Five days after capturing his first NASCAR Cup Series victory at Talladega, Carson Hocevar continued his winning ways.
In Friday’s CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at the Texas Motor Speedway, Hocevar wheeled the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet to a thrilling overtime win in the SpeedyCash.com 250. It was Hocevar’s sixth career victory in the series and first of 2026.
Kyle Busch came home second in the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, completing a 1-2 finish for Spire. Third was Kaden Honeycutt, fourth was Brandon Jones, and fifth was Ben Rhodes.
How Hocevar found his way to victory lane
Leading at the final round of green flag pit stops late in the race, a 24-second stop for the No. 77 team erased Hocevar’s advantage.
However, a series of late cautions put last week’s Talladega Cup winner back in contention. The 23-year-old found his way back to the front after feisty battles with Gio Ruggiero, Honeycutt, and Busch.
There were two red flags inside the final 20 laps. The second red flag after a crash involving Justin Haley and Jake Garcia sparked an overtime finish.
As the field worked their way off turn four to take the white flag, Hocevar worked his way around the outside of Ruggiero to take command, while Busch sliced his way to second on the final lap to complete the Spire Motorsports 1-2 finish.
Hocevar reflects on Texas victory: “It’s unbelievable”
It has been quite the week for Hocevar.
On Sunday, the Michigan fended off the Cup Series pack at Talladega Superspeedway to nab his first career Cup victory in his 91st start.
Five days later, he was hanging out of the window of his truck waving to the fans during his celebratory burn-out, just like he did in Talladega.
Hocevar thanked the fans following the win, and had his sponsor, Chili’s, on his mind.
“I mean it’s unbelievable. Thank you, everybody. It means a lot. I’m gonna go burn down Chili’s. I can’t leave, so we’ve got to go burn down Chili’s here somewhere. I don’t know where it’s going to be. Everybody on the fence, thank you. Man, what a race,” Hocevar said.
Hocevar put an end to his Truck teammate Busch’s five-race win streak in the series at Texas. The two previously finished 1-2 at EchoPark Speedway earlier this season, with Busch coming away as the victor.
“I watched him win a lot of truck races. It’s finally good to put an end to his Texas streak,” Hocevar said.
How did Hocevar hold off the hard-charging Truck Series drivers on Friday night?
He told FOX Sports the “cocky” answer would be the talent behind the wheel. Upon reflection, restarts played a key factor in the win.
Hocevar finished by thanking Spire Motorsports for the opportunity.
“These guys do a really, really good job. It’s been a struggle on the Truck side, but I’m so thankful to get it done there. … Great to do it with Spire and [Spire owner Jeff Dickerson] to get a 1-2,” Hocevar said.
Texas stage winners and NASCAR Truck Series points update
Rhodes led the field to the green flag in the No. 99 ThorSport Racing Ford. By the end of the first stage, the two-time Truck Series champion snagged the opening stage victory. Hocevar finished second, followed by Ruggiero in third.
Hocevar proceeded to take control and roll to a stage two victory. Because he is a Cup Series regular, Hocevar did not earn any stage points. Honeycutt was second in stage two, while Ruggiero was third.
After seven races in 2026, Honeycutt has control of the Truck Series points lead. The driver of the No. 11 has a 14-point gap over Chandler Smith, who is currently second. Third is Layne Riggs (-19), fourth is Ruggiero (-31), and fifth is Rhodes (-34).
The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series returns to action next Friday, May 8 at Watkins Glen International at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time. The Bully Hill Vineyards 150 at The Glen is scheduled for 72 laps and can be watched on FS1 or listened to on NASCAR Racing Network.
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