boots. Yeah, the shoes are pretty cool.”

Carson Hocevar and Justin Haley are Spire Motorsports teammates, and the team announced a contract extension with Chili’s this week. Chili’s and Spire Motorsports are celebrating Chili’s “Ride the Dente” campaign with a new country song, music video and a faux button-down and denim firesuit.

.@Chilis today is announcing its extension with @SpireMotorsport and plans around NASCAR, including a new country song/music video that features the No. 7 and will air as an ad on Fox, primaries with Spire and @Justin_Haley_ having a faux button-down and denim on his firesuit. pic.twitter.com/4O0cBI4EL9

— Adam Stern (@A_S12) February 11, 2025

“Our partnership with Spire Motorsports started as a way to bring Chili’s to the track and connect with NASCAR fans over what we do best – serving up our famous Presidente Margaritas,” George Felix, Chili’s Chief Marketing Officer, said in a press release. “This year, we’re cranking it up a notch. We wanted to take our relationship with NASCAR fans to the next level, and what better way than breaking into country music to tell the story of the ‘Dente? ‘Ride the ‘Dente’ will be the newest Chili’s earworm – and hopefully the new shorthand for grabbing a marg at Chili’s. And this is just the beginning of what we have planned this season.”  

More on Carson Hocevar and the Chili’s firesuit

“We are beyond grateful to have Chili’s on this journey with us again in 2025,” Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson said. “We expect big things from Justin, Rodney and that whole No. 7 group this year, but we learn something every day from everyone at Chili’s and love how they push the envelope with their activations and promotions. The car looks great, the firesuits stand out and every time we’ve sat down at the table with Chili’s, they always come up with something new and creative. It’s inspiring and it’s obviously working when you see the growth that they’ve experienced. There is so much that our organization can learn from Chili’s, and I ask our team to match that energy every day.”  

Hocevar will look to build on his strong 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season. He was named the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year after earning six top-10 finishes.