3 weeks agoDespite his hotheaded driving style, rookie Carson Hocevar is surprisingly proving to be one of this year's most consistent drivers. His tenth-place finish at Michigan gave him his second straight top ten and his ninth finish of 17th or better in the last ten races. Despite his 25-point rough driving penalty at Nashville and not having as fast a car as Josh Berry, he overtook Berry for the lead in the Rookie of the Year standings in Monday’s race. This shouldn't be particularly surprising as he ran similarly to Ross Chastain when they both drove for Niece Motorsports in the Craftsman Truck Series, which indicates that he was already a Cup Series playoff-caliber driver before his Cup Series career even started. Berry could certainly still win ROTY due to his car advantage or if Hocevar crashes a lot, but Hocevar's rookie season has been easily better to date.--Sean Wrona - RotoBaller
Source: Racing Reference