Hocevar's lack of friends in NASCAR garage showed in Atlanta finish

Spire Motorsports driver Carson Hocevar. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Carson Hocevar's lack of friends in NASCAR garage showed in Atlanta finish

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Jul 13, 2026 2:13 PM ET

In the closing laps of a NASCAR superspeedway race, your friends in the draft are where you find them regardless of manufacturer, organization or off-track relationships.

But on the final lap of Sunday's Quaker State 400 at Atlanta, Carson Hocevar had no friends. That might've cost him the win.

The polarizing 23-year-old hasn't made many friends in the Cup Series garage, either thanks to his on-track aggression, off-track comments or his general lack of care for what his peers think of him.

That attitude has helped 2026 be his best season in the Cup Series to date. But it's also backed him into a corner at times, as it did on the final lap at Atlanta.

Hocevar was leading at the white flag and was battling for the lead with eventual winner Ryan Blaney with half a lap to go when Bubba Wallace got a huge run on Hocevar. Understandably, he jumped to the inside rather than pushing Hocevar out front.

WHAT A FINISH IN ATLANTA!! pic.twitter.com/KpYKIe4bzo
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 13, 2026

While Wallace's move was ultimately deemed moot thanks to a penalty, he, Hocevar and Blaney were three-wide on the exit of Turn 4. Blaney had a big shove from Christopher Bell, while Wallace had help from Ty Gibbs.

Hocevar, who was stuck in the middle, had no drafting help. He could only watch as Blaney took the win and Bell edged ahead for second.

Carson Hocevar comes up just short at Atlanta

Hocevar ended the race in third, but left likely feeling he left his second career win on the table.

Still, it was a solid night for the No. 77 team and one where its driver alone was worth the price of admission. Hocevar mounted a furious charge in Stage 3, coming from 29th with 60 laps to go to the lead on the final lap. He was aggressive all night and sang on the radio during the final caution period, performing "(I Just) Died In Your Arms Tonight" by Cutting Crew for the world to hear.

Carson Hocevar's radio comms are about what you'd expect at nearly 2am pic.twitter.com/dyUD9KmZec
— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) July 13, 2026

Hocevar is eighth in the Cup Series standings through 20 races and only 47 points back of Chase Elliott for fifth with six races left in the regular season.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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