Carson Hocevar made headlines Saturday as he secured his first-ever NASCAR Cup Series pole at Texas Motor Speedway, clocking a blazing lap of 191.659 mph and outpacing a competitive field in both the practice and qualifying rounds. This achievement not only marks a pivotal moment in Hocevar’s young career, but also sets him up to lead the field when the green flag waves at 3:43 p.m. ET on FS1 for Sunday’s race, an event expected to be filled with high drama and frequent pit stops.
At just 22 years old, Carson Hocevar expressed his excitement after winning the pole, telling Prime,
I’m excited to be able to lead my first-ever Cup race to the green.
His enthusiasm was clear as he celebrated the strategic advantage that comes with earning the No. 1 pit stall, especially at a venue like Texas where last year’s race saw 16 caution periods and numerous pit stops by top contenders.
This qualifying result continues a trend of breakthrough performances, as it follows Zane Smith’s maiden pole win last weekend at Talladega. Points leader William Byron qualified just behind Carson Hocevar with a lap of 191.564 mph, while Austin Cindric, the Talladega winner, will start third after his own impressive run. Cindric reflected,
I feel like I left a pole lap out there. I sent it into Turn 1 and didn’t quite get to the bottom and didn’t quite maximize my exit. I guess I can be happy with where we are at, but I definitely feel like you want to do it all. We are in a great spot for (Sunday) and should have a good pit stall, so I feel good about where we are at for tomorrow. We will try to go get another one.
Kyle Larson rounded out the top four, and Michael McDowell, Carson Hocevar’s Spire Motorsports teammate, secured the fifth spot.
Some prominent drivers struggled during qualifying. Ryan Blaney will start 24th, making it three times in the past seven races he’s failed to qualify better than 24th. Joey Logano lines up 27th, his second start outside the top twenty-seven in three races, while Chase Elliott faces another tough start in 29th, continuing a streak of lower starting positions.
Carson Hocevar’s pole win at Texas signals a potentially transformative moment for his Cup Series career and brings fresh energy to a field eager to see new contenders at the front. As the race approaches, all eyes will be on Hocevar to see if he can leverage his pole position into a standout performance, shaking up the championship landscape and inspiring both seasoned fans and new followers alike.
