No. 77 CAR

Carson Hocevar is the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year. The Portage, Mich., native earned top rookie honors on the strength of one top-five, six top-10 and 13 top-15 finishes in NASCAR’s premier division. Hocevar impressed throughout his rookie campaign and was the top-finishing rookie in 15 of the division’s 36 points-paying races. In his first full-season at the controls of the No. 77 Chevrolet, Hocevar brought home a career best third-place finish in the Cup Series September visit to Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. The 21-year-old made his NCS debut for Spire Motorsports on June 4, 2020 at World Wide Technology Raceway. Hocevar was first paired with crew chief Luke Lambert in 2023 when he competed behind the wheel of the No. 42 machine in eight of the divisions final 10 races. He scored a then career-best 11th-place finish that season at the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Lambert followed Hocevar to Spire Motorsports where he was chosen to lead the team’s No. 77 efforts for the 2024 season. Hocevar is a four-time NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race winner and a standout at every level in which he’s competed. He is the third Michigan-born driver to earn NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year honors. Hocevar first took to the track at just seven-years-old and success quickly followed when he complied 70-plus feature wins and 15 national championships in the USAC quarter midget ranks.

Luke Lambert enters his second season as the crew chief of Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 team with 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year Carson Hocevar. Lambert, a native of Mount Airy, N.C., joined Spire Motorsports in 2024 following a stint at Legacy Motor Club where he guided the No. 42 team in NCS competition. The driver/crew chief pair first connected when Hocevar drove for Legacy M.C. in eight of the final 10 races of 2023. Prior to his time at Legacy M.C., Lambert made his mark in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, leading Noah Gragson and JR Motorsports’ No. 9 team to three poles, eight wins, 21 top-five and 26 top-10 finishes in 2022. Lambert’s efforts earned the No. 9 team a berth in the 2022 Xfinity Series Championship 4 and a runner-up finish in the season-ending championship point standings. The 2005 North Carolina State graduate has led the competition efforts for some of the sport’s most notable names including Jeff Burton, Ryan Newman, Elliott Sadler and Chris Buescher. In 2014, Lambert led Newman to a berth in the NCS Championship 4, and ultimately a runner-up finish in the NCS championship point standings.