merely desires to be the sort of driver he grew up watching whereas NASCAR itself is working diligently to create content material that spotlights these sorts of personalities.
That is the sort of course of that led to the creation of RISING, a documentary collection releasing on YouTube with a brand new episode at 7 ET each night time this week, that spotlights younger weapons Hocevar, Jesse Love and Rajah Caruth.
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Because the spotlighted Cup Collection driver, Hocevar is the de facto foremost character of the collection, and a willingness to be below such a microscope is true to type for a character that lives his life very publicly.
Hocevar famously spends his evenings on Twitch streams and his winter low season plans embrace racing at filth observe and brief observe occasions the place he can be very accessible to anybody who desires to satisfy him.
So naturally, a documentary the place cameras adopted him round all season, simply didn’t really feel that invasive. It’s going to point out the ups and downs of competing on the highest ranges of NASCAR.
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“I believe it is wholesome for a present to have the nice, dangerous and the ugly, proper,” Hocevar mentioned throughout a Monday teleconference. For me, I am snug being weak on a digicam simply because I believe that is wholesome.
“Life is not all sunshine and rainbows, and when all the things is PR or portrayed that approach, the world can see by means of that fairly simply and really feel like one thing is faked or no matter. I need to watch ‘genuine’ and ‘actual’ and there is a cause drama or clickbait sells. I believe reveals want that.
“With some actuality reveals, lots if that’s faked, regardless that it is entertaining be so scripted however this was actually pleasant for me, how genuine it was, and the way weak I did get at instances. There have been instances when it was tough, and I did want it wasn’t being filmed, however on the similar time, I look again on it and was comfortable that it was and I believe followers can be too.”
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And that sort of storytelling is one thing that NASCAR has leaned into since hiring John Dahl as Senior Vice President of Content material in 2024. Dahl was one of many authentic govt producers for the ’30 for 30’ collection renown for its authenticity.
Dahl has introduced that to NASCAR, the fashion most outstanding within the well-received Full Velocity and Earnhardt documentaries, with the chief believing the game has a treasure trove of younger personalities.
“What we’re trying (to highlight) is characters and folks, drivers on this case, who’re prepared to open up and never simply current a refined PR have a look at their lives, and are prepared to be weak,” Dahl mentioned.
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“These are drivers which have an attention-grabbing story, a backstory, and we see it with all three over the course of those 5 episodes, that they’ve inspiring and attention-grabbing backgrounds. We present them as human beings, and as we broaden our viewers for NASCAR, we glance to do storytelling that’s genuine and relatable, and that’s what we bought right here with RISING.”
Hocevar, who is typically a polarizing driver on the observe, additionally doesn’t shrink back from sharing his opinions irrespective of how they are going to be obtained. He has finished that from the second he arrived within the brief observe scene as a teen at Berlin Raceway and that character trait continues into his third season on the Cup Collection stage.
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“There are some younger drivers on the market, 15 years outdated, they usually present as much as the observe with good pants they usually seem like salesman,” Hocevar mentioned. “They’ve buttoned up shirts and their sponsors on them, principally their household enterprise, they usually attempt to play a component.
“I by no means had that. I used to be exhibiting as much as the race observe in shorts, and simply wished to race, and I all the time thought that even when that is what you’re purported to do, not less than I stand out by not doing it.”
Hocevar says he desires to come back throughout as simply an abnormal man that will get to race excessive stage vehicles in RISING as a result of that’s precisely who he’s. He isn’t enjoying a personality or an archetype.
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He simply desires to be the racer that he would have cheered for as a child.
“This can be a have a look at who I’m behind shut doorways and the way can I be the driving force that I used to be a fan of rising up,” Hocevar mentioned. “We have now YouTube documentaries and streaming companies, content material creators, in order that’s new.
“However even racing the La Mullets (race at Freedom Manufacturing facility owned by Cleetus McFarland), that bought a loopy variety of viewers and that began with a man that was simply taking pictures content material together with his iPhone, and it’s simply enjoyable to observe.
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“So finally, I simply need to hopefully develop the game, and never be a disservice to five-year-old me that fell in love with the game. It could be a disservice to that child and each child like me if I shied away from going into the stands, having fun with a Xfinity or Vans race, and never positing in regards to the issues I do.
“I simply hope that it strikes the needle, as a result of I’m keen about this sport, and seeing children with their mother and father as a result of I used to be that child as soon as.”
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