Having traits of former superstars mean Carson Hocevar is NASCAR's next big thing

The path of a one-win wonder is not the one Hocevar seems to be going down, however. 

The third-year driver is eighth in the Cup Series standings, driving for a team in Spire Motorsports that, while certainly improving at a fast clip, is not yet a juggernaut. 

The talent and confidence are both there for Hocevar. The speed of his race cars is starting to match. Still, the reality of his upward trajectory elicited a surprised response from him.

"Holy sh--," Hocevar said when he was told he was eighth in the standings. "Damn, I was pissed we didn’t get stage points in stage one. I’m not so mad anymore."

There's little reason for Hocevar to be mad after Sunday. He's ahead of the likes of Christopher Bell, Brad Keselowski, William Byron, Bubba Wallace and Joey Logano in the standings. He's currently 70 points to the good for the Chase bubble, and now there's real potential for the floodgates of victory lane to open. 

But his talent is only part of the reason why Hocevar is NASCAR's next breakout star. 

Like Turner, his name can be the centerpiece of a conversation and sell tickets. Like Earnhardt, he's aggressive, occasionally foolish but never apologetic and always on the gas. Like Gordon, he's a phenom behind the wheel. Like Petty, he's personable and marketable. 

If you put all of those characteristics together, you get Carson Hocevar, who is an incredible driver on the racetrack and has the opportunity to transcend NASCAR off of it. 

For a night, however, he'll be just another patron at Chili's, the restaurant chain that adorned his No. 77 Chevrolet in victory lane on Sunday.

"I’m going to have to apologize to them after why there’s burnout marks in front of the Chili’s," Hocevar said. "I’m going to get everything on the menu."

Quotes provided by NASCAR Media