Dale Earnhardt Jr. doesn't mince words on Carson Hocevar, his future in NASCAR

Carson Hocevar turned some heads this past weekend during the Coca-Cola 600. His performance has Dale Earnhardt Jr. singing his praise, and wondering what the future holds for the Spire Motorsports wheelman.

During his trip to Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, Hocevar ran up front throughout the race. That’s until his No. 77 car suffered engine issues during the third stage. It was a tough break for the 22-year-old, as he finished outside the top ten in Stage 1, fourth in Stage 2 and third in Stage 3. Hocevar was credited with a 34th-place finish when it was all said and done.

If his engine had held up, Earnhardt Jr. believes Hocevar could’ve been a factor in the finish. He doesn’t know he the young wheelman had enough to get by Ross Chastain or Denny Hamlin, but it would’ve been fun to see him try.

“Hocevar, I don’t know if he had enough to win the race. He was getting stronger as the night was going, as was [Ross] Chastain and Denny [Hamlin], as well. But I always feel like you’ve got to lose a few before you win one. … He has something special,” Earnhardt Jr. stated, via the Dale Jr. Download. “There’s good race car drivers, there’s great race car drivers, and then there’s drivers who have some supernatural knack for just being fast. There’s some guys out there that have this raw speed that most can’t compete with.

“He has to get the rest of it kind of tied together. His attitude, personality is a bit — it’s energetic. It’s kind of all over the place. Once he hauls that in, the field better look out, because his ability to really just be quick and run fast is very rare. There’s not many people in the sport. I honestly feel like that he could really, really shine over the next several years, when he puts it all together.”

Alas, this isn’t the first time in 2025 Hocevar has had a performance that put the rest of the Cup Series field on notice. His run at Atlanta earlier this season was something to behold, as well. At least one analyst is in agreement with Earnhardt Jr. regarding the driver’s future, as Kyle Petty waxed poetic about Hocevar’s performance, as well.

“I think we’re seeing the emergence of a new superstar in this sport,” Petty stated, via the debut episode of Kiss My Asphalt. “I go back to Atlanta, everybody was cussing Carson Hocevar at Atlanta. … We heard it from [Ryan] Blaney, we heard it from a number of drivers who have won championships and won races. 

“Carson Hocevar is flexing his muscle. Carson Hocevar showed that he can lead, he can run up front and he can race with these guys. 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.”

When that first win comes for Carson Hocevar, we could see the emergence of one of NASCAR’s best and brightest for a long time to come. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Petty know it’s a matter of when, not if for the Spire Motorsports wheelman. We’ll see when that first trip to Victory Lane is for the No. 77 Chevrolet.