Nick Leitz will step in for Carson Hocevar behind the wheel of the No. 42 Chevrolet for Young’s Motorsports in this weekend’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series event at EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta. Hocevar, a full-time driver in the Cup Series with Spire Motorsports and part of a 13-race Craftsman Truck Series program, will not be competing in this O’Reilly Series race despite plans to race the Truck event Saturday. Leitz, who has raced part-time with SS-Green Light Racing in 2025, recorded his best career finish of 11th at Talladega Superspeedway before appearing in the season finale at Phoenix Raceway for RSS Racing.
Leitz’s Past Performance on the Atlanta Circuit
Leitz brings experience from previous appearances at Atlanta, having competed in the O’Reilly Series there in both 2023 and 2024. His finishes include 26th and 20th place in 2024 with DGM Racing and placements of 22nd and 24th in 2023 while driving for SS-Green Light Racing. Though Young’s Motorsports has not publicly confirmed any further plans for the No. 42 team beyond this race, this marks their first full year fielding two full-time cars in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, alongside Ryan Ellis who switched to their No. 02 Chevrolet after leaving DGM Racing.
Carson Hocevar’s Mixed Results and Upcoming Prospects
Hocevar arrived at Daytona International Speedway this past weekend competing across three different events but was unable to earn a top finish, with his best result being 18th place. He was favored to win the Truck Series opener at Daytona but faced several tire issues, leading to a disappointing 35th-place DNF. In the O’Reilly Series race, he finished 20th and came close to winning the Daytona 500, leading on the final lap before a crash relegated him to 18th after a post-race adjustment. Although his participation in additional O’Reilly Series races in 2026 remains unconfirmed, it is possible Hocevar will return to Young’s Motorsports for more events.
Despite NASCAR’s relaxed rules on Cup Series drivers competing in lower divisions, they do not apply to Hocevar, as he is only in his third full Cup season, which factors into his schedule decisions.
Broadcast Details and Event Information
The Bennett Transportation & Logistics 250 Truck Series race will air live from EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta on the CW Network starting at 5:00 p.m. ET this Saturday. Fans can access the race through streaming platforms offering CW broadcasts.
