Truck Series: Carson Hocevar holds on to win in Kansas

Bailey Defoor
22 hours ago
5 min read

Written by Bailey Defoor

Credit: Chris Graythen / Getty Images

Carson Hocevar “thought he would make it interesting” as he won at Kansas Speedway after a tight wheel-to-wheel battle with Layne Riggs.

As it unfolded

Jake Garcia snagged his second career pole and lined up inside of championship leader, Corey Heim.

Heim took the lead going into turn 3. Rajah Caruth and Hocevar also made it up to second and third as Garcia fell back to fourth.

Ty Majeski got a flat tyre after going wheel to wheel with Hocevar on the first lap and had to pit.

The first caution came on lap 4 after Dawson Sutton spun. He kept it out of the wall and was able to make it to pit road unassisted. Under caution, Hocevar, Tyler Ankrum, Frankie Muniz, and Matt Mills pit.

Heim leads the way on lap 9. He stays at the front as Chandler Smith gets into second place.

Kaden Honeycut had a good start and got into third, and battled back and forth with Smith for second.

Luke Baldwin brings out the second caution on lap 24 after hitting the outside wall.

All of the drivers pit. Heim came off of pit road first, followed closely by Caruth.

They go back to green on lap 27. Heim stays ahead and takes the stage win.

Stage 1 Results:

No. 11 - Corey Heim (TRICON Garage)
No. 71 - Rajah Caruth (Spire Motorsports)
No. 9 - Grant Enfinger (CR7 Motorsports)
No. 7 - Carson Hocevar (Spire Motorsports)
No. 38 - Chandler Smith (Front Row Motorsports)
No. 34 - Layne Riggs (Front Row Motorsports)
No. 19 - Daniel Hemric (McAnally Hilgemann Racing)
No. 45 - Kaden Honeycutt (Niece Motorsports)
No. 15 - Tanner Gray (TRICON Garage)
No. 44 - Bayley Currey (Niece Motorsports)

Some drivers outside the top 10 pit under the stage caution.

Muniz was penalised for an uncontrolled tyre in the pit lane, and Cody Dennison’s crew was over the wall too soon.

Heim and Caruth led the way on lap 35. Heim got away, but Caruth dropped through the field as Smith, Grant Enfinger, and Hocevar jumped for the remaining podium places.

Hocevar made it up to second by lap 39 and began charging after Heim for the lead.

A third caution came out on lap 51 when Dennison suffered a flat tyre and spun through the grass at turn 1. Front runner pit and Hocevar came out first, followed by Smith and Enfinger. Heim had a slow stop, dropping down to 16th.

Hocevar and Enfinger led the way on lap 56. Hocevar was in front, but Enfinger took the lead on lap 56 as Caruth almost hit the outside wall.

Hocevar retook the lead on lap 58. Riggs got ahead of Enfinger with 1 to go in the stage. Hocevar narrowly held the lead for the stage win.

Stage 2 Results:

No. 7 - Carson Hocevar (Spire Motorsports)
No. 34 - Layne Riggs (Front Row Motorsports)
No. 9 - Grant Enfinger (CR7 Motorsports)
No. 07 - William Byron (Spire Motorsports)
No. 19 - Daniel Hemric (McAnally Hilgemann Racing)
No. 15 - Tanner Gray (TRICON Garage)
No. 18 - Tyler Ankrum (McAnally Hilgemann Racing)
No. 99 - Ben Rhodes (ThorSport Racing)
No. 45 - Kaden Honeycutt (Niece Motorsports)
No. 71 - Rajah Caruth (Spire Motorsports)

Hocevar and Riggs led the way on lap 68. Hocevar got a little push from Enfinger behind as Riggs had a bit of wheel spin.

Heim surged from 11th up to sixth on the restart.

Bayley Currey also dropped through the field with a loss of power but made it to the pits without the need for a caution.

Heim broke into the top 5 as he got by Honeycutt and William Byron one after another for fourth.

The cycle of green flag pit stops started on lap 94.

Right as Hocevar pitted on lap 97, Muniz spun off the 4th turn, bringing out the fourth caution.

The front-runners pit under the caution, cycling Hocevar up to the lead.

Stewart Friesen gets ahead of Bryon into the first turn as Hocevar keeps himself at the front.

The restart was under review. Heim gets penalised for jumping the lane before the start/finish straight and has to drive through pit road.

Another caution comes out on lap 110. Smith hits the back of Connor Mosack as Currey is spinning on his own.

Hocevar and Byron took the field back to green on lap 114. Hocevar initially had the lead as he and Byron went side by side through the lap.

Tanner Gray had a run, but had to slam the brakes as Hocevar went low, directly in front of Gray. He dropped back for a few laps before returning to battle for second.

On lap 119, Heim made it back into the top 10, pulling a move on two drivers to take 9th.

Byron started to fall back and was overtaken by Riggs as Gray slowed at the entrance to pit road.

Riggs gets on the inside of Hocevar on the last lap and tags him in the back. Both drivers almost hit the outside wall, but were able to save it.

Carson Hocevar held on to the checkered flag.

Provisional Results