Carson Hocevar shares his unfiltered take on tire wear at the Bristol NASCAR race

Carson Hocevar was frustrated with what happened at the 2025 Bristol NASCAR race, especially with the tires that wore out, which affected the outcome of that race to a great extent. Hocevar referred to the race as an open lottery because of the degree of tire fall off, which he believed surpassed the ability of drivers and strategy.

Hocevar missed the top lane that was evidently limited by the new tire package at Bristol, eliminating the multi-laning racing lines that the circuit is renowned for. Such a scenario with tires meant drivers had to operate in a dicey situation in which it was a gamble to handle tires that were well-worn, as well as track positioning.

The Spire Motorsports driver explained that at one point, towards the last restart, he was forced to race with old tires just in the hope of holding his ground, but was overtaken. Although he criticized it, he also enjoyed the fact that the high tire wear minimised the problems of dirty air and the normal bumper-to-bumper contact, which usually results in cautions.

Carson Hocevar said via Frontstretch:

"I miss running the top. It'd be nice if we could get tire wear, where it's not like a lottery as much, and we could still go up and run the top. I enjoy running the top here, and you get to move around. It eliminates some of the bumper tag cautions, but yeah, it was nice not complaining about dirty air. So there's a bright side to everything."

Carson Hocevar is currently ranked 24th with 577 points. He has not won yet this season, but has been consistent with some good performances, a few top-10 finishes. Despite that, he failed to make the playoffs.

Hocevar has demonstrated peaks throughout the season, including his second-place finish at the Nashville race and good performances at other tracks, including Talladega and Atlanta.

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Carson Hocevar discussed his NASCAR collection after bagging iconic Dale Sr. #3 Truck

Carson Hocevar is a passionate collector of street-legal cars with a strong NASCAR theme, a hobby that began in his childhood growing up around Kalamazoo Speedway. He has a particular admiration for cars connected to NASCAR legends, especially Dale Earnhardt Sr.

Hocevar recently purchased a 1997 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck decorated with the iconic Dale Earnhardt GM Goodwrench No. 3 vinyl from Facebook Marketplace. Driving the truck has been a nostalgic and joyous experience for him, with fans recognizing the vehicle and stopping to discuss NASCAR history whenever he drives it around. He said via Frontstretch:

"So it's a lot of fun when you drive it. Like the Dale truck, I blew a tire, and I think I got 100 honks, and hell yes, and go Dale, and stuff like that. And I haven't drove the Oldsmobile yet on the road, so I'm curious [about] that reaction. But it's pretty awesome, history of NASCAR, but also too, it's super fun. The first time I drove the Dale truck, I had about six people walk over to me, and I was stuck at a gas station for an hour. We just talked NASCAR. So I think that's what I've most enjoyed with it."

Carson Hocevar’s love for NASCAR-themed vehicles extends beyond the Dale Earnhardt truck; he also collects other cars painted in tribute to famous NASCAR personalities, such as a 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass styled like Buddy Baker's 'Gray Ghost' and a car linked to Kasey Kahne’s Hendrick Motorsports era.

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Edited by Tushar Bahl