Carson Hocevar stormed to a breathtaking first NASCAR Cup victory at the chaotic Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway that saw almost half of the field wiped out in a massive wreck.
Hocevar, piloting the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, outdueled RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher in a heart-stopping last-lap pass, edging him by just 0.114 seconds after a three-lap shootout sparked by a late-race wreck involving Erik Jones.
The win, in his 91st Cup start, made Hocevar the 13th driver to claim his maiden victory at Talladega’s unforgiving 2.66-mile oval, capping a weekend where first-time winners dominated the headlines across NASCAR’s lower series as well.
“I feel like every time I get to see the crowd, but I never really get to hear them,” said the 23-year old. “I’ve had this thought up for a while, and I’ve messed it up every which way to be able to do it.
“I don’t care if it took me 20 minutes or whatever, I was going to figure out how to do it. I’m out of breath. I’m so thankful. This is the biggest dream. Thank you, everybody. I couldn’t have done it in any better way.
“Hopefully my grandpa’s watching. My grandma died last year, so I’m so thankful I can give my grandpa a trophy now. I wish my parents were here. Thanks to Jeff Dickerson (Spire Motorsports team owner). We rode the ‘Dente today, that’s for sure … I’m just so thankful.”
RFK Racing’s Ryan Preece won Stage 1, while Trackhouse’s Ross Chastain snagged Stage 2 in a race that featured 16 leaders and 52 lead changes with JGR’s Christopher Bell leading a race-high 31 laps despite finishing 17th.
Just 17 minutes into Stage 2 action was interrupted by the infamous “Big One” in a wild 26-car melee at Turn 3 on lap 116, triggered by contact between race leader Bubba Wallace and Ross Chastain.
The No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota went sideways starting a chain reaction of crashes that eliminated half the field including championship leader Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Kyle Larson and William Byron, prompting a 10-minute red flag stoppage.
Another caution flew with 27 laps to go after Reddick clipped the wall and blew a tire in the middle of the pack, scattering debris on the track.
Hocevar took the lead with 19 laps remaining and held his nerve through the final restart after Erik Jones’ spin to take the checkered flag first. Buescher scored his career-best finish in second, while Alex Bowman rounded out the podium in the No. 48 Hendrick motorsports chevy.
Bowman’s teammate and two-time Talladega winner Chase Elliott finished fourth in the No. 9 Chevrolet with Zane Smith rallying to an impressive fifth place finish in the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford.
READ MORE:
Full 2026 NASCAR Cup Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega Race Results
