Michigan delivers another heartbreaking finish for Carson Hocevar
BROOKLYN, Mich. —While other drivers climbed from their cars after Sunday's 400-mile race at Michigan International Speedway, Carson Hocevar sat in his vehicle on pit road.
When he finally emerged from his No. 77 Chevrolet, Hocevar walked around the car and briefly looked off to the distance toward Denny Hamlin's victory celebration. It was another gut punch for the 22-year-old Michigan native.
The caution Hocevar needed to stretch fuel to the end of the race never came and a flat tire forced him to pit from the lead 19 laps from the finish.
The result was a 29th-place finish that most will forget but not Hocevar.
'It's just like (reliving) the Truck days,' Hocevar said on pit road. 'But you're doing it in front of a big stage. The difference is I felt like I was throwing them away. Now, they're getting taken away … things out of our control.'
Nate Ryan,
While Hocevar seems poised to score his first Cup career win, heartbreak has hounded him this season. Sunday just added to a growing list. Consider:
His engine blew while he ran second in the final stage of last month's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.
At Texas last month, he pitted from sixth in the final stage. The caution came two laps later, putting him a lap down and forcing him to take a wave around to get back on the lead lap. If he had pitted a lap later, he likely would have been in a prime spot to win. Instead, he finished 24th.
At Bristol in April, he was running third when his team had a 22-second pit stop, ending any chance at victory. Hocevar finished 11th.
That doesn't include last week's runner-up finish at Nashville that was clouded by his controversial contact that wrecked Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and led to the drivers and their crew chiefs having conversations during the week.
Dustin Long,
Sunday's pain was evident in Hocevar's downbeat voice on the radio after the race when he told the team in a soft voice: 'Good job everybody.'
Crew chief Luke Lambert quickly added: 'Great work guys. I know that's heartbreaking. Great work. We're putting ourselves in position. We'll keep working. We'll get us there. We'll get us one soon.'
Lifting up the team becomes one of Lambert's key roles right now.
'It's hard on all of us,' Lambert said of the recent disappointments. 'We got to just step back a little bit and look at here we are … running constantly in the top three. That in it of itself is an accomplishment. If we keep doing that, our day is coming.'
Hamlin agrees.
'You can't run as fast as he's running, being up front as much as he's up front, without eventually winning,' Hamlin said. 'I know that panic sometimes can set in. It's like, 'God, we lost this opportunity.'
'But he's with a team that is on the rise. He is on the rise. It's just a matter of time. None of us would be shocked if it's next week or a month from now or whenever it is.
'I certainly give him his fair share of (grief) on Mondays on my podcast, but that doesn't mean that I don't respect his talent.
'Absolutely just a superstar when it comes to actual raw talent. When he figures out how to harness that, pick and choose the moments where he is aggressive, he's going to put it all together and just be the next whoever. There's five to six elite drivers in this field. He can be one of those five or six very easily when he puts it all together.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
an hour ago
Panthers can move to the verge of winning the Stanley Cup again if they beat the Oilers in Game 4
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Leading the Stanley Cup Final 2-1, the Florida Panthers can move to the verge of a second consecutive championship if they beat the Edmonton Oilers in Game 4 at home Thursday night. The Panthers were upbeat and relaxed at their final full practice before the potential swing game, with players downplaying the gravity of the situation. 'I feel like every game's so big during this time," center Anton Lundell said Wednesday. 'The stakes gets higher. Everybody wants to win. But we both know for both teams it's a big game, and we want to be good.' They were more than good in Game 3, routing the Oilers 6-1 to take control of a series that looked evenly matched after a bunch of overtime hockey and a split in Edmonton. 'Usually you get teams' best after that, I think especially with the players they have in the room, how competitive they are, they're going to look to bounce back," said Brad Marchand, who is tied with teammate Sam Bennett for the most goals in the final with four apiece. "When you have that kind of leadership, they normally lead the way, those top guys. That's a dangerous combination. We have to make sure that we bring our best.' The Panthers are nearing full strength at a time of year usually known for players gutting through injuries, with Paul Maurice saying Sam Reinhart is back healthy and Matthew Tkachuk looks like he is rounding into form. The Oilers are missing Zach Hyman because of his playoff-ending wrist injury, and fellow top-line forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is dealing with something that is keeping him off the ice for practices and making him a game-time decision. That discrepancy could make a difference in their Cup final rematch. One thing that is the same is Florida locking in and normalizing pressure situations like this. 'Our approach, it's pretty similar the entire playoffs," said Bennett, who leads all scorers this postseason with 14 goals. "Whether it's Game 1 or Game 7, we play the same style. We play just as hard. We're not sitting back, so we really are not going to be changing anything in this next game or any other games to come.'
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
NASCAR's big lift to race in Mexico City: A 2,300-mile journey months in the making
MEXICO CITY — Hearing the news that NASCAR would be racing in Mexico City, Lance Scott's initial reaction was similar to many within the Cup Series garage. The Hendrick Motorsports hauler driver, tasked with transporting the equipment necessary to put a car on the track for Kyle Larson each week, was admittedly skeptical. Advertisement How would the NASCAR traveling circus be able to haul everything essential to stage the sport's first international Cup Series race since 1958 and the first-ever in Mexico? The tractor-trailers would be traveling directly from Brooklyn, Mich., site of last Sunday's race, to Laredo, Texas, where they would then cross the border in a highly coordinated convoy to make their way to the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit in the Mexican capital. The whole plan had a lot of moving parts, with an itinerary scheduled to the minute. And it's why Scott, and others, raised eyebrows about whether NASCAR could successfully pull it off. 'At first, no, I didn't want to do it. Absolutely, I did not want to,' Scott said. 'The not-knowing (of) going to Mexico was big. I've been to Mexico a couple times, but sitting on the beach drinking beer is a whole lot different than driving 14 hours across there.' Before long, though, a different attitude took hold — confidence that NASCAR knew the scope of the massive undertaking and had an effective plan in place. '(The meetings) made you feel really comfortable,' Scott said. 'It put (aside) all the anxiousness that I had — and I know I've talked to a few of the other (hauler drivers) too. Yeah, I feel a lot better now.' The Cup haulers went from Brooklyn to Laredo, a 24-hour drive without stops, where they met the tractor-trailers for the second-tier Xfinity Series teams also racing in Mexico but departing from North Carolina. Each hauler then crossed through customs before making the 700-mile trek to Mexico City. Letting our hauler drivers play admin on their trip to Mexico City.@GarnerTrucking | @NASCARMexico_ — Spire Motorsports (@SpireMotorsport) June 10, 2025 The task of pulling all that off fell to Tom Bryant, NASCAR's vice president of racing operations, who oversees the logistics of putting on a race weekend, from membership and credentialing to overall operations and safety. But for a task of this magnitude, Bryant's previous experience is just as important — he served for 21 years in the U.S. Army and helped manage the relocation of troops in Afghanistan and the Middle East. Advertisement 'Every one of those deployments was with different units, and every one of those appointments had a kind of slightly different mission set,' Bryant said. '… We had to move from place to place over the course of the months that we were there, so you get pretty good at understanding how to plan for and resource and execute a large movement of people and equipment through a denied area safely and effectively. 'Just in general, you have to be comfortable when you approach something like this knowing that you don't know everything you need to know. You have to be comfortable with ambiguity.' We are driving nearly 12 laps around the earth at the equator to get to #NASCARMexico! 🤯 — NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 11, 2025 Last summer, when NASCAR moved toward finalizing a deal to race in Mexico City, Bryant was effectively named the point person. It was his team's job to figure out how to get every piece of equipment needed to Mexico City and coordinate the transportation of drivers, team members, NASCAR officials, and essential staff. This required numerous meetings with American and Mexican government officials, league executives, the teams, and many other entities. After nine months of meetings, a plan took shape. This included requiring each hauler, 132 in total, to document its contents in a manifest, a time-consuming endeavor required by customs officials. If a team brings a part across the border, that item must come back. No exceptions. 'Every single thing in those haulers crossing the border has to be accounted for and has to be listed on the manifest,' Bryant said. 'All that information has to be submitted to customs authorities for both governments, U.S. and Mexico. And particularly for Mexico, there's permits associated with it so that all of the equipment is accounted for, all the permits and things that we needed to cross the border and operate in Mexico have been done.' Advertisement NASCAR has done something like this before, though on a smaller scale. From 2005 to 2008, the Xfinity Series raced in Mexico City, and some of the plans from that venture were also implemented this time. Some aspects, though, needed an overhaul. For instance, this time, NASCAR arranged all the travel for its Cup and Xfinity teams, whereas last time, each team was responsible for handling its own travel. 'Super, super easy. Different from what we normally do, but well organized. Super well organized,' Front Row Motorsports crew chief Drew Blickensderfer, who served as crew chief in three Xfinity races in Mexico City, said of NASCAR's previous stint in Mexico. 'You knew what was going on. And once you got into the garage area, it felt like any other race weekend. It felt like you were at a race, and the only difference was a lot more people. There were a ton of people there.' Ready or not here we come Mexico City — Stoney Greene (@StoneySGreene) June 10, 2025 To help manage everything, NASCAR partnered with Private Jet Services, which has worked with various leagues that have held games outside the U.S., and Rock-It Cargo, a global logistics company whose credits include several major events, such as when it moved 200 18-wheeler haulers to Mexico City as part of the Taylor Swift Eras Tour. Team personnel began making their way to Mexico City midweek. With Xfinity off this past weekend, teams from that series had a relatively straightforward path to get their haulers to Laredo — they left directly from their respective shops. For the Cup teams, the process was more complex. On Sunday morning at Michigan International Speedway, the garage was a hive of activity — and nothing related to the race later that afternoon. Part of the Mexico City plan called for every team to have a backup hauler carrying its Mexico City racecars arrive at the track from North Carolina. Those cars were then loaded onto the teams' primary haulers. The U.S. Border Patrol supervised the operation. Once the race finished, the haulers left for Laredo, each with two drivers. They arrived late Monday, and the hauler drivers then went to a nearby hotel to sleep. The next morning, the border crossing procedure began. Before being permitted into Mexico, every hauler had to drive through an X-ray machine — essentially, the truck equivalent of security screening at an airport. Advertisement After crossing, the haulers were divided into 12 packs that left in 20-minute intervals to begin the drive to Mexico City. Accompanying each convoy was a heavy security detail that included the Mexican National Guard. And in case a tractor-trailer suffered a breakdown, the final pack included a tow vehicle. Multiple rest stops were allotted for each hauler. And because Mexico City officials wanted to avoid a large contingent of trucks driving through the city during rush hour, further clogging the already heavily congested traffic in a city with 21 million people, the schedule was laid out so the haulers would enter the city at off-peak hours. Every hauler was also equipped with a toll responder to help keep things moving. On Tuesday, the Xfinity haulers rolled into Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. On Wednesday, the Cup haulers followed. They will remain at the track through the weekend, then they'll begin the voyage back to the United States. The following weekend, both series race at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania, 2,500 miles away. 'Who the hell would want to do it if it was easy?' Bryant said. 'If you want it easy, then it'd be no fun.' (Top photo of NASCAR haulers during a parade before a March race in Las Vegas: Christopher Trim / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Should Ottawa target Marco Rossi this offseason? Senators mailbag, Part 1
We are weeks away from the 2025 NHL Draft and the free-agent market opening. The rumour mill is churning as we wait for the Ottawa Senators to handle contract negotiations with their remaining pending free agents. Those deals will shape how active they'll be in free agency. Let's take your questions on whether the Sens could offer a performance bonus-laden contract to Claude Giroux, whether Marco Rossi is a fit for the Senators and which prospects could challenge for an NHL roster spot next year. Note: Questions have been lightly edited for length and clarity. We've seen the need for truly top-end talent AND depth in these playoffs. With that in mind, do you think a perennial playoff team, but a first-round or second-round exit, is the Sens' ceiling? Or do they have what it takes to make a deep run as currently constructed (including prospects in the system)? — Mike M. Advertisement I think the Senators are good enough to make the playoffs and could win a round depending on their opponent. They have a No. 1 goalie, a No. 1 defenceman and a No. 1 centre. They have an impact first-liner in Brady Tkachuk, who has proven he can play in the playoffs. Their supporting cast is decent. They have a game plan that involves committing to playing defence. There's work to be done, but the Sens have a good foundation. The Senators are counting on that internal growth to take that next step. But what about filling holes in the roster, such as a need for scoring and potentially another defenceman to offset Nick Jensen's recovery from a nagging hip injury? That question will only be resolved once we know what Ottawa is doing with its remaining free agents before July 1. Finally, what about the other teams in the Atlantic? The Florida Panthers are two wins away from a Cup. Barring serious regression and/or injuries, the Tampa Bay Lightning still look like a playoff team. The Toronto Maple Leafs should be, too. The Montreal Canadiens became a playoff team last year and the Detroit Red Wings continue to knock on the door as well. And maybe the Buffalo Sabres will be one day, too. I think the Senators need to show that they're more impressive than other teams in the Atlantic. It's possible. But they need to prove it wasn't a fluke. Of course, projections for any team go out the window because of the magic of the playoffs. All it takes is one run, and how you play after that run, for your perception to change. I think Ottawa's good enough to be a playoff team right now. But expectations need to be higher than that. Would love a one-year assessment of the (Carter) Yakemchuk pick given it's this window's last top 10 pick (hopefully) and chance to get a star, his progression being hard to judge by box score stats alone, and the glut of other D prospects picked in that range that tempt 'what if' thinking. — Alexei K. Advertisement It's a bit too early to tell with Yakemchuk, I think. He experienced some injury trouble during the second half of his WHL season and wasn't as much of a factor as he should have been during the playoffs. The one game I watched in full last December was his last game before the Christmas holidays. The offensive instincts were there, but he needed to work on gap control, having an active stick and positioning at the time. But until we see him up close at the pro level, I'm going to consider any real assessment of Yakemchuk to be premature. I think the Senators still got a high-end prospect with size and offensive ability, but I'm not comfortable saying the Sens got a better prospect than guys like Zeev Buium, Zayne Parekh and the like. Yakemchuk should be at the Ottawa development camp next month after the draft, and he'll likely head back to Calgary after that to get himself in shape for a training camp battle. The Sens continue to monitor his progress with help from development coach Wade Redden. My impression is that the Senators will give Yakemchuk every opportunity to make the team, as questions surround Jensen's health. My colleague Scott Wheeler thinks Yakemchuk could play in the NHL this fall, too. Are there any players from Belleville that you can see pushing for an NHL roster spot next year? — Keith C. Leevi Merilainen could have the best odds of that, but it doesn't appear to be a slam dunk as of now. It has everything to do with whether Anton Forsberg remains in the organization. Up to now, I haven't heard any confirmation that his time in Ottawa is done. We'll see. Something else to consider: Ottawa's goaltending depth across the organization looks pretty thin if it lets Forsberg go. We know Linus Ullmark is the No. 1 guy. But in a world where Merilainen is No. 2, that leaves Mads Sogaard as their No. 3. Even if Forsberg goes, I'm inclined to think the Senators will vie for a veteran goalie in free agency. Advertisement Stephen Halliday showed some promise at the AHL level with 19 goals and 51 points in 71 games. Depending on what the Sens do with their pending free agents, maybe he gives himself a chance to play on the fourth line with a good showing at training camp. In addition to Yakemchuk battling for a roster spot, I'd look at Donovan Sebrango as a possibility for the seventh defenceman. He played two games last year. It only makes sense that he gets a good look in the fall. It seems like this is the perfect opportunity to pay Claude Giroux via performance bonus, which is allowed on contracts for players aged 35 and above. I'm thinking he could count for a league-minimum cap hit this year and give him $4-5 million in easily achievable performance bonuses, which, from my understanding, would count next year. But with the cap going up, and Nick Jensen and David Perron off the books, they might be OK with it? Can you do a deep dive on this? I don't see this strategy used by teams very often. — Matthieu K. On this week's Ask CJ on the Chris Johnston Show, Johnston tackled a similar question about Brad Marchand. I'd recommend checking that out if you want an in-depth explanation from him. Anyway, yes, the Senators could tender a one-year contract with those performance bonuses that can carry into the next season. For those wanting an update on Giroux, senior vice president Dave Poulin said negotiations are ongoing on Tuesday at a season-ticket-holder event. Joe Pavelski is a notable example of this strategy. He signed a one-year deal in 2023-24 with a $3.5 million cap hit and $2 million in performance bonuses. Combined with bonuses for Thomas Harley, that went up to about $2.6 million in performance overage bonuses carried over into 2024-25, according to PuckPedia. But some money was saved because the Stars were under the cap. That could work as some comparison for Giroux in this case. Are the Senators willing to live with having four or five million on their books in bonuses on their cap? Depends on how much space they'll have. The Sens are currently projected to have $35 million in cap space in 2026, but what does that look like with a new Shane Pinto contract? What about other players they acquire through trade or free agency? Jensen and Perron look like cap casualties in 2026, but is it a guarantee that they both leave? Those are some of the factors the Sens would have to consider. Of course, Giroux has to want that contract, too. What if he wants two years instead of one, for example? Anyway, it's a good idea worth considering. I wouldn't be surprised if the Sens tried to pitch that idea already. I feel that the Sens have too many top-nine forwards but not enough top-six. With that in mind, do you think Marco Rossi could be an interesting option for the Sens? Would Ridly Greig and a second-round pick be enough to make a trade? Thanks! — Olivier N. I get teams and fans being interested in Marco Rossi, a 60-point centre who can score from high-danger areas and looks to be on the outs in Minnesota before his prime. But here's why your trade proposal might not work. My understanding is that the Wild would rather have players in exchange for Rossi instead of draft picks. The Wild probably won't need that 2026 second the Sens could offer (Ottawa doesn't have a second-rounder in this month's draft). Secondly, if the Wild want players, Greig doesn't fit the bill. His snarl and grit make him an excellent middle-of-the-lineup player, but it remains to be seen if he's a top-six player. I think Shane Pinto would be a more intriguing piece for Minnesota than Grieg. His ceiling is higher, and he's a centre with some size who can play well defensively while providing offence in your middle six. Secondly, is Rossi a veritable top-six player on this team, especially in the playoffs? It's worth asking. This spring in the playoffs, Rossi's ice time was limited between 9:27 and 12:10 in the six games he played against Vegas. He did have a multi-point outing in the series in Game 3, but played just 10:52 — and that was two-thirds of his points production in that series. Rossi had a 40.74 Corsi rating at five-on-five in the postseason and a 28.57 percent high-danger chances rate, according to Natural Stat Trick. That's not good enough, in my eyes. I think Rossi is a talented player who could benefit in an environment where he doesn't have to worry about being out of a team's middle six. I'm just not completely sure he would be a top-six player for Ottawa. (Top photo of Marco Rossi: Robert Edwards / Imagn Images)
