NORTH WILKESBORO, NC — Carson Hocevar just can’t stay away from the spotlight.
A week ago, heading into the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta, the 23-year-old NASCAR driver’s beef with Zane Smith captured headlines after the two traded barbs and got called to the hauler for a closed-door meeting with the sport’s higher-ups. Hocevar talked the talk and then walked the walk by putting forth an impressive effort at EchoPark Speedway where he battled for the lead on the final lap before finishing third.
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This week, the driver of the No. 77 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports jetted to New York for the Time 100 Gala and Fanatics Fest. Along with Denny Hamlin, Hocevar was one of just two NASCAR drivers named to Time Magazine’s list for the 100 Most Influential People in Sports this year.
Hocevar’s growing starpower was on full display at the gala, as he rubbed shoulders and took pictures with NBA superstar LeBron James and Prince Harry.
“We talked for a while. It was cool. He knew who I was and stuff. So, I thought that was super cool,” Hocevar said of meeting James, currently a free agent plotting out what could be the final move of his legendary NBA career. “LeBron was the longest conversation I had.”
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Hocevar said he had to introduce himself to Prince Harry. He explained his mom was a “massive Princess Diana fan” and told the Duke of Sussex, “Man, you’re gonna make my mom’s day if I get a photo with you.”
Speaking to reporters Friday inside the media center at the historic North Wilkesboro Speedway — which is hosting its first points-paying race in NASCAR’s top-level Cup Series for the first time in 30 years this weekend — Hocevar talked about his rising stardom and how he’s dealt with becoming a face of the sport.
In addition to the Time 100 Gala and Fanatics Fest, Hocevar was the only NASCAR driver at the annual Met Gala this year. He was one of a handful of drivers also cast in the Amazon Prime short film “NASCAR vs. Navy,” which premiered ahead of this season’s race at Naval Base Coronado.
“It’s great for me. I say all the time, like, my favorite driver was Dale (Earnhardt) Jr. and I saw him everywhere, right? You saw him on MTV and the music awards. It’s a really cool thing. I just always thought that’s really what NASCAR drivers do,” Hocevar said. “There’s a lot of times where I’m like, I don’t understand 100% why I’m invited to these, but I’m definitely taking advantage of it, enjoying it and embracing it, and just trying to have as much fun with it as possible… It’s obviously great for the sport too.”
A native of Portage, Michigan who got into racing through quarter midgets and late-models, Hocevar broke into NASCAR through the Craftsman Truck Series, joining Niece Motorsports full-time in 2021. After finishing third for the championship in 2023, he jumped into the Cup Series with Spire Motorsports in 2024 and won the Rookie of the Year.
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But over the past few years, Hocevar hasn’t made any allies in the garage. Instead, his at-times reckless driving style has ruffled feathers and has garnered him a handful of enemies. Broadcaster Leigh Diffey gave him the nickname “Hurricane Hocevar” for the way that his aggressive mentality has sent other drivers spinning.
Lately, drivers have been willing to dish hard racing back in Hocevar’s direction. Corey Heim spun him out at Naval Base Coronado, and Zane Smith seemingly intentionally wrecked him at Chicagoland. Smith has refused to walk back his disdain for Hocevar, calling him a “coward,” “bum” and “goon” in recent weeks. Heim said that he’s always going to have a “grudge” against Hocevar for a past incident in the Truck Series. Hocevar was also pulled aside by Bubba Wallace earlier this season after he caused a chain-reaction that led to a multi-car crash at Michigan.
While drivers may not like Hocevar’s hard-charging, no regrets attitude, it has endeared him amongst a sizable portion of fans. Hocevar has 328,000 followers on Instagram, 84,000 on X, 58,000 on YouTube and 194,000 on TikTok. Richard Petty has compared his combination of skill and mindset to Dale Earnhardt Sr.
Hocevar has embraced it all. He wore a cowboy hat to a race at Darlington, sported a Caitlin Clark jersey during driver intros, publicly flirted with NFL broadcaster Kay Adams, joked about meeting Sabrina Carpenter, and celebrated his win at Talladega this season by going to Chili’s at 1 a.m. He’s also been spotted at NASCAR tracks and at the Time 100 gala with influencer Tabitha Swatosh, who has 15.3 million followers on TikTok.
Tabitha Swatosh and Carson Hocevar attend the TIME100 Sports Gala at Pier 60, Chelsea Piers on July 16, 2026 in New York City.
“Obviously I want to win more than everything,” Hocevar said. “But you know, I think it’s been proven a lot within the sport that you can win multiple races in a row and that really doesn’t make you (known) outside the NASCAR bubble, right? You know, if our viewership was based on the racing product, we’d have 10 million live viewers for Atlanta every single time. Ultimately, it’s just getting people to care who’s in the cars.”
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Hocevar’s fanbase continues to grow. Last weekend before the race at Atlanta, he held a unique promotion at his merchandise hauler: if fans turned in a t-shirt of another driver, they would get a Hocevar one for free. The trade-in led to 77 Hocevar t-shirts being given away.
That fanbase — and Hocevar’s profile — will likely keep growing as Hocevar continues to contend for wins. He’s ninth in the point standings this season with seven top-10 finishes in addition to his triumph at Talladega.
Hocevar has proven to be fast on the track, unapologetic to his competitors and a lightning rod in the media. As several before him have proved — perhaps most notably and recently, the late Kyle Busch — to have a driver like Hocevar who is capable of winning, creating rivalries and generating storylines is good business for NASCAR.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Emerging face of NASCAR Carson Hocevar meets LeBron James, Prince Harry
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