Carson Hocevar Collects NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year
With an 18th-place finish at Phoenix Raceway in Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race, Carson Hocevar officially claimed the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year Award by 107 points over Josh Berry.
After climbing from his No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 on Sunday afternoon, Hocevar broke down his rookie season, and as all rookie seasons go, Hocevar's was filled with ups and downs.
"I'd say Homestead was our best race," Hocevar said in an interview with TobyChristie.com. "Having a shot to win, Watkins Glen probably is going to be something I remember for a long time.
"Our lowest lows were just at the beginning of the year. You know, just running good, and have an issue or have a pit penalty, or an issue on pit road, or an issue with our car, where we'd blow a tire and everything. There's a handful of spots where I can think there are five or six races, where there are 20 or 30 points. Adds up really quickly. I think being able to recognize that, and just minimize those, I think we put ourselves in the next caliber."
While Hocevar looks to take the next step in 2025, the rookie racer churned out a lot of great performances in 2024, and he only registered two DNFs. Overall, Hocevar finished the season 21st in the NASCAR Cup Series championship standings, and he finished the season with one top-five finish, and six top-10s.
Hocevar took home the Rookie of the Race Award 15 times, most of any contender in 2024. Berry amd Smith were the highest finishing rookie in 10 races each, and Grala was the top rookie driver in one event in 2024.
Final 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year Standings
Rank | No. | Driver | Points | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 77 | Carson Hocevar | 686 | -- |
2 | 4 | Josh Berry | 579 | -107 |
3 | 71 | Zane Smith | 505 | -181 |
4 | 15 | Kaz Grala | 206 | -480 |
Toby Christie is the Editor-in-Chief of Racing America. He has 15 years of experience as a motorsports journalist and has been with Racing America since 2023.