Carson Hocevar will drive the No. 77 for Spire Motorsports in the Cup Series starting next season, the team announced Tuesday.
The 20-year-old Hocevar is completing his third full-time season in the Craftsman Truck Series.
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“I mean, anybody in my position wants to be a Cup Series driver,” Hocevar said in a statement from the team. “That’s what you dream about when you’re young. You want to race on Sundays. So, my opportunity to run a few times this year, to run on Sunday and get ready, I feel more than prepared to get in the No. 77 car with Spire.
“That team is growing exponentially and I’m just excited for everything.”
Hocevar made his Cup debut in June at World Wide Technology Raceway. He drove the No. 7 car for Spire Motorsports, filling in for Corey LaJoie, who was driving the No. 9 for Chase Elliott that weekend while Elliott sat out due to a one-race suspension. Hocevar ran well until a mechanical failure sent him into the wall. He finished 36th.
Hocevar has run five other Cup races this season for Legacy Motor Club in the No. 42 car. He will drive that car the rest of the season. He has had four top-20 finishes in his five starts with the team, including an 11th-place finish at Bristol.
Hocevar will have LaJoie as a teammate next season at Spire Motorsports. LaJoie agreed to a contract extension with Spire in August.
“Corey and I have a great relationship,” Hocevar said in a statement from the team. “Obviously, that’s going to exponentially grow when we spend day-to-day and week-on-week together, talking in the same meetings, working with the same people and same group, trying to pull the rope in the same direction.
“We’ve already started. He seems to have a lot of interest in what I’m doing, what my cars are driving like, and vice versa. We’ve started to compare driving notes a little bit. We talk about what each other is doing. I’m sure we’ll constantly be making ourselves go faster. There’s not a race within the shop, but we’ll work to make each other better.”
Hocevar is second in the points in the Truck playoffs with two races left in the season.
“Carson Hocevar is a proven winner and excels with every opportunity,” said Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson in a statement from the team. “He’s an undeniable talent and reminds me a lot of a young Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski. We’re thrilled to have him join the Spire Motorsports family and help us continue to raise our competitive bar.”
Hocevar replaces Ty Dillon, who is driving the No. 77 for Spire this season.