Hocevar: Mom More Excited About Met Gala Than Talladega Win

Carson Hocevar, driver of the No. 77 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports, has enjoyed a strong run lately.

Last month, he claimed his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory by winning the Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. He followed it with an over-the-top celebration.

Days later, Hocevar became the first NASCAR driver to attend the Met Gala since Jeff Gordon went in 2010.

While the Cup Series heads to Dover this weekend for the NASCAR All-Star Race, Hocevar visited Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the second day of Indianapolis 500 practice. He spent time with Andretti Global, a corporate cousin of Spire Motorsports under the TWG Motorsports umbrella. He also stopped by the IndyCar on FOX booth to chat with Will Buxton, James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell.

There, Hocevar discussed the Met Gala and his mother's reaction. "I laugh that, like, my mom thought winning Talladega was cool and everything," he said. "(But it was) a lifelong accomplishment for her son to go to the Met Gala."

Hocevar noted that NASCAR did not buy a table at the event. Instead, organizers contacted them. "The craziest part was that they reached out to NASCAR," he said. "It wasn't NASCAR paying for a ticket or trying to hook me up or a sponsor. It was literally like NASCAR got the car and was like, 'Do you know what this is? Would you want to go?'"