Jimmie Johnson gives Carson Hocevar a shoutout after P17 finish at Darlington

Seeing the No. 42 Chevy eran its second-best finish of the NASCAR season with Carson Hocevar behind the wheel made Jimmie Johnson happy. The LEGACY Motor Club team owner took time to acknowledge his newest part-time driver. The 20-year-old did enough to impress old Seven-Time in the Southern 500.

Hocevar, filling in Noah Gragson’s old seat, earned the second-best finish of the 42 car’s season when he crossed the line P17. Given all that the team has been through and the resources they have being a lame-duck team between their Chevy and Toyota transition – it’s more than a solid performance.

This also shows tea owners like Jimmie Johnson, that despite being young, Hocevar’s talent could be worth taking a risk on. Develop him for a couple of years in the Cup Series and he might just shock some folks.

Jimmie sent a simple message to his newest driver on Twitter.

“Well done, thank you [Carson Hocevar],” Johnson said.

Well done, thank you @CarsonHocevar. https://t.co/TpaSrXHScM

— Jimmie Johnson (@JimmieJohnson) September 4, 2023

This was just the second Cup Series start of Hocevar’s young career. He was a replacement for Corey LaJoie at Gateway when LaJoie replaced Chase Elliott. The 20-year-old had a brake failure and was a DNF on the day.

This time, he did his job and earned a top-20 finish for just the fourth time this season for the 42 team. Jimmie Johnson was happy, so I’d say that Sunday was a huge success for Hocevar overall.

Did Jimmie Johnson just find his driver for 2024?

So, with an open spot in the 42 car for the 2024 season, a great debut for LEGACY Motor Club, and a thumbs up from Jimmie Johnson himself – is Carson Hocevar their guy moving forward?

Hocevar is going to pilot the No. 42 for at least two more races. He’s been confirmed as the driver for Kansas and Bristol. LEGACY is putting a lot of work into getting him a car that can perform as well as possible. In turn, Hocevar is basically trying out for a Cup Series contract next season.

Given Hocevar’s close ties to Chevy, he does sim work for Trackhouse Racing, and has been with the bowtie his entire career – I’m not sure the future Toyota team is his landing destination for next season.

Rumors have swirled that Hocevar could be heading to the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevy after this season. Ty Dillon has been abysmal in that car this season. Then, there is Kaulig, who claims to have the No. 31 driver signed for next year and are waiting to make the announcement.

Jimmie Johnson and his team are going to Toyota. So, this is likely a temporary partnership. Early on, the results speak for themselves, though. Hocevar is going to likely be in the Cup Series and should be a favorite for Rookie of the Year.