Carson Hocevar’s Daytona journey was off to a good start. He bagged a runner-up finish in the Duel qualifying race, which placed him sixth on the grid. During Sunday’s event, Hocevar even took the lead for a while only to get spun out by fellow Cup Series driver Erik Jones.
Hocevar grabbed the lead from his teammate and former Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell on the final restart. As the field entered the white flag lap, a contact from Jones hurled Hocevar into the infield. Left with a battered car, the 23-year-old limped to a P21 finish.
“The top had a huge run. Jones was just offset a little to the right,” Carson Hocevar said after the race. “I don’t know if I didn’t commit all the way up, or if he just got me off-center, and just hooked me into the wall, and obviously I bounced off of it.”
“The 45 (Tyler Reddick) had the lead, and then 71 (McDowell) had strategy and I pushed him off into the lead,” Hocevar further added. “So, I was trying to just get us going. Obviously, I’m fortunate. Car in my mirror at the white flag, won the race. I think that’s just good execution on our part and everything.”
Tyler Reddick won the 500-mile event, marking his first Daytona 500 victory as well as his team’s. Reddick is currently in his fourth full year driving the No. 45 for 23XI Racing, a Huntersville-based team owned by Cup Series veteran Denny Hamlin and NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan.
“I’m ecstatic. I don’t even know what to say,” the six-time NBA champion said in an interview. “It feels like I won a championship.”
Next up for the Cup Series drivers is the Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway, formerly known as the Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 21. Fans can watch the race live on FOX, starting at 3 pm ET, or listen to live radio updates on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
When NASCAR handed Carson Hocevar a $50,000 fine
Last season, Carson Hocevar came under NASCAR’s radar for his on-track behaviour during the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. On lap 260, the Chevy star suffered several flat tires and spun into the track’s backstretch. The yellow flag came out, and safety personnel rushed to the vicinity.
As they attended to his car, Hocevar allegedly revved his engine in an attempt to rejoin the race. NASCAR felt that it was a violation of Sections 4.4.B&D: NASCAR Member Conduct in the NASCAR Rule Book, and slapped the driver with a $50,000 fine.
Hocevar was running inside the top-15 when this happened. It was his second accident of the day. The driver was involved in an 11-car mayhem on lap 217. He finished the race 29th, four laps down.
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