February 14, 2026; Daytona Beach, Florida, USA; NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver Carson Hocevar, 42, qualified for the United Rentals 300 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Image The NASCAR Cup Series stays west this weekend for Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and if last year’s spring race is any indication, there will probably be its first winner on the 1.5-mile desert track.
After Tyler Reddick swept the first three races of the season, Ryan Blaney won for the first time last weekend. He became the first driver to oust the surging 23XI Racing star from Victory Lane in 2026, shifting the headlines to another organization for a change.
So what’s in store for the fifth race of the campaign?
Maybe you’re a true beginner like you were a year ago.
Last March, Josh Berry, driving one of the sport’s truly legendary cars, shocked the world of stock car racing by scoring his first Cup win and giving the Wood Brothers their second straight championship. It follows former driver Harrison Burton’s win over future Hall of Famer Kyle Busch in the 2024 summer race at Daytona.
Berry, a native of Hendersonville, Tennessee, assumes the role Blaney played a season ago back in Phoenix. No. 21 Ford got off to a hot start for Christopher Bell and earned three straight wins at Atlanta, COTA and Phoenix.
Oddly enough, the last five drivers to win from 21st place earned their first career wins. Elliott Sadler (2001, Bristol), Trevor Bayne (2011, Daytona 500), Blaney (2017, Pocono), Burton and Berry.
Maybe this week, one of the Chevrolets from Spire Motorsports, which has been the fastest group so far, will provide a new winner.
Spire drivers Daniel Suarez and Michael McDowell each have two wins in 868 career starts, leaving 23-year-old Carson Hocevar, the organization’s third driver, as the only remaining hot shoe not to take the checker.
But the prevailing sentiment in the NASCAR world is, “It’s coming.”
Ross Chastain is widely regarded as the toughest driver to pass in the Cup Series, but Hocevar, a native of Portage, Michigan, is certainly stealing some of those votes.
Hocevar, who currently sits 14th in the standings with 103 points, 122 points behind leader Reddick, was strong in the first half of 2025 en route to his first win, but sluggish in the second half.
Hocevar was No. 30 a year ago in Las Vegas and No. 32 when the series visited Nevada last October. This is definitely a low number. But he has become the focus of recent discussion because of his cool-headed, unapologetic, unapologetic racing style.
“We show our speed and I think we can compete from the front anywhere, but we proved last year that we really excel in the intermediate events, including the mile and a half,” said Hocevar, who is in the top 16 thanks to 27 stage points. “We won the pole in Texas, started on the front row in Charlotte and had a good pace in Vegas last year.”
Added Hocevar, one of only two drivers to score stage points in all four races. “This track is my favorite and I expect it to be really competitive on Sunday.”
That kind of optimism might be worth the gamble in Las Vegas this weekend.
–Field level media
