The Met Gala Hosts NASCAR's Rising Star, Carson Hocevar

The Met loves to feature celebrities, of course, but even momentary stars get the invite to the invite-only event. Hocevar won a top race last weekend at Talladega, and it's taking the world by storm as one of NASCAR's rising stars.

Hocevar currently has 267,000 followers on Instagram and 42,000 subscribers on YouTube. The racer regularly livestreams himself on iRacing on Twitch.tv. He has even spent some time with top streamers such as iShowSpeed and Agent00. Hocevar's usual viewership on Twitch.tv exceeds 1,000 at any given moment, and total reach per stream can be much higher.

Marketing Benefits for NASCAR

It has been a very long time since NASCAR had a truly mainstream name among its crop. Yes, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, and others are knowable names. However, they are not top-tier; they do not transcend pop culture. No names are necessarily 'household' names.

The sport was a fraction of its size back in the 90s and early 2000s. Nobody is known as much as Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon were, and still are. While one night at the Met Gala does not change things overnight, NASCAR benefits tremendously by getting one of its drivers and a mention of its sport on the biggest stage.

The Met Gala is one of the most engaging pop culture events of the year. Jeff Bezos, Beyoncé, Sabrina Carpenter, and many others are at the event. The gala is a charitable event that hosts a private dinner after its big red-carpet spectacle. They may also feature performances and actions in between.

E!, which hosts the red-carpet broadcast, interviewed Hocevar and posted it on its social feeds. Given their reach and the events' star-studded style, the interview could reach millions, if not tens of millions, of unique views. The hope is that the young phenom could peak, gain interest, and pick up some steam with a newer, perhaps younger, audience.