On a day where the top 20 was dotted with underdogs, Hocevar fought through the chaos to grab a solid finish on a day where top contenders were dropping like flies.
“We put ourselves in the right spot today with the circumstances,” Hocevar said, speaking with Frontstretch.com after the race. “We put ourselves in the top 10. I feel good about coming home with some points, and obviously, we want to build on this.”
Like fellow top 10 finisher Bubba Wallace, Hocevar’s day in the Texas sun wasn’t without adversity, as he went for a slide early in the race.
“I don’t really know what happened,” Hocevar said, speaking about his spin on Lap 114. “Just part of it. We were able to put four tires on the car and get going. Luckily, we didn’t back into the fence super easily. But I’m not really sure what happened.”
As the Cup Series goes to Talladega this weekend, Hocevar was asked what his first career top ten will do for the No. 77 team moving forward.
“It’s big. There’s bonus programs for everyone in the shop, so we’re inching closer to hopefully putting money in their pocket. That makes them want to come work the late nights and spend time away from their families, which is more valuable than these racecars. Days like today, runs like this, help keep that in mind for them.”
Like every other driver in field, Hocevar had something to say about the chaotic nature of Sunday’s race.
“Obviously, there’s so much happening. It was really hard to pass, the only positions you could really get was on restarts, so it’s just really chaotic here. Everyone knows it. Everyone knows that if you don’s push the envelope, you get swallowed up.”
Thankfully for Hocevar, he wasn’t swallowed up in the chaos on Sunday. The No. 77 team will try to parlay his first-career top 10 into success for the rest of the season, starting with Sunday’s race at Talladega Superspeedway.
Hocevar sits 22nd in the points after Texas, 65 points back of the playoff cutline. He’s ahead of both of his Spire teammates in Corey Lajoie (29th) and Zane Smith (35th).