NASCAR’s new bad boy now has a win. What’s next for Carson Hocevar?

Ask Carson Hocevar if he plans to ever perform the epic celebration he staged at the NASCAR Talladega race on April 26, and he will tell you it’s not a matter of if, but when.

In other words, the confident and borderline cocky, 23-year-old Spire Motorsports driver from Portage, Michigan, with his first win coming at Talladega, has arrived. And NASCAR could be in store for the type of entertaining and unapologetic personality it has lacked since the days of Dale Earnhardt Sr., Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, and Jeff Gordon.

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But is Hocevar, who was already known as “Hurricane Hocevar” before his first win, ready to step into the bad boy role?

CARSON HOCEVAR WINS AT TALLADEGA: Carson Hocevar breaks through with 1st career win, more NASCAR Talladega winners, losers

“It would be nice for the sport’s sake if we had that and I was per se it,” Hocevar said. “I don’t know if that’s how people see me. I just know what I have and what I want to do. I’m just enjoying this right now.”

Several drivers came to victory lane to congratulate Hocevar, catching him off guard, as he admits he has no close friends on the NASCAR circuit.

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“It meant a lot; it was a surprise for me how many either came up beside me before they went to pit road or stopped me on the way to victory lane or came in during victory lane,” Hocevar said. “There were also a lot of texts from them that I wasn’t expecting.”

Did Carson Hocevar practice his victory celebration at Talladega?

After holding off Chris Beuscher and Alex Bowman and becoming the second first-time winner in the 2026 NASCAR Cup season — Ty Gibbs won his first race at Bristol on April 12 — Hocevar wanted to connect with his fans and allow them to see the joy on his face after the Jack Link’s 500 victory.

So he took his helmet, but that was not enough.

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After a couple of burnouts, Hocevar climbed from the driver’s seat of his No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet and sat on his door. He began working the throttle and clutch with his feet and waved to the crowd down the long straightaway.

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Carson Hocevar, NASCAR driver does Talladega burnout celebration half way out of car

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Carson Hocevar, NASCAR driver does Talladega burnout celebration half way out of car

“I didn’t plan it by any means,” Hocevar said of his celebration. “It was kind of trial by fire figuring out how to do it. Figuring out if I needed to take the steering wheel off, get my leg twisted, drop the clutch, and then put the wheel back on and steer sitting on the door. Balancing was the biggest thing.”

It was similar to the way Dale Earnhardt Sr., with his windshield covered in mud and oil, hung out of his car at Richmond Raceway in 1986 and cleaned it, refusing to give up track position. Hocevar said he did not think about the similarities to Earnhardt.

Some wondered if the stunt might become Hocevar’s signature celebration for future wins and whether NASCAR would allow it.

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New NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell, who has talked a lot about the sport needing more unconventional personalities like it once had to reconnect with fans, answered that by not only congratulating Hocevar after the win but also praising his celebration.

“Steve said in the media center right after the race that he had no problem with it and enjoyed it,” Hocevar said.

Hocevar, however, remains unsure if he will try it the next time he wins.

“I’ll just kind of play it by ear when we win,” he said. “I don’t think it will be as special and as cool by any means, doing it at Talladega and doing something people haven’t seen.”

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NASCAR Talladega race best photos, including Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson

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NASCAR Talladega race best photos, including Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson

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NASCAR Talladega race best photos, including Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson

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NASCAR Talladega race best photos, including Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson

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NASCAR Talladega race best photos, including Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson

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NASCAR Talladega race best photos, including Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson

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NASCAR Talladega race best photos, including Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson

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NASCAR Talladega race best photos, including Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson

How did Carson Hocevar celebrate at Chili’s?

Hocevar’s celebration did not end on the track at Talladega Superspeedway. His team continued the celebration with an impromptu visit to Chili’s Grill & Bar in Mooresville, North Carolina. Chili’s was the primary sponsor for the No. 77 at Talladega.

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The staff at the restaurant agreed to stay late for the NASCAR Cup team’s arrival back from Talladega at about 10:15 p.m. CT.

Hocevar enjoyed the Triple Dipper options, which included wings, mozzarella sticks and egg rolls.

“They had it all set up − a bunch of food for us and the whole company was there,” Hocevar said. “It was really cool for them to open up for us and take that on and have all the food, which I was excited about because I hadn’t eaten since before the race. I was pumped to see all that.”

Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Carson Hocevar, NASCAR’s new bad boy, has first win. What is next