DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — 18-year-old Carson Hocevar of Portage is racking up accolades as his young career continues to trend upward.
On Friday night, Hocevar is set to make his Daytona super speedway debut at just 18 years, and 15 days old as he takes the seat of the No. 42 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet in the NASCAR Truck Series race.
“I’m really excited and thankful to my partners, Scott’s and GM Parts Now, along with everyone at Niece Motorsports for the opportunity this season," Hocevar said.
He admits there will be some nerves when he suits up at Daytona on Friday night.
"It's definitely going to be a bit different," Hocevar said, "I was talking to Ross [Chastain] and he said, enjoy it because you'll never get your first one again. There's a lot of stuff getting thrown at me that I have to pick up quick but I'm enjoying it along the way."
The West Michigan native took the wheel for seven truck series races in 2020 with an average finish of 20th, including a 12th place finish at Dover International Speedway.
Practice @DAYTONA pic.twitter.com/wzrMy3Qc00
— Carson Hocevar (@CarsonHocevar) February 11, 2021
He'll once again one of the youngest on the circuit this season, this time as a full-time driver at age 18.
"I learned a lot last year and am looking forward to building on that this season, starting this weekend at Daytona," he added.
Hocevar will drive one of four Niece Motorsports trucks alongside truck series veterans, Ryan Truex, James Buescher and Brett Moffitt.
"It's pretty big for me as a youngster just being able to lean on them," Hocevar added about his team.
The NextEra Energy 250 is slated to begin on 7:30 PM on Friday night on FS1.
