Carson Hocevar embraces being a NASCAR hometown hero at Michigan International Speedway

Carson Hocevar has fond childhood memories of Michigan International Speedway, with one exception.

Despite many NASCAR family outings at the 2-mile oval, Hocevar somehow missed the Michigan wins in 2008 and 2012 for favorite driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. — his only two Cup Series victories during a seven-season stretch from 2007-13.

“I enjoyed going there every year as a kid, but I always kicked myself,” Hocevar said. “Every time that I didn’t go, Junior won, and every time I did go, he wrecked or didn’t run good.”

The Spire Motorsports driver can make new memories Sunday by playing the home-state hero to a new generation of fans.

Hocevar, who grew up about 85 miles west of the Brooklyn track in Portage, will have an enormous cheering section as he seeks his second victory of the season. He’s unsure how many supporters will be on hand, because many of those who watched him rise through the ranks at Michigan short tracks such as Berlin Raceway or Kalamazoo Speedway aren’t bothering him for tickets.

“A lot of them camp at the track anyway, so they’re already going to be there,” he said. “I don’t have to get them passes and burn through those. It’ll be a lot of people that I grew up racing with, so it’s always fun just to see who’s there. Family-wise, there’ll probably be a lot of people.”

Expectations will be high beyond just the rooting interests. Before a flat tire spoiled a shot at the win, Hocevar led 32 laps last year at Michigan, which is among his best tracks.

“Ultimately, it’s a good place for me to go home because we run good there,” he said. “So there’s a lot less pressure when everybody’s already really excited for you. I already feel really confident walking into Michigan. But it being my home track, it just lets me walk a little bit lighter.”

The 24-year-old Hocevar is also managing the pressure to meet expectations as a championship contender since his first career win at Talladega Superspeedway six weeks ago. He is ranked ninth in the standings with 12 races remaining until the Chase points reset. The top 16 drivers then will race for the championship over the final 10 races.

“We look at (the standings) all the time,” Hocevar said. “I think we’ve been faster than where we have been finishing. But I thank the heavens that everybody around us in points has had worse days. So I’m still gaining spots.”

A win in Sunday’s 400-mile race would shore up his title bid and make history. No Michigan-born driver has won a Cup race at the track in the Irish Hills region — Brad Keselowski, who hails from the Detroit suburb of Rochester Hills, has three runner-up finishes at Michigan.

Hocevar enjoys rewatching video of when he led at Michigan and drew a passionate response on par with the wins for Earnhardt, a 15-time Most Popular Driver in NASCAR.

“Seeing the crowd jump up and get excited and how loud they got,” Hocevar said. “I’m excited to walk out to driver intros. Whether it’s cheers or boos, I’m just hoping it’ll be loud.”

Manufacturer battles

Toyota drivers have led the most laps in 10 of the first 14 races, getting off to a stronger start than Christopher Bell had expected against a new Chevrolet body that’s sleeker.

“One thing that our group was nervous going into 2026 was the Chevrolet body,” said Bell, who has consecutive runner-up finishes in a Joe Gibbs Racing Camry. “Having the same car for a couple of years now, we’ve been able to really hone in on what the setup needs to make the cars drive well. While they may have a slight upgrade in body design, Chevrolet haven’t really been able to hit the balance and execute on showing up to the racetrack great with it yet. So we’re in a really good spot. The Chevrolets will probably continue to improve, but we’ve shown enough strength that I feel good.”

Odds and ends

Denny Hamlin (+375) is the the favorite, followed by Christopher Bell (+550) and points leader Tyler Reddick (+550). … The driver who has led the most laps has finished 28th or worse in the past two Cup races at Michigan. … Experience has mattered at this track, where six of the past 10 races have been won by drivers at least 42 years old.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing