Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Carson Hocevar wins Open race, advances to NASCAR All-Star Race with John Hunter Nemechek

Originally posted on 5 GOATs | By Jonathan Howard | Last updated May 18, 2025 10:05 PM ET

Using a two-tire pit stop at the halfway break, Carson Hocevar took control of the second half of the Open and won. Hocevar is now going to the NASCAR All-Star Race for the first time in his young Cup Series career.

Along with Carson Hocevar, John Hunter Nemechek battled to P2 and will also advance to the main event tonight. This was a physical and tough 100-lap race with a bit of varied strategy.

A few hurt feelings after this race, the bumping and banging were intense. A few drivers like Bubba Wallace, Shane van Gisbergen, and Ryan Preece will be kicking themselves for not making the All-Star Race.

Noah Gragson won the fan vote for the third year in a row. He will also race again tonight after finishing P17 of 18 in the Open.

Carson Hocevar and John Hunter Nemechek race their way in for tonight's NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway! #NASCARonFS1 pic.twitter.com/5CPDUer66u
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 18, 2025

This continues a very exciting second season in the NASCAR Cup Series for Carson Hocevar. How about the young, upstart racer winning his first All-Star Open? This is the kind of performance that can really give a driver confidence.

We will have to wait and see if Hocevar learned anything in that race earlier. He will have to start in the back as one of the last three drivers in the race. Still, in a physical race on a track that demands contact, I’m not sure I’d count Hocevar out of having a really good performance.

It will be a Herculean task for Hocevar or John Hunter Nemechek to win from the back. Then again, Kyle Larson will start just ahead of them and if they play it right, maybe they can follow him up through the field?

Carson Hocevar continues to impress, break through soon?

As the year goes on, we keep seeing these flashes from Carson Hocevar. Whether it is the P2 finish at Atlanta, a race he very well could have won, or his pole award at Texas. The finishing results aren’t always there, but the raw speed sure is.

Winning the All-Star Open is a pretty big deal. Hocevar wasn’t dominant in the race, at least not in the beginning. But he was able to manage track position and did what he had to do to get the win. That’s all you can ask for from a 22-year-old racer.

The NASCAR All-Star Race is quickly approaching. We may see fireworks tonight or we could see another tough-to-watch short track race. Let’s see which one we end up getting, as the green flag is set to fly soon after 8:00 PM ET.

This article first appeared on 5 GOATs and was syndicated with permission.

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