Team Stats & Notes

• Niece Motorsports Michigan Stats: Niece drivers have made a total of eight NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) starts at Michigan International Speedway. In 2019, the organization started on pole at this track with Ross Chastain. That same year, Bayley Currey earned the team’s best finish of sixth.
• Entitlement Sponsor Race: This race weekend has been highly anticipated for the Niece Motorsports team as primary partners, DQS Solutions & Staffing and Precision Vehicle Logistics, are the presenting sponsors for the NCTS return to Michigan International Speedway.
• Power of Collaboration: All of the team’s primary partners, including DQS Solutions & Staffing, J.F. Electric, Precision Vehicle Logistics, and Utilitra, will co-brand the team’s three entries this weekend. To learn more about the business-to-business relationships that have been formed through the race team, please visit this link.
  No. 42 J.F. Electric Chevrolet Silverado RST
  Driver: Matt Mills | Crew Chief: Mike Shiplett
  Matt Mills Racing
  @MattMillsRacing
  @MattMillsRacing
  Website
• Mills’ Michigan Stats: Matt Mills has competed in one NCTS race at Michigan which came back in 2018. Mills qualified fourth for that race, which was ultimately cut short due to a crash, resulting in a 31st-place finish. The driver went on to make four NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) starts at the 2.0-mile track, posting a best result of 14th in 2021.
• Shiplett’s Michigan Stats: Mike Shiplett will call his first NCTS race at Michigan on Saturday. In seven NXS starts here, Shiplett earned one top-five finish – a third-place effort with Kyle Larson in 2015. Shiplett also directed 11 Cup Series races at the track, finishing as high as 11th in 2010.
• On the Truck: Mills’ No. 42 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from a collaboration among the team’s primary partners: J.F. Electric, DQS Solutions & Staffing, Precision Vehicle Logistics, and Utilitra.
• Recapping Nashville: Matt Mills and the No. 42 team fought hard in Nashville, but struggled to gain track position in dirty air. Mills started 11th and maintained inside the top-15 through the opening part of the race, but began to fade in stage two. Stuck in traffic, the team made adjustments throughout the race to help the balance, and assisted Mills to pick up some spots late to finish 22nd.
• Points Rundown: Mills lost one spot in the championship points standings following his 22nd-place finish in Nashville. Now scored 17th, Mills is only one point behind Jack Wood in 16th and is 13 points ahead of Andres Perez De Lara in 18th. He is currently 125 points behind the Playoffs cutline.
• Quoting Mills: You grew up just a state away from this track, so what will it be like to have a bunch of your supporters in the grandstands this week?

“It’s going to be really cool to come back and race at Michigan. I know we will have a lot of sponsors and family friends that I raced with or supported me throughout my career that are going to be here on Saturday. The track is about four hours away from where I called home, so to be that close just adds more motivation to run well.

I’ve always thought Michigan is a great track for us with the raw speed of it, so going back there in a truck will be great. I’ve only been there once in a truck and had a good time. It was a different kind of race craft, so I imagine it’ll be about the same when we go back this time. We just have to play our cards right; I know we’ll bring a fast truck and it’s going to be a special weekend for Niece Motorsports as a whole.”
No. 44 Niece Equipment Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Ross Chastain | Crew Chief: Wally Rogers
Bayley Currey
@BayleyCurrey
@BayleyCurrey05
Website

• Chastain’s Michigan Stats: Ross Chastain has competed in two NCTS races at Michigan. His best series finish came in 2012 when he finished 18th, but he notably won a pole at the speedway in 2019. Chastain has made seven NXS starts here, finishing as high as seventh in 2023. Through seven Cup Series races, his best finish is seventh, also coming in 2023.
• Rogers’ Michigan Stats: Wally Rogers has called four NCTS races at Michigan. Rogers’ best series finish came in 2004, when Matt Crafton finished in 12th-place. In six NXS starts at the 2.0-mile track, Rogers’ best run was an 11th-place effort with Tony Stewart in 2006. He has also competed in four Cup Series races here, finishing as high as 21st with Elliott Sadler in 2010.
• On the Truck: Chastain’s No. 44 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from a collaboration among the team’s primary partners: J.F. Electric, DQS Solutions & Staffing, Precision Vehicle Logistics, and Utilitra. The hood will feature Niece Equipment.
• Recapping Nashville: Bayley Currey and the No. 44 team showcased raw pace throughout the night in Nashville en route to another solid finish. Currey started sixth in the 150-lap event and maintained track position in both of the opening two stages. By finishing ninth in stage one and seventh in stage two, Currey picked up a total of six stage points. As the checkered flag flew, Currey secured his third top-10 finish of the year in ninth-place.
• Owner Points Rundown: The No. 44 team remains 16th in the owner points standings after Nashville, but gained ground on a few teams. Heading into Michigan, the entry is only five points behind ThorSport Racing’s No. 99 truck in 15th and is 27 points ahead of TRICON Garage’s No. 15 truck in 17th.
• Quoting Chastain: It’s been a while since the trucks raced here, so what does it feel like coming back?

“Yeah, it’s been a few years for us, but I’m so glad we’re coming back. We were so fast the last time we came here and felt like we had a chance to win that race. Over the years, the surface at Michigan has aged a little bit, but what you need to be fast is still the same – it’s all about top speed. It’s just such a fast track that’s fun for us to race on. The draft really plays a big factor in these trucks especially, so I think that should help put on an exciting race. It’s a big weekend for us here at Niece Motorsports with our partners involved in putting the race on, and we’re bringing the same truck that ran well at Charlotte, so I’m really looking forward to Saturday.”
No. 45 DQS Solutions & Staffing Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Kaden Honeycutt | Crew Chief: Phil Gould
Kaden Honeycutt Racing
@KadenWHoneycutt
@KadenHoneycutt10
Website

• Honeycutt’s Michigan Stats: Kaden Honeycutt will make his first start at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday.
• Gould’s Michigan Stats: Phil Gould has called two NCTS races at Michigan. Gould’s team won the pole at this track with Ross Chastain in 2019, and his best series finish of 15th came the following year. His NXS track record is impressive, producing three top-fives (best of fourth in 2018 with Ryan Reed) and five top-10 finishes in six starts.
• Gould’s Milestone Race: Saturday’s DQS Solutions & Staffing 250 Powered by Precision Vehicle Logistics will mark Phil Gould’s 150th-career NCTS race on top of the pit box. As the winningest crew chief for Niece Motorsports, Gould has led his team to eight race wins. His trucks have finished inside the top-10 in nearly 50% of his starts – which all were made at Niece.
• On the Truck: Honeycutt’s No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from a collaboration among the team’s primary partners: J.F. Electric, DQS Solutions & Staffing, Precision Vehicle Logistics, and Utilitra.
• Recapping Nashville: Kaden Honeycutt and the No. 45 team had a great points night in Nashville. With qualifying cancelled due to rain, Honeycutt started on the front row in second place. The team took full advantage of the track position and stayed near the front of the pack all race long. Honeycutt earned 10 extra points by finishing fifth in both stages. At the end of the night, the No. 45 came home in sixth-place, marking their eighth top-10 of the year.
• Points Rundown: Honeycutt’s sixth-place finish in Nashville kept him sitting seventh in the championship points standings. The driver of the No. 45 is now 17 points behind Layne Riggs in sixth, and 19 points ahead of Jake Garcia in eighth. Since there was a new race winner, his gap over the Playoffs cutline shrunk to 22 points over Ty Majeski, who holds down the final spot.
• Quoting Honeycutt: This is a big race with your primary partners sponsoring the race itself, so how much added effort are you putting into it?

“For me, my preparation is the same every race since we try to go out there and win each week. So we all work hard here, knowing that we have the tools we need to make it happen. I feel like we should have a good shot at it. The Truck Series hasn’t been there in about five years, and I’ve never even turned a lap on this place before, so that will be an interesting challenge in practice to venture out and see what I’ve got to do to be fast.

But yeah, it’s a very important race for us, and hopefully we can win, because it would be huge. Obviously, it would be big for the company as a whole, but to lock ourselves into the Playoffs and have all of our partners be there with us to get into victory lane at their race would be really special.”

Niece Motorsports PR

Threatening weather and rain forced an early stop to day one of a two-day NASCAR tire test at Iowa Speedway Tuesday. Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, and fellow Cup Series Drivers Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric were limited to two and a half hours of on-track testing in the morning, as they gathered information for the upcoming August 3rd Cup Race at the track. Iowa Speedway President Eric Peterson was pleased with the day, despite the limited time for testing. 

“It’s really exciting to have cars on track today and bring that excitement back to the racetrack after the winter here at Iowa Speedway.”

The Iowa Speedway President also said the opportunity for people to see this year’s NASCAR Cup Series race at the track in-person is dwindling.

“By the end of the week we are going to be out of Cup tickets. So expect an announcement in the next couple of weeks on that sell out. We will still have a few left for Friday and Saturday, and the ARCA Menards Series and the NASCAR XFinity Series.”

The ARCA Menard Series Atlas Roofing 150 will be held at 4:00 p.m. Friday, August 1st. The NASCAR XFinity Series HyVee Perks 250 will start at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 2nd. The NASCAR Cup Series Iowa Corn 350 Powered By Ethanol on Sunday, August 3rd is set to start at 2:30 p.m. Ticket information for all three races is available at iowaspeedway.com

BROOKLYN, MI – Up-and-coming country music artist Nate Smith has canceled all of his shows for June, including his prerace concert scheduled for Michigan International Speedway.

Smith was supposed to lead a concert at MIS on Sunday, June 8, prior to the FireKeepers Casino 400 NASCAR race. The show was part of the Busch Light Summer Music Series.

Smith’s doctors put him on “strict vocal rest” through the end of June.

“We’ve all come to the decision that the best way to get my voice fully back is to rest it for the first time in almost five years,” Smith wrote in a Facebook post. “This is the part that is so hard for me, because I have multiple bucket list shows coming up this month (including CMA Fest) and it breaks my heart knowing I won’t be there to see all of you.”

MIS officials couldn’t be reached Wednesday afternoon to say whether there will be a different performer for the show, prior to Sunday’s race.

The concert was supposed to last for an hour on the grass field near the start/finish line. Fans didn’t need to purchase a separate ticket – anybody with Sunday tickets could watch the show.

Smith is a multi-platinum, award-winning country music artist. In 2024, he was named Billboard’s Rookie of the Year and Amazon’s Breakthrough Country Artist.

His most famous songs include “Whiskey on You,” “World on Fire,” “Wildfire” and “Bulletproof.”

Smith is scheduled to tour this summer on Jason Aldean’s Full Throttle Tour.

No Faster Horses

Smith isn’t the only country music cancellation at MIS in 2025. The annual Faster Horses music festival was canceled for this summer. Organizers said they were “taking the year to make plans for a bigger and better Faster Horses.”

Track officials hope to have Faster Horses return in 2026.

RELATED: Campground owner plans her own ‘mellower’ festival after Faster Horses cancellation

“Obviously we would rather have the event if we could. But it’s a pause year,” MIS President Joe Fowler said. “We have so many things that happen throughout the year here, especially in the summer, event-wise, that we’re going to keep a pretty busy schedule.

“I have no reason to believe that Faster Horses won’t be back next year.”

HARLAN – The Malvern Bank 360’s with MSTS Winged Sprints were on hand to entertain the fine crowd of fans who attended another great race night at SCS. A total of 111 cars were checked in which included our 5 regular weekly classes and we had a fun and exciting night of action.

Things got underway with Keast Motors IMCA Sport Mods. Heats were taken by Hayden Hillgartner and Kevin Zeitner. In the feature Jim Blazina used his front row start to take the lead and looked good in one of his best runs at SCS. But Cody Olsen who was in hot pursuit, was involved in a accident in turn 4 putting him to the tail of the field. Blazina continued his lead for a time but as the laps wound down newcomer Dylan Cherry of Galva, KS was able to pass Blazina and pick up the win in his first time ever at SCS. Blazina was second Devyn Petersen captured third, Joe Hendricks finished fourth in a great run for Joe and Josh Thomsen rounded out the top five.

In Murphy Equipment IMCA Stock Cars heats were Carson Reinig, Riley Christensen and Austin Meiners. Feature action saw Tyson Partridge take the lead early with Bob Walker in pursuit. Austin Meiners came from his fourth starting spot to get the lead. Meiners who has never won at SCS went on with a strong run for the win. Braden Richards was second closing in, third was taken by Dustin Reeh, fourth to Partridge and Mike Albertsen finished fifth

Then the Malvern Bank 360 Sprints took to the track Heat winners were Alex Vande Voort, Justin Jacobsma and Chase Brown. The Dash was won by Jacobsma. A big Thank You to Performance Grading for the $500 prize donation for the Dash. In an exciting Feature event Sam Henderson picked up the $2000 prize money for winning the feature. Chase Brown captured second place Vande Voort third, Chase Porter finished fourth and Stuart Snyder in fifth place.

Next up KNOD IMCA Hobby Stock action saw heats won by Jeff Fink and Dayton Ullrich. In yet another great race Jeff Fink emerged as the winner with Joel Magee finishing second in a good run, third place went to Colby Christensen who gained 11 spots coming through the pack, fourth to Ullrich and Jason Tetzlaff placed fifth.

Next were the Sorensen Equipment IMCA Late Models. SCS has some of the best Late Model racing to be had anywhere. Heat winners were Jordan Krug, Jarrett Getzschman and Brett Hopp. In a fantastic feature Allan Hopp picked up the feature at the checkered flag nipping second place Jordan Krug, Zach Zeitner finished third , Micah Brown in fourth and Logan Cloudt in fifth. This was a great win for Hopp as he came from the 8th starting position and the finish had everybody on the edge of their seats.

Lastly The Atlantic Bottling Coca-Cola IMCA Sport Compacts we had another great field of cars. Heats were taken by. John Logan, Caine Mahlberg and Zach Day. Feature action saw Jim Cahill as the early leader of the race but Braxton Wallace was able to get the lead and looked like he was going to win. But Caine Mahlberg was able to run him down and pick up yet another win. Wallace finished second, Tanner Hoffman third, Andrew Rolf fourth and Zach Day rounded out the top 5.

It truly was a fun night of racing action. Be on hand next week June 7 for Sport Mods, Hobby Stocks, Stock Cars and Sport compact action. Late Models are off. Then on Sunday we will have our first of two Figure 8 races at SCS. Racing will be at 5 p.m. Sunday afternoon. Make sure you follow us on Facebook and watch replays on IMCA.TV.

• Ricky Stenhouse’s No. 47 Chevrolet will be sponsored by Hulk Hogan’s Real American Beer at Michigan International Speedway.
• This is the second time this season Real American Beer has sponsored Stenhouse, the first being in Las Vegas in March.

Ricky Stenhouse’s No. 47 Chevrolet will display the stars, stripes and Hulk Hogan’s Real American Beer at Michigan International Speedway this weekend.

In 13 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Michigan International Speedway (MIS), Spire Motorsports has logged two top-10 and and three top-15 finishes. Zane Smith posted a team-best seventh-place finish in last season's 400-mile event at the Brooklyn oval. Spire Motorsports fields the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet ZL1s in the Cup Series for Justin Haley, Michael McDowell and Carson Hocevar, respectively.
The FireKeepers Casino 400 will be streamed live on Amazon Prime, Sunday, June 8 beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The 15th of 36 points-paying races on the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series calendar will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Justin Haley – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet ZL1

Justin Haley will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Garner Trucking, Inc. Chevrolet ZL1 in Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
Haley has recorded four previous NASCAR Cup Series starts at the famed two-mile oval. Over those four races, the Winamac, Ind., native has logged a 23.3 average start, a 21.3 average finish and earned two top-20 showings, while completing 805 of 806 laps (99.9%). His career/series-best finish was a 17th-place result in August 2022.  
Garner Trucking is a family-owned and operated business started in 1960 by Vernon E. Garner and Regina R. Garner, headquartered in Findlay, Ohio. Daughter Sherri Garner Brumbaugh currently owns and operates the business. Garner is a 100 percent woman-owned business. Since 2017, Garner Trucking has been named a Best Fleet to Drive For from trucking companies in North America. In 2022, Garner was named the Best Fleet to Drive For – Overall Small Carrier. The company’s dedication to its drivers earned it a spot in the Best Fleets to Drive For Hall of Fame in 2023. Continuing its legacy of excellence, Garner won the inaugural Best Fleets to Drive for Hall of Fame Stratosphere Award in 2024—and claimed the title again in 2025. Garner is celebrating its 65th anniversary in 2025.
Last week at Nashville Superspeedway, Haley battled tight-handling Garner Trucking Chevrolet which ultimately left him one lap down to the leaders and 32nd in the final rundown.
In NASCAR Xfinity Series competition, Haley earned a venue best 10th-place finish in the 2019 LTI Printing 250.
Haley boasts a pair of top-10 results in NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series competition at MIS where he finished 10th and ninth, respectively in 2017-2018.
Haley secured his first Cup Series win in the 2019 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. He picked up both his and the team’s first win – an upset of practically unprecedented proportions – behind the wheel of the No. 77 Chevrolet.
Over the course of his career, Haley has collected four NASCAR Xfinity Series checkered flags and three CRAFTSMAN Truck Series wins, making him one of just 41 drivers in history to have earned wins across all three of NASCAR’s National Touring Series. 
He made his first start in NASCAR’s premier division for Spire Motorsports at Talladega Superspeedway on April 28, 2019 – his 20th birthday. Sunday will mark Haley’s 160th career NASCAR Cup Series start. Over the course of the last seven seasons, the 26-year-old racer has notched one win, five top fives, 17 top 10s and 103 laps led.
In total, Haley has made 56 Cup Series starts for Spire Motorsports, with the bulk of races coming during the 2021 season behind the wheel of the team’s No. 77 machine. In his second appearance amidst his return to Spire Motorsports at Talladega last October, Haley earned a seventh-place result, his first top 10 with the team since the 2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona.

Justin Haley Quote
What’s your outlook heading into Michigan this weekend?
“I’m hopeful heading to Michigan this weekend. Personally, it is not top of the list of my favorite tracks, but it’s a good track if you have a fast race car. Generally speaking, we have fast race cars at these style tracks. Hopefully, we can turn that speed into a good result in our Garner Trucking Chevrolet.”
Atop the No. 7 Box – Crew Chief Ryan Sparks

Ryan Sparks, Spire Motorsports Competition Director and crew chief for driver Justin Haley, has called six races at MIS, dating back to 2020. He earned an venue-best result when he led Corey LaJoie to a 15th-place finish in August 2023.
The Winston Salem, N.C., native has called 180 NASCAR Cup Series races where he’s earned three top-five and nine top-10 finishes. He was first paired with Haley at Bristol Motor Speedway in September 2024.

Michael McDowell – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet ZL1

Michael McDowell will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 Delaware Life Chevrolet ZL1 in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway (MIS).
McDowell has made 18 NASCAR Cup Series starts at MIS, and turned in a venue/series best 19th-place finish in last year’s annual visit to Michigan’s Irish Hills.
The Glendale, Ariz., native has logged a 26.7 average start and a 29.4 average finish at the two-mile Brooklyn, Mich., oval.
In addition to his time in NASCAR’s top series, the 40-year-old has three starts at MIS in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, earning a best result of seventh in 2012.
Spire Motorsports comes to the track known for its speed and width with fresh insight from Director of Vehicle Performance, Matt McCall. The former crew chief has coached his drivers to five top-five and 12 top-10 finishes, most recently earning back-to-back top-five performances with Brad Keselowski. The 44-year-old has an average finish of 9.9 in 16 Cup Series starts.
During last weekend’s trip Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway, McDowell qualified his No. 71 Delaware Life Chevrolet eighth and held a steady grip on the top 10 during the opening stage of Sunday’s 400-mile contest. As the sun set on the central Tennessee track and the track temperature dropped, the No. 71 Delaware Life Chevrolet faded from the top 20 and ultimately crossed the finish line 21st.
The No. 71 team earned a $100,000 payday and a trip to Victory Lane after winning the Mechanix Wear Pit Crew Challenge during NASCAR’s recent visit to North Wilkesboro Speedway. The crew’s blazing 12.587-second stop topped all entries for both the NASCAR All-Star Open and NASCAR All-Star Race, earning the title of the fastest team on pit road.
B’laster Products will ride along the No. 71 in associate-sponsor position this weekend, as the Cleveland, Ohio-based company gets ready for its primary paint scheme in next weekend’s inaugural visit for the NASCAR Cup Series to Mexico City.
Through the first 13 races of the 2025 campaign, McDowell owns an average starting position of 13.6, including five starts inside the top 10.
Delaware Life is an insurance and annuity company that empowers financial professionals with a wide array of customizable solutions. A subsidiary of Group 1001 Insurance Holdings LLC, Delaware Life focuses on delivering a seamless experience for advisors. The company understands how important it is to find the right fit for every client, every situation and every individual need. Delaware Life is passionate about equipping advisors with annuities that give their customers peace of mind and a successful future, allowing them to plan with confidence for whatever's next.
McDowell has claimed three Xfinity Fastest Lap awards this season, clocking the fastest lap in the Daytona 500, Phoenix Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway. The No. 71 stands as the only Cup Series team to win the newly unveiled award three times.
McDowell secured Spire Motorsports' first Busch Light Pole Award at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March. His 28.833-second lap marks the fastest lap in NASCAR's seventh-generation Cup Series car (2022-present) at the 1.5-mile Nevada oval.

Michael McDowell Quote
What are your thoughts as we head to Michigan?
“Michigan is a fun track. With the speed we’ve had this year at Spire Motorsports, our mile-and-a-half program and big-track program have been great. I feel like the Hendrick engine shop is a big part of that, too. Every year, when we think about Michigan, this is usually where you see how everybody is performance-wise. I think Michigan and Indianapolis are those places with big downforce, big horsepower. Being efficient in both those areas is important at both those places. Everything stands out. Everything is magnified at Michigan, and right now, with the speed that we have, I think it’ll be a great track for us to go do something special.”
Atop the No. 71 Box – Crew Chief Travis Peterson

Crew chief Travis Peterson heads to the track with two NASCAR Cup Series starts at Michigan International Speedway, both with McDowell; the duo holds an average finish of 21.5. 
During his time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the Wisconsin native worked as an engineer for Regan Smith and the No. 7 entry at JR Motorsports. In 2013, Smith qualified 20th, leading 14 laps at the Brooklyn, Mich., oval. The No. 7 Chevrolet took home the checkered flag, earning the team’s second win of the season. 
The 34-year-old has called 90 races in NASCAR's premier series, securing one win, four top fives, 18 top 10s and seven pole awards.

Carson Hocevar – Driver, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet ZL1

Carson Hocevar, driver of the No. 77 Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet ZL1, will make his 60th NASCAR Cup Series start in Sunday’s Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
The Portage, Mich., native will be joined by Michigan-based Zeigler Auto Group for his second Cup Series appearance at the two-mile oval after a 10th-place showing in the 2024 event.
Zeigler Auto Group has turned the No. 77 Chevy gold in celebration of the company’s 50th anniversary. Zeigler Auto Group is one of the largest privately-owned dealer groups in the U.S. with 84 franchises across 41 locations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. Vehicle brands represented include all the domestic and majority of the imported manufacturers. The family-owned and -operated organization has been a regular on the Cup Series tour since 2019. 
The Firekeepers Casino 400 will be Hocevar’s third race of the week. He’ll first take to the track Tuesday night at Berlin Raceway near Grand Rapids for the Money in the Bank 150 Super Late Model race. Hocevar won the prestigious event in 2020 and 2021 and will compete alongside fellow Cup Series competitor and Michigan native Erik Jones. He took victory in the 2024 Battle at Berlin, his last appearance at the historic Michigan short track.
Following his trip to Berlin, Hocevar will make his way 135 miles east to Michigan International Speedway to prepare for his first NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start at the venue. It will be his third CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start of the season and first since taking the checkered flag in the Heart of Health Care 200 at Kansas Speedway.
The 22-year-old driver is fresh of his second runner-up finish of the season after a stout showing at Nashville Superspeedway. Hocevar started 26th for the 300-lap event, steadily working his way toward the top five by the conclusion of Stage Two. From there, the reigning Cup Series Rookie of the Year ran consistent lap times and was aided by a lightning-fast pit stop from the No. 77 team to claim the second position with 30 laps remaining in the event. The result tied his career-best Cup Series finish, first earned on February 23 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Hocevar’s finish at Nashville resulted in a net gain of five positions in the Cup Series driver point standings, placing the No. 77 team just four points behind the Playoff cut line.

Carson Hocevar Quotes
You’re headed back home to Michigan and riding the wave of another second-place finish. How do you carry that momentum over to a bigger, faster track and balance the environment of being at your hometrack?
“I’m really excited to get to Michigan and have a chance to improve on our race from last year. I’ve been saying for a few weeks that we’ve improved so much and, thankfully, we finally put a race together where that shows. There are definitely some lessons and things that we learn each week that will only continue to make us better down the line, but I think we have a good chance to keep things going to get another top five or top 10 this weekend.

“There is for sure a balance that has to happen in terms of showing appreciation to fans and friends who come to the track and staying aware of the job that we’re there to do. I work on that every weekend just as much as I work on my race craft. It’s an ever-evolving process and we have a solid group that holds me accountable to make sure I’m giving my attention to all of those different areas.”

How much does it benefit you to race in events outside of the Cup Series?
“I feel like it helps a lot. Not so much in terms of things specific to the car and what we can do, but just having that time on track to be in race mode. I love racing and I’m happiest when I’m getting to do that, but I think it does help that I can be in that racing mindset more often and earlier in the weekend. I also really enjoy getting to be around fans. It makes me a better driver to hear what they love about our sport and know that we’re making a difference.”

Spire Motorsports PR