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#77: Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports, Delaware Life Chevrolet
(Photo by Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The Underdog House: Almost “Spire-ing” On All Cylinders at Bristol

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Top Dog: AJ Allmendinger

There’s no sugar coating what we witnessed in the Food City 500 (April 13).

Once again, Bristol Motor Speedway was Kyle Larson‘s world, and we were living in it. The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion led over 400 laps for the second consecutive time in Thunder Valley en route to an absolute shellacking of the field.

Nevertheless, there were 38 other drivers on the track just for clarification, and even some underdogs produced a loud bark during the 500-lap event.

See also
Kyle Larson Scores 2nd Win of the Weekend, Takes Bristol Cup Race

While he wasn’t the leading dark horse for the majority of the race, AJ Allmendinger put a bow on a solid weekend with a ninth-place result.

In a race that played to a completely different tune than the tone that practice set when it came to tire wear, track position was king, making qualifying critical. Allmendinger took advantage of that opportunity, locking up an eighth-place starting spot.

The opening stage of the race was a demonstration of the enigma that many teams had yet to solve: whether this year’s Bristol spring race would imitate the extreme tire wear of a year ago, or the rubber moving down the track like in 2024’s fall race. Several drivers treaded the waters lightly early, while drivers like Allmendinger looked to jump to the second groove quickly and gain track position.

Allmendinger’s initial play did not work out, as well outside the top 10, forced to blend back in with the bottom feeders. However, 14th was about the lowest he fell during the entire afternoon, as he rebounded to 10th by the end of stage one. Stage two saw the Los Gatos, Calif., native struggle with grip, sliding back to 12th after 250 circuits.

Breathing down the necks of the drivers in the back half of the top 10, Allmendinger rode in 11th for several laps during the final stage before cracking the top 10 with just over 180 laps remaining. With the exception of the lone green flag pit stop cycle of the race, that is where he stayed until the checkered flag, picking up one more spot to safely ensure a top-10 run. He also picked up an extra point for laying down the fastest lap of the race, the second time he has done that this year.

Incredibly, the first quarter of the Cup Series season is in the books as teams get a breather by virtue of an off weekend for Easter. Keeping that in mind, Allmendinger is quietly establishing himself as a playoff threat. He currently sits 16th in points and just two points off the cut line (Josh Berry, in 17th, has a win). With his third top 10 in the past five races, the No. 16 could be here to stay.

It’s a welcome sight for Kaulig Racing and its cornerstone driver, a team that has experienced a loss in speed the past couple of seasons after an impressive rise to the top level of NASCAR. Now, fighting for a playoff position could be a key step in reinvigorating the organization.

Notable Underdog Runs

Jesse Love made his Cup debut with Richard Childress Racing in the No. 33 Chevrolet. The 20-year-old started 19th and finished 31st, six laps down.

Though not a consistent occurrence, there are races where the headlining underdog did not close the event as the top dog. Such was the case for not one, but two drivers, both coming out of the Spire Motorsports camp: Carson Hocevar and Justin Haley.

As Hocevar was adamant about on X/Twitter this week, just about everything has gone wrong for him since a third-place thriller at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Fortunately for Hocevar, it looked like he was in the fun department for most of the race. The sophomore driver wasted no time testing the waters of tire wear, jumping to the second groove and driving into the top 10. By the end of stage one, he grabbed six stage points with a fifth-place result.

Stage two was even more promising for the 22-year-old, as he ran inside the top five nearly the entire stage, wrapping it up in fourth to collect seven more stage points.

The No. 77 got as high as third in the final stage, and he was even beginning to chip away at the advantage that Larson and second-place driver Denny Hamlin held. With speed and the unknowns of lapped traffic, there may have even been a sliver of curiosity if Bristol was going to be the sight of Hocevar’s first win.

Then, the no fun department reminded Hocevar that it was still there.

With just over 100 laps left, Hocevar brought his car to pit road during green flag stops for the final time. As the team went to service on the left side, the car dropped off the jack, costing the crew precious seconds. Hocevar returned to the track and cycled outside the top 15. He recovered to 11th by the end, which was an impressive feat in of itself, but he certainly has to be thinking, “What could have been.”

In 13th, Haley put up perhaps his best performance of the season. The Winamac, Ind.. native was one of the first to jump to the middle lane, and it paid off handsomely by seeing him drive all the way to second. Haley ran in the runner-up spot on several occasions, and he collected 13 stage points with stage results of third and sixth, respectively.

As the track freed up and began to shift in the final stage, it appeared to hurt Haley, as he slipped outside the top 10 for the first time. Though he wasn’t able to recover, Haley joined Hocevar in showing what Spire could be capable of on any given weekend.

See also
Thinkin’ Out Loud at Bristol: NASCAR’s Quest for Parity Has Ruined Short Track Racing

Outside of the trio above, Larson’s dominance greatly impacted the underdogs. With little opportunity to work on cars, nor attrition playing a factor, Allmendinger, Hocevar, and Haley were the only underdogs in the top 20.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. looked poised to have a class Bristol race that mirrored his days at RFK Racing. The Olive Branch, Miss., native set the fastest lap in practice, then backed it up with a front row starting spot in second. Despite sliding back to eighth by the end of stage one, Stenhouse still secured three stage points. Unfortunately, it was a slow decline for the Hyak Motorsports driver from there, as he ultimately finished 22nd. On a positive note, Stenhouse remains as one of only two drivers to not have a DNF, and he still has not finished outside the top 25 this season.

Stat to Chew On

While the results may not show it, Bristol was one of the best races in Spire Motorsports history. Both Hocevar and Haley logged personal bests in laps run in the top 15, with Haley running 487 in that category while Hocevar recorded 476. Haley’s count is the most by a Spire driver in its history. Boosting that stat is the fact that most of those laps were spent inside the top five or top 10 for both drivers.

Underdog Power Rankings

1. Allmendinger (+1): Michael McDowell‘s stay atop the power rankings was short, as Allmendinger’s momentum can’t be ignored. Three top 10s in nine races has Allmendinger nearly halfway to his 2023 total (seven), and past that mark in a part-time 2024 slate (five). Given Kaulig’s struggles from a year ago, there’s still skepticism if this run is sustainable, but Allmendinger may quench those doubts quickly.

2. McDowell (-1): Given his recent history at Bristol, Thunder Valley was underwhelming for McDowell in 30th, especially given his teammates’ speed. With a week off to regroup, McDowell will return to Talladega Superspeedway with vengeance in mind. He was a tri-oval away from winning there a year ago.

3. Hocevar (+2): Even if his peers have had more consistent success, it is impossible to overlook Hocevar’s speed. It’s one thing if a driver has misfortune because of his own doing. It’s another when external circumstances thwart his runs, and eventually, Hocevar’s results will match up with the power the team is bringing to the track. He may benefit from an off week more than most drivers.

4. Zane Smith (–): An off day across the board for Front Row Motorsports hurt Smith, who finished 27th after a three-race stretch of finishing 16th or better. However, off days are not unusual, especially for a growing team, and the Easter break should serve the No. 38 team well heading into Talladega.

5. Haley (NR): Haley returns to the top five after one of the best runs of his career. With a pair of top 10s on the season and five top 20s overall, it will be interesting to see how the Haley-Rodney Childers pairing continues to progress. He is also a sneaky good superspeedway racer, making him a dark horse when the series returns to Talladega, Alabama on April 27th.

Small Team Scheme of the Week

The familiar colors of Sunny D returned to Stenhouse’s No. 47, and the car certainly glistened under the Tennessee sun.

Even in a cooler race, the warm colors of the orange juice brand made the car heat up the paint scheme crop during the weekend.

Entering his fifth year with Frontstretch, Luken Glover is the author of The Underdog House, shedding light on the motivation and performance of NASCAR's dark horse teams as they strive to fight to the top. Additionally, Glover reports for the site at various events, and he contributes in the video editing department.

A 2023 graduate of the University of the Cumberlands, Glover is a middle school math and PE teacher, as well as a basketball coach. He is passionate about serving in his church, playing/coaching a wide variety of sports, and researching motorsports history.

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