Steve Letarte Claims Carson Hocevar Has the Same Raw Talent as Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson

NASCAR insiders feel Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar has the same raw speed and talent as the sports’ all-time grates did.

Steve Letarte Claims Carson Hocevar Has the Same Raw Talent as Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson

Jimmie Johnson, Carson Hocevar and Jeff Gordon (Via imago)

The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series so far has witnessed some impressive run from Carson Hocevar. With HMS drivers struggling with the new car, the Spire Motorsports driver has established himself as the best Chevy driver at the moment. His best run of the year came last Sunday at Darlington, where he secured a top-5 finish despite being at P17 with just 40 laps left in the race.

The youngster’s aggression and racing talent was full on display in the final laps, when he went on the overtaking spree. Ex-racer Kyle petty, on his NASCAR podcast, shared his thoughts on the race and warned the haters of No:77 that their nightmare days are coming soon. He is backing Hocevar to secure his maiden win sooner than later.

We’re seeing a changing of the guard—no question about it. He’s coming in and taking seconds, thirds, even fourths and fifths, and turning them into wins. And when he finally broke through, he did it in an Earnhardt-esque car that was just absolutely fantastic.

Kyle Petty said via NASCAR Inside the Race.

In the same podcast, NASCAR insider Steve Letarte shared his thoughts on the racing talent of the youngster. He pointed out that the raw speed of Carson Hocevar is similar to the likes of Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch. It’s another massive compliment to a driver who is already been called the next Dale Sr.

When you look at raw talent, he belongs in that elite category—right alongside Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, and Kyle Busch. Those drivers who are just naturally gifted, who make things happen that others simply can’t. This isn’t a flash in the pan anymore. He’s the real deal.

Steve Letarte asserted.

Kevin Harvick shared his thoughts on Carson Hocevar’s potential of winning a race in 2026

2014 Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick also talked about the same in the latest episode of his Happy Hour podcast. He pointed out the No:77 car has the speed to win and it just the difficulty of securing the maiden win what holding him back.

Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick (Via @SPEEDSPORT/X)

I think he’s got the speed to win. I think it’s just a matter of getting over that hump, right? We talk about it with Ty Gibbs. Just getting that first one is so difficult, just knowing what’s going to happen when your team’s in that position to have to make that last pit stop, or you’ve got to make that last restart. At the Daytona 500 he had as good a chance to win that race as anybody.

Kevin Harvick said via the Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast.

He highlighted how much the young racer has improved, by pointing out the fact that the spire team came back from tow toe-link issues in the weekend to secure P5 in the race. The youngster race craft was the major factor behind the result.

Hocevar knocked two toe links off the thing in practice and qualifying, so he had to start at the rear of the race and put himself in position late in the race with the tire strategy. Methodically worked himself forward throughout the whole weekend. He’s exciting. He’s fast. He’s exciting. At a place like Darlington kept the car in one piece all day and was able to give himself and Chevrolet the best finish there at the end.

Kevin Harvick added.

The Darlington performance from Hocevar gives the confidence to Harvick and many in the NASCAR garage that the Spire driver might be the superstar that will dominate the sport in the future. It would be interesting to see how everything is going playout for Spire racer in the reaming races of the season.

Also Read: Kevin Harvick is Disappointed with Hendrick Motorsports Over Poor Start to 2026