Is Carson Hocevar a legit NASCAR title contender?

Do not look now, however there is a storm brewing within the chase for the NASCAR Cup Sequence championship.

Carson Hocevar, dubbed “Hurricane Hocevar” for his aggressive, chaotic driving fashion, is as much as fifth within the Cup Sequence standings after beginning on the pole, main 31 laps and ending ninth in Sunday’s Brickyard 400. 

With 4 races left within the common season, Hocevar is in prime place to be a high 5 seed when the Chase begins at Darlington on Sept. 6. 

Hocevar’s season has been removed from good, however he is averted any disastrous outcomes. For all of the speak about how aggressive he’s and what number of accidents he is part of, he is completed all 22 races this season and solely has one end exterior of the highest 30. 

Carson Hocevar placing himself in place to chase a championship

His 113 stage factors are an enormous cause why he is up to now up within the standings, as is the constant velocity that Spire Motorsports and his No. 77 workforce specifically deliver to the racetrack every week. When Hocevar is quick, he is quick — as evidenced by his 5 high 5 finishes, which is greater than the likes of Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher, Daniel Suarez, William Byron and Bubba Wallace this season. 

Hocevar has been constantly fast sufficient this season the place it is now not a shock to see him working inside the highest 5 or high 10. He is quick off the truck each weekend and has been doing job of maximizing days and mitigating harm. 

With that mentioned, it would not be stunning if he made headlines for the unsuitable causes within the Chase by making an over-aggressive transfer that does in his title probabilities. For all the deserved commendation Hocevar has acquired this season, he is additionally gotten is justifiable share of warranted criticism. 

However he is put himself in place to chase a title, and in modern-day NASCAR, that is all you are able to do. 

Is Hocevar a championship favourite? Actually not. Pretty much as good as he is been this yr, he is not in the identical zip code as Blaney, Denny Hamlin or Tyler Reddick. 

But when he continues to maintain his nostril clear, run up entrance and the aforementioned drivers run into bother within the Chase, the No. 77 may very well be there to spoil the get together and make a surprisingly robust run on the Cup.