Carson Hocevar entered the 2024 Cup Series season with the image of a hot youngster who might not last long in the big leagues due to his aggressive nature. But the 21-year-old surprised many. He climbed into Chevrolet Camaro no. 77 and was held in check for much of the season. He focused on his performances and the rewards for that were reaped this week.

The Spire Motorsports rookie won the 2024 Sunoco Rookie of the Year award beating out Josh Berry, Zane Smith and Kaz Grala. It was one top-5 finish and six top-10s that propelled him to this honor.

Even more impressive is that he only has two DNFs recorded all season. He is 107 points behind second-place Berry in the rookie standings.

What does all this mean for 2025? Former driver Kyle Petty recently expressed his strong belief in him on PRNLive. He said, “I think Hocevar will reach the playoffs…”

“I think the organization (Spire) put itself on the sharp end of the stick. Not on a consistent basis like Gibbs or Hendrick. But it will be a new player, as we saw with Trackhouse when they came in.”

Cup Series veteran Michael McDowell will join Spire Motorsports as Hocevar’s teammate next season. Petty believes he will guide the youngster and help him make the playoffs.

Winning a race at the highest level of stock car racing is no easy task. Even if one was crowned Rookie of the Year. Just ask Ty Gibbs, who won the award in 2023 and has yet to hit victory lane.

How Hocevar plans to reach the playoffs in 2025

The junior posted a top-5 finish (Watkins Glen) and a top-10 finish (Homestead-Miami) in the playoffs this season. He said in an interview in Phoenix that he approached the postseason with the mindset that he was competing for the title. The reason he gave for the same reflects the high ambition and determination he has to succeed.

He said, “We looked at the Playoffs like we were in it, right? Let’s hold ourselves accountable. If we’re going to be a playoff machine, you can’t show up next year and say, okay now, we’re going to learn to compete in the playoffs. You have to show up and hold yourself to that standard.”

Hocevar will no longer be a rookie when the green flag flies at Daytona in February 2025. The experience of competing with the best in the sport for a full year will be the foundation on which he will hope to beat them all and begin to – and creates. inheritance.