Carson Hocevar and Cleetus McFarland Win 2.4 Hours of LeMullets

Carson Hocevar bumped Ty Dillon out of the lead on the final lap at Florida’s Freedom Factory on November 13 to secure a second straight 2.4 Hours of LeMullets victory alongside Cleetus McFarland.

The NASCAR Cup Series driver made the last lap a close battle in the No. 77 Ford Crown Victoria, leaving Dillon to take second place and Denny Hamlin to finish third. The RCR Cup driver was leading as the field neared the white flag before Hocevar hit Dillon’s rear bumper and pushed the No. 10 out of the way.

Dillon responded in Turn 1 by bumping Hocevar right back, but that countermove nearly cost him the race when he went into the backstretch chicane too fast and ran wide, according to Kickin’ the Tires.

Hocevar took advantage of the mistake, slid sideways, brushed Dillon, and grabbed the lead again to pull away in the final moments. Official results showed Dillon crossed the finish line 0.994 seconds behind the winner, while Hamlin finished 1.416 seconds back, as reported by BVM Sports.

Driver Reactions to Freedom Factory Chaos

Hocevar addressed the aggressive last-lap scuffle after the race by joking about his eventful NASCAR Cup Series season and the state of his equipment.

“Yeah, I’m glad it was the front bumper. The back bumper was pretty expensive last time I used that,” Hocevar said, referring to a Martinsville incident with Austin Cindric that led to a $100,000 fine and a suspension from Spire Motorsports for the Cup season finale at Homestead.

Racing News reported that Hocevar enjoyed the fierce competition on the 3/8-mile short oval.

“That was a lot of fun. I ran into a lot of guys I have all season but they’re laughing about it now,” Hocevar told Racing News.

Denny Hamlin dealt with heavy mechanical issues in the No. 11 Crown Vic he shared with Alex Presley, suffering radiator damage and a failing right-rear tire near the finish.

“I hit everything but the lottery, that’s for sure,” Hamlin said.

Hamlin had a front-row seat to the battle and admitted he wanted even more contact between the leaders to help his damaged car catch up.

“I really needed Carson to get just a little more aggressive with the No. 10. I never usually ask for that, but that’s what I needed,” Hamlin said.

Ryan Preece experienced an equally chaotic night after an early crash forced him into a backup Crown Vic. He fought his way back toward the front before spinning into the tires on the backstretch, ultimately finishing sixth.

“I had a hell of a time. This is the most fun I’ve had in a long time,” Preece said to Racing News.

NASCAR Racers and Internet Personalities Drive Nitrous-Equipped Crown Victorias

The annual crossover event combines professional NASCAR racers, internet personalities, and car entertainers driving nitrous-equipped Crown Victorias in an endurance format where two-driver teams swap behind the wheel. The 2026 starting field featured internet star Cleetus McFarland alongside mainstream names such as Vanilla Ice, Hailie Deegan, Brian Deegan, and Dax Shepard.

A temporary chicane on the backstretch added tricky braking zones and heavy traffic to the tight short-track layout. McFarland called his co-driver a “cheat code” after the finish, joking that his own job was simply to drive safely for 35 minutes while Hocevar handled the heavy lifting at the front of the field.