WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Carson Hocevar traded his driver’s suit for a tux and tails for an appearance at the Met Gala in New York on Monday night.
Hocevar, 23, gained instant notoriety for a memorable post-race celebration after his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory at Talladega Superspeedway on April 26. Hocevar drove his car while sitting on the window ledge, waving to fans in the grandstands.
“It was fun,” Hocevar said of his trip to New York. “It’s a different world. I got to make my mom proud, I guess. She enjoyed that. Her two favorite channels are E! and Hallmark, so the only thing next I can do to make her proud and excited is get on the Hallmark Christmas Special.”
Apparently, Hocevar’s fame was more far-reaching than he knew.
“They called NASCAR,” he said. “They just saw Talladega and called NASCAR, and NASCAR wasn’t really sure what to do or how that all worked, but they asked me if I wanted to go.
“I got to meet a lot of cool people, people I didn’t think I would meet,” he added without giving specifics. “It was a totally different change of pace, without worrying about paint schemes and race suits.”