Controversy has long surrounded ‘Hurricane Hocevar’ for his at times erratic on-track behaviour, earning him an infamous reputation and the aforementioned nickname.
Even his first race win came with some drama, hip-checking Erik Jones’ #43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota Camry into a crash.
Hocevar held off RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher for the win in a three-lap dash to the chequered flag to etch his name into the record books.
What followed was an epic celebration, which began with a burnout at the start-finish line.
Then Hocevar hung out the window of his #77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro while banging the top of the roof.
Hocevar waved to the crowd before nosing his car into the wall on the front straight, mashing the throttle to perform a burnout.
In an emotional post-race interview, the 23-year-old paid tribute to his grandfather and his late grandmother.
“Seeing the crowd, I really got to hear them,” said Hocevar of his celebration.
“I’ve had this thought up for a while. I’ve messed it up every which way to not be able to do it.
“I don’t care if it took 20 minutes or whatever, I was going to figure it out how to do it. It took me a while.
“I’m just so thankful. This is the biggest dream I’ve ever thought of. Thank you, everybody. I couldn’t have done it in any better way.
“Hopefully my grandpa’s watching. My grandma died last year, so I’m so thankful that I can give my grandpa a trophy now. Wish my parents were here.
“[This is] All thanks to Jeff Dickerson. Unbelievable. I’m just so thankful, thank you.”
The NASCAR Cup Series returns on May 4 at Texas Motor Speedway.
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