- Hocevar trades a firesuit for formal attire to attend the Met Gala event.
- The first driver after Jeff Gordon to represent NASCAR at the event.
- Dale Jr. has some interesting insight on Hocevar’s Gala appearance.
After taking the Talladega race last Sunday, Carson Hocevar traded his No. 77 firesuit for formal wear to attend the Met Gala. In doing so, he became the second NASCAR driver, after Jeff Gordon, to appear at the event and took in the night step by step.
Hocevar checked three boxes over the weekend. He first bagged his first NASCAR Cup win at Talladega Superspeedway. Then, he wrapped up the celebration in a style that raised eyebrows and impressed many, making the best use of his height by placing a leg on the throttle while sitting on the window of his car and waving at fans. The third act came after another Texas run, where he secured pole position and finished P7, following which he headed to the Met Gala.
Unexpected collab of Dior x Carson Hocevar turns heads at fashion event
For the event, Hocevar teamed up with Dior, wearing a suit with matching shoes. The 23-year-old made his presence felt as he stepped into the Manhattan setting for the first time. He also wore a watch given by his father to complete the look. However, his plans after the event ran into a roadblock beyond his control.
On X, Pete Pistone wrote: “Unfortunately Mother Nature continues to play havoc with the Midwest short track spring schedule – no @CarsonHocevar at @LaSalleSpeedway tonight – track working on a rainout date later this season @MWRacingCentral.”
Hocevar joked that his night would have been complete if he had met Sabrina Carpenter, and, calling himself a “rookie” in such circles, he revealed that he sought advice from a Hollywood figure.
Speaking to E! Entertainment on the red carpet, Hocevar addressed pre-race routines and nerves. “Normally, it works because I’m confident racing and putting a race suit on. When I put this suit on, it’s hard for me to get that confident. This is so new to me, but I’m enjoying every experience.”
At the event, Hocevar also became the first NASCAR driver to feature in the “E! Glambot,” appearing in a slow-motion clip in his suit.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. backs Carson Hocevar’s Met Gala move
On the latest episode of the Dale Jr. Download podcast, Dale Earnhardt Jr. admitted he knew little about the gala but welcomed NASCAR’s presence at a major gathering.
He said, “I think that was fantastic. And the reason why, I would have never expected a driver to been invited to that: ‘I don’t even know what it is.’ I think it’s a little bit of a celebration of fashion and art. Doesn’t matter.“
“We need drivers, not all of them, we don’t need them all going to this thing, we need one. We need one over here, one over there, and one doing this thing and one doing that thing. We need our drivers in these unusual spaces, connecting with people that aren’t connected to our sport.”
Dale Jr. added that drivers such as Hocevar showing up at the Met Gala can introduce NASCAR to an audience that might otherwise remain out of reach. He noted that if it “adds a little credibility to the sport where it had none,” then the sport stands to gain.
Junior further said that such outings carry value as an opportunity to step out, not merely to promote oneself, but to place the sport before a new audience, and that, in his view, serves a purpose.
