NASCAR Driver Carson Hocevar Inspires Summer Campers to Follow Their Dreams

Nearly 250 Veteran Employees Provided Insights and Inspired the Special Military-Themed Raceday Car Wrap

Sometimes dreams do come true; just ask Carson Hocevar, driver of the Spectrum-sponsored, Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Chevrolet. Growing up, Carson dreamed of making it to the NASCAR Championship Series, and Spectrum was there as one of his earliest sponsors. His dreams were realized when Carson won the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year award and again when he secured his first career Cup victory at Talladega Superspeedway earlier this year.

On Friday, before heading to the track for practice, Carson shared his story with more than 70 summer campers at the Coronado Community Center near Naval Base Coronado, site of the weekend's big race. The kids were revved up and cheered loudly when he was introduced by Coronado Mayor John Duncan, who kicked off the event.

Carson, now one of NASCAR’s top drivers, had a simple message for the kids: Follow your dreams and if you run into obstacles like other race cars, just figure out how to pass them to reach the finish line.

“When I was your age, I was always hanging with my friends at the racetrack,” Carson said. “I just wanted to go fast. I started racing when I was seven and now after years of practice and determination, I’m living my dream and racing on the biggest and best tracks every Sunday.”

Carson talked about his journey from kart racing to NASCAR and shared lessons he learned along the way. The kids also got to check out Carson’s fire suit, gloves and steering wheel. They even got to get up close and take pictures with Carson and his #77 car, which featured the Spectrum designed, special military-themed wrap for the race on the military base. 

Following his story, he answered questions from the campers.  

“Did you know that your car is painted like my dad’s aircraft?” asked one of the young campers whose dad is stationed at Naval Base Coronado. 

“No, I didn’t. That is super cool,” responded Carson.

Nearly 250 Spectrum Veterans provided ideas and insight on the car wrap design. A common theme was the importance of authenticity over spectacle, a focus on pride and strength, and that the design must feel inclusive across all branches of the military. Their feedback inspired the design, which incorporated graphic elements from the Navy's CMV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft stationed at Naval Base Coronado, honored each branch of the military and reflected Spectrum as America’s Connectivity Company.

“It was fun seeing how excited the kids were today,” added Carson. “Hopefully many of them are now NASCAR fans and maybe someday one of them will be racing me here in San Diego.”

Following our Summer Camp event, Carson finished in 19^th place in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race.