NASCAR star Carson Hocevar at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway watching practice for the 110th Indianapolis 500 on May 13, 2026.
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When practice begins for the Indianapolis 500, the stars of racing turn out to watch. On Wednesday, May 13, it was NASCAR Cup Series star Carson Hocevar who was on pit lane watching Andretti Global’s trio of drivers participate in the high-speed, six-hour practice session on the 2.5-mile oval.
Hocevar drives for Spire Motorsports, which is owned by Dan Towriss, the same man who also owns Andretti Global, the Cadillac Formula One team, an IMSA Sports Car team and a Formula E team. Towriss could be considered the most ambitious team owner in international racing.
Towriss is the CEO of and President of Group 1001, a privately held insurance collective and financial services firm. It’s a subsidiary of TWG Global which also includes Mark Walter, owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA and Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA.
Towriss has dived head-first into racing and that includes Spire Motorsports in NASCAR, a team that features one of the most exciting drivers in the series in Hocevar.
Hocevar claimed his first NASCAR Cup Series victory on April 26 at Talladega Superspeedway. He was already one of the most daring and exciting drivers in the series, often running afoul of his fellow competitors.
On Wednesday, Hocevar was on top of the Andretti Global timing stand, talking to Towriss’ wife Cassidy, watch the trio of Andretti Global drivers fly around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Those drivers include 2018 Indy 500 winner Will Power, 2022 Indy 500 winner Marcus Ericsson and IndyCar Series star Kyle Kirkwood.
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When Hocevar climbed down from the timing stand, I had an exclusive interview with him on pit lane as he walked to the Pagoda at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“Growing up in Michigan, I was around here as a kid a lot and got to enjoy it, I was here for a lot of qualifying days as a kid when Bryan Clauson did it, but was only ever here for the race,” Hocevar told me. “It’s remarkable what Dan Towriss has done here. It’s no different than why I love Spire and why I want to be there.
“Everything Dan does, he wants to succeed in, wants to win and do everything right. What he has done at Spire is remarkable and what he has done here with Andretti is very inspiring to watch. Hopefully, they can get an Indy 500 win. They were very close here last year.
“It’s my favorite race in the world. I’m glad I have a team that I can root for.”
Hocevar believes he could fit in an Indy car, but he believes he is all legs and not enough torso.
“I don’t know if that helps or hurts my case here,” Hocevar said.
As far as his NASCAR Cup Series career, Hocevar admits his life has changed since he won his first race two weeks ago.
“It’s changed a lot,” he told me. “You look at things a lot differently. Rather than being announced at a local hockey game or baseball game, they announce you as a Cup Series winner, and not just driver. It’s a lot different and that is what we shoot for.
“You feel like you can do it, but everybody reacts a lot differently whether it is manufacturers, the team, the employees, the fans, the other drivers and even family and friends. It’s a lot differently when you finally cap it off and those are things they don’t tell you.”
He even attended the Met Gala, the first NASCAR Cup Series driver to attend at the prestigious event since Jeff Gordon.
TALLADEGA, ALABAMA - APRIL 26: Carson Hocevar, driver of the #77 Chili's Ride the 'Dente Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 26, 2026 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
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In NASCAR, Hocevar is a very aggressive driver, often referred to as the eye of the hurricane, or a raging tornado when he gets up front. Sometimes, that leads to crashes, but recently he has found that fine line of racing fast and finishing races.
He had the potential to open the door to Victory Lane. Now that he has won his first race, Hocevar is ready to kick the door down with many more victories.
“I feel like these next three races I have a good shot of kicking down that door,” Hocevar said. “To win some, you have to lose some, and those are the races we lost some.
“Hopefully, we can find some redemption now that we have a win in the bank.”
TALLADEGA, ALABAMA - APRIL 26: Carson Hocevar, driver of the #77 Chili's Ride the 'Dente Chevrolet, celebrates with the checkered flag after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 26, 2026 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
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As far as comparisons with his IndyCar teammates, I asked Hocevar who is more like him – Will Power, Kyle Kirkwood or Marcus Ericsson?
“Kyle is very good, but Will Power has a lot of accolades in the bank with all of his wins,” Hocevar said. “I would like to have one percent of his success, especially at this race track.”
Later, during an interview with FOX Sports, Hocevar said he enjoyed every second of his visit.
“The first thing I asked my boss when it got to May how soon I could get to Indy to watch practice,” Hocevar said. “I’ve watched no monitors today, I’m just enjoying watching cars go by on the front straightaway.
“It’s totally different for me. They talk differently and say oversteer and understeer and paddock instead of garages. We have a close relationship with TWG and Andretti, so I get to see the nuances of the Indy 500.
“I’ve been cosplaying an Indy 500 driver every time we run the Brickyard 400 here. I can act the part a little bit more.
“It’s my favorite track to watch races, this is my favorite month, it’s the story of the Indianapolis 500 that I love the most. It’s the only non-Cup race we ever sat down as a family to watch.
“I would absolutely love to run the Indianapolis 500 one day. I would really enjoy it. But first, I need to win a couple of Brickyard 400s here. If they offered me an Indy 500 ride, I wouldn’t say no.”
Carson Hocevar – NASCAR Cup Series winner, and a big Indy 500 fan.
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - Will Power, Andretti Global Honda during the NTT INDYCAR Series The 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 - Practice & Previews on May 12, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Brandon Badraoui/Lumen via Getty Images)
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