KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Carson Hocevar wasn’t focused on the points. He wanted the win.
“I didn’t care a single bit about points, I just wanted to win the race,” Hocevar said in a post-race interview. “If I could win the race, everything took care of itself. I wanna win a race more than I care about points, honestly. It’s a terrible philosophy, but I mean if we’re gonna win a championship, we gotta win a race.”
But in the blink of an eye, on the final lap of Friday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway, Hocevar’s hopes of a win and a championship were both trampled by John Hunter Nemechek.
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After two runner-up finishes this season, the most painful of which came to Nemechek at Darlington Raceway in May, the stars seemed to be aligning for Hocevar and the No. 42 Niece Motorsports camp to finally reach Victory Lane. Doing so meant it would be Hocevar’s first career win and would spur him into the Round of 8 after entering Kansas three points below the cutline.
When the majority of the field followed the dominant No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports truck of Nemechek down pit road for green-flag stops after Lap 102, Hocevar and a handful of others gambled to stay out with over 30 laps remaining. It was the break that Hocevar needed after starting the race 15th and hardly making up any ground throughout either of the first two stages.
“Even though we struggled and had an ill-handling truck, I mean [crew chief] Phil Gould and we somehow figured out how to get it up front,” said Hocevar.
And Hocevar put together a valiant effort from there, leading the field for a second-best 28 laps on the night.
Their strategy was masterful, putting them in the lead, which they needed. But it meant the No. 42 had to save tires and fuel for longer than almost anyone in the field.
As his tires wore down, Nemechek’s advantage of more than a second per lap quickly erased Hocevar’s lead. Their valiant effort proved costly only on the last circuit of the 134-lap thriller.
Heartbreak for Hocevar.
“I thought I saved too much and then I sputtered before the first whole lap,” Hocevar said. “That’s why the 4 caught me all of a sudden down the straightaway. He was catching me at a ridiculous amount — like he nailed me down the front straightway because I was already out of fuel.”
Nemechek easily overtook Hocevar on Lap 134 and cruised to his second win of the season, with both victories coming at the expense of the hopeful 19-year-old.
“I’ve been in this spot a lot of times and it’s been a lot behind the 4,” Hocevar said. “So when I find out how to beat him, I’ll let you know.”
And although he wasn’t focused primarily on points, it turned out to be his downfall. Christian Eckes finished 10th, knocking Hocevar out of the playoffs by a mere three points.
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Four opportunities remain this season for Hocevar to earn his elusive first Truck Series victory. But as for his championship hopes, they will have to wait until next year.