Who doesn’t enjoy seeing our favorite athletes’ backstage activities, particularly in NASCAR? NASCAR fans are engrossed in everything from Samantha Busch’s Instagram posts to Bubba Wallace’s cute baby updates. However, a new driver is emerging this time, and he has a comment regarding social media. In the NASCAR community, Carson Hocevar is gradually gaining popularity among them. In 2024, the Spire Motorsports driver made his full-time début after making his Cup debut in 2023. With just a few strong results, his rookie season on the racetrack was not particularly noteworthy. It must be acknowledged, though, that the 22-year-old Michigan native has talent. However, with 2025 approaching, the way of Hocevar, he’s getting popular with the fans, and while he was riding around with Cleetus McFarland, he was asked how much influence Spire Motorsports has on what he posts.
It’s a legitimate query. The team is directly impacted by what drivers say. Fans may recall how Noah Gragson got into trouble with NASCAR in 2023 after an incident. Naturally, several wanted to know Hocevar’s social media experience. He made it apparent right away that Spire wasn’t making the decisions. “You have to post this, you’re going to post this, we’re going to post this for you,” is not a conversation I’ve ever had. So far, I’ve gotten away with posting precisely what I want to post. Yes, I am aware that there will be sponsored content and other responsibilities. For the time being, I post anything I want to and nothing else. And it’s clear that it’s Hocevar making the posts. If you see his X and Instagram, it’s not the typical athlete social media profile.
“Hopefully I don’t have those,” he disclosed. “I saw someone publish a TikTok in which I had a gasoline issue or something. I was the only person on the entire Daytona field. I uploaded that yesterday, and it has had two million views already, or what? It makes sense to me where that would go. I just shared something that made me laugh. Although there are paid postings, Hocevar prefers to keep his following entertained. He made a playful allusion to Formula 1 just last week when he shared a photo of Chris Buescher and Kyle Larson’s photo-finish at Kansas with the comment, “Nobody: f1: “I was definitely ahead.” My corner was that.
He posted more than just a photo of his birthday cake to commemorate his birthday. He was holding something resembling a flamethrower, and the caption cleverly stated, “Fire was my birthday present.” You ask, what’s the secret? “I like to let my guard down for fans,” Hocevar clarified. I do all of my social media, which is not very common, in my opinion. simply because of the amount of time, scheduling, and other factors. It just seems more authentic when I can do it. I would play video games and try to enjoy myself as much as I could. You also make the greatest kinds of videos. Hocevar is likeable because of this aspect of him. If you go to his channel on YouTube, you see Hocevar uploads vlogs to show what really goes on in the background in a driver’s life, connecting him to people.
The impact social media has on him is something he may need to watch out for. “Just getting caught up in other people’s lives and starting to compare,” as Bubba Wallace famously stated. I want a man. Social media can be overwhelming at times, aside from the negative remarks. It’s much better for the mind, but I do miss the photography aspect of it, you know, publishing all that stuff. My best friend is YouTube. Maybe he can learn something from Bubba Wallace. The 23XI driver has gained popularity, especially thanks to his vlogs and banter, even though he doesn’t spend much time on social media. But other members of the NASCAR community believe social media isn’t all beneficial for drivers.
Mike Joy warns vehicles of a serious danger
You may be wondering if social networking isn’t beneficial for drivers. It gives them sponsorships and provides another platform for the growth of the sport. And the community and fans are aware of the enormous impact when we see an athlete like Toni Breidinger. However, Joy is not referring to that in this context. According to him, it prevents drivers from genuinely engaging with the audience. He clarified, saying, “I believe that the thing that is always in our pockets—the cellphone—hinders the maturing process. Many of these younger drivers—I’ll even include Larson and Bell in that group—have largely let their telephones dictate how they behave in social situations.
It takes time to acquire people skills and media abilities, and that is how they engage with their peers. It’s not all terrible news, either. According to Joy, there are drivers that support his claims. “And Christopher Bell’s a great example,” he continued. Because he wasn’t out with the media, you know, he wasn’t even on our radar during the first couple of Cup years. It took him some time to develop his external personality. As I mentioned earlier, he is now a leader in our sport and a spokesperson. Kyle Larson is, too. However, it’s taking a long time—possibly longer than it should—to get it out of these younger drivers and try to turn them into celebrities. We have stars, we have great drivers in this series, and I guess it’s up to you and me and the people that will follow us this season, to make heroes out of them.”
