Carson Hocevar starts fire at Richmond during victory celebration

Things got a little hot for Carson Hocevar after the 20-year-old picked up the third win of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career on Saturday night in Richmond.

Hocevar held off Ty Majeski and Zane Smith for the win at the Worldwide Express 250. But his celebration raised the temperatures on an already scorching night in Virginia. Hocevar’s burnout led to the track near the start-finish line catching fire. Hocevar pretended to get warm as the fire raged.

Carson Hocevar celebrates next to a burning tire caused by a burnout after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Worldwide Express 250 on July 29, 2023, in Richmond, Virginia. (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

“I suck at this place and we at Niece Motorsports suck at this place – we’re terrible. My splitter’s gone because I got a flat tire before we even went (green),” Hocevar said after the race, via Motorsport.com.

“We passed every single truck here,” Hocevar said after the race, via the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “(Majeski) was the class of the field, but I thought we were second and won with the second-best truck because I have the first-best pit crew and first-best crew chief on the box.”

Carson Hocevar during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Worldwide Express 250 at Richmond Raceway on July 29, 2023. (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Hocevar led 64 laps on his way to the victory.

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Majeski led 168 laps but ended up finishing a bit behind Hocevar.

“Just didn’t have enough there,” he said, via the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “Obviously made a mistake there, speeding on pit road, but we had a chance to win even with the penalty. It’s just so disappointing. I don’t know if I’ve ever had a dominant vehicle that much faster than the field, and to not win with it is so hard.”

Carson Hocevar celebrates after winning at Richmond Raceway on July 29, 2023. (Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

The NASCAR Truck Series Playoffs will begin on Aug. 11. The Richmond race was the last event before the postseason. Matt Crafton finished in seventh place and gained the final playoff spot.