Pit road mistake takes Carson Hocevar out of winning contention at Bristol

A dream run at Bristol Motor Speedway for Carson Hocevar quickly turned into a nightmare. 

After qualifying ninth on Saturday, Hocevar had high hopes for Sunday's Food City 500. The second-year driver quickly proved that Saturday's qualifying run wasn't a fluke by finishing fifth in Stage 1. 

In Stage 2, Hocevar finished fourth, ahead of the likes of Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs, who would end up finishing second and third, respectievly. 

Not in the mix for a podium finish — or even a top five, for that matter — was Hocevar, who finished a distant 11th, one lap down. 

Unfortunately for Hocevar, the origin of that disappointing result came during green flag pit stops in Stage 3, when the No. 77 Chevrolet fell off the jack, resulting in a 22-second pit stop. That would've been quick in NASCAR's infancy, but in 2025, it's a disastrous pit road sequence. 

When Hocevar went back out on track, he was on par with eventual winner Kyle Larson and Hamlin on speed, making his extended pit stop all the more frustrated knowing that he could've been racing for the win if not for the mistake. 

"You just go back out and run," Hocevar said of the pit road mistake. "For me, it was really helpful that, motivation-wise, the No. 5 (Larson) and the No. 11 (Hamlin) were right there. I did everything I could to work past the No. 11 and get myself (into the) free pass spot ...

"We held onto (Larson and Hamlin). Just wish we were on the lead lap, obviously."