Sun May 04 19:40:00 UTC 2025: **Youngest-Ever Texas Pole Winner: Hocevar Takes Top Spot in Cowboy Attire**
FORT WORTH, TX – Carson Hocevar, sporting a custom Chili’s-sponsored cowboy outfit, secured his first career pole position and a piece of NASCAR history at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday. At 22 years old, he’s the youngest driver ever to claim the top starting spot at the Texas track.
Hocevar clocked a speed of 191.659 mph, edging out William Byron by a mere 0.014 seconds to secure the Busch Light Pole Award for Sunday’s Würth 400. His lap was the second-fastest ever recorded for a Gen 7 car at Texas, second only to Christopher Bell’s 2023 Michigan speed.
The Spire Motorsports driver expressed his delight, stating, “Having the cowboy outfit – what better place to be on the pole?” He also highlighted the significance of securing the No. 1 pit stall, something he attributed to overcoming past challenges.
The qualifying session saw a tightly-packed field, with Austin Cindric qualifying third and Kyle Larson fourth. While Cindric expressed some regret over a missed opportunity for an even faster lap, he remains confident for Sunday’s race. Defending race winner Chase Elliott will start from 29th.
Other notable qualifiers included Michael McDowell (fifth), Ty Gibbs (sixth), and Josh Berry (seventh). Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, and AJ Allmendinger rounded out the top 10.
Saturday’s practice sessions saw Hocevar lead Group 2, while Allmendinger topped Group 1. Shane van Gisbergen experienced a minor incident, scraping the wall, but otherwise, practice proceeded without major incident. The Würth 400 is set to air on FS1 and PRN Radio at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.
First Piper 