Carson Hocevar Beats Kyle Busch in Overtime at Texas and Nobody Saw It Coming

Fresh off a Cup Series win at Talladega last Sunday, Carson Hocevar came to Texas Motor Speedway Friday night and did something he hadn't done in three years: win a Truck Series race at the 1.5-mile track. He took down his Spire Motorsports teammate Kyle Busch in overtime, crossing the line 0.730 seconds ahead to claim the SpeedyCash.com 250.

This one had to sting for Busch. The veteran had won his last four Truck Series starts at Texas, but an early brush with the outside wall forced him to pit and lose a lap early on. He fought back through the field and looked strong late, especially after fresh rubber went on, but Hocevar had other ideas when it mattered most.

Hocevar Takes His Shot in Overtime

With Gio Ruggiero leading the field to the overtime restart on Lap 171, everything changed in a blink. Ruggiero got swallowed up in a three-wide situation on the white-flag lap, and Hocevar punched it, charging into the lead and opening up a 10 car-length gap that Busch couldn't close. "It's unbelievable, what a fun race," Hocevar said in Victory Lane. "We had to reverse the order with Kyle. I watched him win a lot of truck races, and it's finally good to put an end to his Texas streak."

Busch kept it classy about the loss. "It would have been nice to be in Victory Lane, but it's good to have a teammate in there and have him get his shot," he said. "I got one, he got one, so now we're even there." Hocevar led a race-high 76 laps to Rhodes' 41 and won the second stage to seal the deal.

The Ones Who Got Away

This wasn't just a win for Hocevar, it was heartbreak for two others. Kaden Honeycutt finished third and actually moved into the series lead by 14 points, but he's still chasing his first career Truck Series victory in 66 starts. "It's eating me alive, I can promise you that," Honeycutt said after watching his shot slip away again. Ruggiero had passed Hocevar for the lead on Lap 165 but then a violent five-truck pileup on the frontstretch triggered the red flag that set up the overtime restart that cost him the win.

Ben Rhodes finished fifth after winning the first stage wire-to-wire, with Brandon Jones in fourth. Layne Riggs, Daniel Hemric, Christian Eckes, Ty Majeski, and Chandler Smith rounded out the top 10.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.