Trackin’ Trucks: Carson Hocevar Wins at Nashville

Credit: Meg Oliphant 

Carson Hocevar earned his second Craftsman Truck Series victory on Friday night at Nashville Speedway. Hocevar held off defending series champion Zane Smith by a .271 second margin-of victory. 

Hocevar didn’t take the lead at the 1.333-mile track until Lap 111, but then maintained the lead through several challengers to earn the victory. 

“I’m so excited I can finally put that other to rest,” Hocevar said of his first win in which Smith and Nick Sanchez wrecked at the front of the field at Texas, “and hopefully I can win a lot more races for them (Niece Motorsports.)”

In addition to the unique guitar trophy at Nashville, Hocevar’s win also earned him an extra $50,000 with the series Triple Truck Challenge bonus program.  Hocevar joins Ben Rhodes and Grant Enfinger as this year’s recipients. 

Sanchez finished third at the Rackley Roofing 200, while Corey Heim and Bayley Currey rounded out the top-five finishers. 

Chase Purdy placed sixth, Matt DiBenedetto finished seventh, while Tyler Ankrum, Rhodes, and Jake Garcia earned eighth through 10th place, respectively. 

Stewart Friesen had a rough night in Music City that caused him to drop two places in the standings. The driver of the No. 52 Toyota was involved in two separate accidents. The first was a spin on Lap 84, while the second was a multi-car accident on Lap 141 involving Christian Eckes and Enfinger. 

A Look Ahead

The Craftsman Truck Series has a week off, before returning to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Saturday, July 8th. 

Only three races remain in the Truck Series regular season. Sanchez currently sits on the playoff bubble six points ahead of both Friesen and Tanner Gray, who are tied for 11th.

Don’t miss the series when the trucks return on July 8th at 1:30 p.m ET on Fox Sports 1.