Carson Hocevar was named the driver no. 1 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie for the year. The ’77 Chevrolet Camaro had one top-5 finish, six top-10s and 13 top-15s, including a career-best third at Watkins Glen in September.
“This award is something I will carry with me throughout my career”. I am proud to be recognized as the 2024 Sunoco Series Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Cup Series and to have won races and championships.” Hocevar said.
A gift is an opportunity you only get once. That’s the only true thing about this race. I am happy that I won something very important this year. “The challenge now is to take car no. 77 in Victory Lane and make the playoffs in 2025.”
Hocevar finished the season with 686 points, 107 more than his nearest rookie competitor and the best rookie in 15 races.
“I’ve never raced in the Xfinity Series before, missing out on winning Rookie of the Year honors in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, so it’s special to win the award in the NASCAR Cup Series. This is a great achievement for our entire team. It was definitely not easy,” said Hotsevar.
We had a good group of experienced drivers fighting for it and it means a lot to win. We ran really hard at the end of the year and got points. We showed what we can do as a team over the last couple of weeks.
The Fort Gage, Mich. native made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut on June 4, 2020. He made four appearances in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and signed a multi-year contract with Spire Motorsports in October 2023.
“We are very proud of the effort Carson (Hoseva) and the #77 team have put into the 2024 season,” said team chief Luke Lambert. “Carson is a tremendous talent and his drive and dedication combined to produce strong performances on the field and continued improvement throughout the season. I am proud to be a part of Spire Motorsports and continue to move forward as a NASCAR Cup Series team. Carson and no. “Team 77 is always looking to improve and we look forward to continuing this rookie season in 2025.”