NASCAR Cup Series
EchoPark Speedway
Quaker State 400
Team Chevy Post-Race Report
July 12, 2026
Hocevar Leads Chevrolet with Third-Place Result in Overtime Finish at EchoPark Speedway
In a rain-delayed race that entered the early hours of Monday morning at EchoPark Speedway, Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar battled through an overtime attempt and a three-wide battle to the line that saw the Michigan native lead Chevrolet to the finish with a third-place result. The performance marked the No. 77 Chevrolet team’s third top-five speedway finish of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season.
The Team Chevy top-10 saw three drivers representing three different organizations. Trackhouse Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen rounded out a strong points day with a sixth-place result, with Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon coming home with a season-best seventh-place finish.
RACE RECAP:
Stage One:
Saturday’s qualifying session for the NASCAR Cup Series saw six Team Chevy drivers earn a top-10 starting position for the Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway – an effort led by Kyle Larson and Austin Dillon, who swept the second row to lead the manufacturer to the green flag of the opening stage. Within 10 laps around the 1.54-mile oval, the lead pack settled into position with Larson leading the way for the Bowtie brigade from a position within the top-five. The early power mover of Stage One came out of the Richard Childress Racing camp, with Austin Hill turning a 30th-place qualifying effort into a position in the top-seven just before the 20-lap marker. A quiet opening stage saw the race go caution-free for the first 60 laps around the Georgia-based circuit. Hungry for his first speedway victory, Larson managed to maintain a top-five running position for much of Stage One, putting the Hendrick Engine Department’s power on full display when he climbed into second and a battle for the top position with then race leader, Ryan Blaney, during the closing laps – ultimately taking the first green-white checkered flag in the third position.
Stage Two:
Each making a gain in the race off pit road during the stage break, it was Larson and Dillon that found themselves back in the top-five to lead the Chevrolet camp to the green flag for the start of Stage Two. While the top-10 quickly shuffled during the opening laps of the stage, Larson found his footing in the top lane to reach a side-by-side battle with Blaney once again – edging his No. 5 Chevrolet to the point 10 laps into the run to lead his first laps of the race. Following suit was the series’ most recent speedway winner, Carson Hocevar, who joined the fight for the top position shortly thereafter to become the manufacturer’s second different leader at that point of the evening. While the fight for the lead remained tight among the top-five, it was Hocevar’s Chevrolet that sat in command and clear of his competitors as the stage hit the one-third mark. With the threat of rain on the horizon, a sense of urgency came across the field as the top-three runners continued to trade positions. But it was the event’s defending winner and Georgia native, Chase Elliott, that was making a quiet climb up the leaderboard – entering the top-five for the first time of the evening as the race hit Lap 100. Sitting in the fifth position eight laps later, the race went under red flag conditions as rain took over the speedway.
After a lengthy delay that brought the race into Monday morning, engines fired to resume the program just prior to the halfway point. With the field hitting pit road as the race went back under caution, varying pit strategies saw a two-tire call by crew chief, Luke Lambert, put Hocevar back in the top-five for the restart. In familiar fashion, the Michigan native remained a steady fixture in the top-five throughout much of the run until the potential of a flat tire saw the No. 77 fall through the field. But it was his Spire Motorsports teammate, Daniel Suarez, that took over the command for the Bowtie brand – climbing up into the top-five for his highest running position of the race to lead the manufacturer to the second green-white checkered flag.
Final Stage:
Taking the green flag with 93 laps to go in the race, it was Connor Zilisch that made his first appearance of the evening in the top-five for the start of the final stage. In just two laps, the lead pack quickly gained a third lane to shake up the leaderboard. Despite contact made while battling in the top lane, the speed of the No. 5 Chevrolet prevailed as the reigning champion made a fast rebound to re-enter the top-five with his Team Chevy teammate, Shane van Gisbergen, in tow. A caution for a spin near the tail-end of the field saw crew chief, Cliff Daniels, make a two-tire call under the caution – resulting in a four-position gain in the race off pit road and a place on the front row for the restart with 60 laps to go. But his strong speedway run took a turn with 19 laps to go when a stack-up in the top lane forced Larson into a spin down the front straightaway to bring out the caution. A restart with 14 laps to go saw Hocevar back on the front row for a late-race dash to the finish. Electing the outside lane, Hocevar and Blaney stayed side-by-side for opening lap of the restart. But it was a Lap 255 caution that set up the race for an overtime attempt with Hocevar scored as the leader. In a three-wide battle to the line, Hocevar came home with a third-place result to lead Chevrolet to the finish.
Team Chevy Unofficial Top-10 Results
Pos. Driver
3rd – Carson Hocevar
6th – Shane van Gisbergen
7th – Austin Dillon
Chevrolet’s season statistics with 20 NASCAR Cup Series races complete:
Wins: 6
Poles: 4
Top-Fives: 37
Top 10s: 71
Stage Wins: 15
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at North Wilkesboro Speedway with the Window World 450 on Sunday, July 19, at 7 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on TNT Sports, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Post-Race Driver Quotes:
Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Finished: 7th
“Incredibly proud of the entire No. 3 Titan Outreach Chevrolet team at EchoPark Speedway. RCR and ECR built another fast Chevy. We battled late into the night and never gave up, making the needed adjustments and strategy calls to put ourselves at the front in the final laps. The only thing I could have done differently is take a different line for the last restart and maybe we wouldn’t have gotten bound up the way we did. We’ll carry this momentum into the next few weeks of racing with a stretch of tracks coming up that have been strong for the No. 3 team.”
Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Finished: 31st
“Man, I hate the way that one ended. We were gaining steam there in the closing laps and had our Bank OZK Chevrolet in position for a solid top-10 finish. I thought we were going to have the wreck missed, but then I got hit in the left side. We tried to make repairs, but the damage was too much. Unfortunate ending but that’s the way these drafting track races go sometimes. The guys made the car better throughout the race. We were just too tight on entry and exit. Proud of the effort overall.”
Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Finished: 3rd
Hocevar on the final restart:
“It was fun. I’m happy for Ryan (Blaney, race winner). I just didn’t quite have enough help there at the end, unfortunately. Once I got a big lead, I needed them to stay three-wide and I think I would have just ran away. But they got cleared and it was just too big of a run to throw a block. We got three-wide there and I just needed a little help. Our No. 77 Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet team had a lot of fun. We were able to execute at a high level all night.”
Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Finished: 6th
“I’m still replaying it in my head, but we’ll take a sixth-place finish. We needed a great points day. Overall, it was an excellent day for this No. 97 SuperFile Chevrolet team. We were up front for most of the race. We didn’t get many stage points, but we got some. We’ll take that and move onto next weekend (at North Wilkesboro Speedway).”
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