It is campaign season in North Carolina and two NASCAR drivers are getting in the spirit.
Carson Hocevar and Justin Haley have gotten out on the campaign trail — virtual and in-person — in pursuit of enough votes to put them into Sunday’s All-Star Race, the exhibition race with a $1 million prize.
The All-Star Race Fan Vote is the annual tradition in which fans can vote daily for their favorite driver — provided that driver does not have a guaranteed spot in the All-Star Race. The driver who receives the most votes will secure a spot in the main event.
According to NASCAR, Hocevar is top five in receiving votes.
Winning the Fan Vote is the goal of both drivers and they have been avid in their pursuit.
There have been varying strategies implemented over the years by drivers seeking the fan votes. Some drivers have simply posted messages on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, asking for fans to support them.
Hocevar and Haley took a wildly different approach by getting in the election spirit and releasing multiple campaign videos. Haley’s videos even had a bald eagle.
“This has been a great spot for me to break out and show some personality in a professional setting,” Haley said ahead of the All-Star Race weekend. "...I’m a one shot kind of guy. If I don’t do it in the first take, I will mess up the rest of the takes forever.”
Hocevar showed his strategy early in the voting process. He sought out multiple Cup drivers on Cameo — a site where people pay celebrities to record video messages.
Hocevar paid Kaz Grala, Austin Dillon and Anthony Alfredo to record videos supporting him in his “voting battle.” Grala and Dillon are both on the Fan Vote ballot.
Hocevar even said that if Haley had a Cameo account, he would have reached out to him for a video.
i approve this message pic.twitter.com/LBS69LZaV7
— Carson Hocevar (@CarsonHocevar) April 30, 2024
“I mean, I reached out to everyone that did have (a Cameo) that was in the vote,” Hocevar said. “If there were more people that had Cameos, I would have tried to reach out to them.”
None of Hocevar’s NASCAR “opponents” have been off-limits this campaign season as he sought out votes. He tried eating watermelon off the ground like Ross Chastain does. Hocevar jokingly yelled “I beat your favorite driver” at a person in a car. He taped a photo of Chase Elliott’s face over his own head.
Hocevar even “took over” Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s podcast to go on a joking rant about horsepower.
Haley, who has released three campaign videos, made multiple promises to his constituents while pursuing votes. He said that if the fans voted for him, puppies would not age and every day would be 70 degrees and sunny.
Haley promised to lower inflation (of tires) and to rip the wall in his No. 51 Ford. All he needed from the fans in return was for them to vote “Hale Yes” every day leading up to the All-Star Race.
NEWS: @Justin_Haley_ announces candidacy for #NASCAR All-Star Race...
— Rick Ware Racing (@RickWareRacing) April 23, 2024
and #HaleYES YOU SHOULD VOTE FOR HIM!https://t.co/OZdDl42yNM
*vote early and vote often pic.twitter.com/vdP0dx5cuX
Of course, Haley wasn’t done after announcing his candidacy for the NASCAR All-Star Race.
Like any good politician, Haley changed his tactics once Hocevar’s Cameo video surfaced on X. Haley released another campaign video, one that criticized his opponents for “paying for votes.”
Haley dropped his third campaign video after the trip to Darlington, the track where he scored his first top-10 finish as a member of Rick Ware Racing. This latest video featured people on the street saying that they were going to vote Hale Yes and get Haley into the All-Star Race.
NEWS: @Justin_Haley_ Shines in South Carolina Battleground in Final Push to #NASCAR All-Star Race Weekend at @NWBSpeedway
— Rick Ware Racing (@RickWareRacing) May 14, 2024
Don’t just vote yes, vote #HaleYES!https://t.co/mvvEcMhiXf pic.twitter.com/XGHEdPKEmJ
While Hocevar and Haley embraced the fun side of campaigning for votes, there were other reasons why they became heavily invested in the process.
For Hocevar, winning the All-Star Race Fan Vote is an opportunity to continue helping Spire Motorsports improve.
“We want to make our cars better,” Hocevar said. “It’s a free race that we can potentially have. We can go from the Open and then try stuff for the big show if we can get in. The big show’s 200 laps, I think versus, 100.
“So you get more options, get more laps, more data. So no-brainer for me to do anything I can to get in that race.”
For Haley, he recognizes that he’s had to make some changes while moving through the racing ranks. He had to be more calculated in his approach and how he presents himself to the public. This is beneficial in terms of making teams and sponsors happy but it doesn’t always draw in the fans.
Being able to release the “Hale Yes” videos was an opportunity for Haley to mix the professionalism with the personality. He could showcase his fun side while keeping the sponsors happy and he could better connect with a fanbase seeking star power.
So far, the campaign videos are paying dividends.
“Walking to congratulate Brad (Keselowski) in victory lane (at Darlington), I’ve never had that many fans scream at me ... in a good way,” Haley said. “I mean, they all were just saying ‘Hale yes.’ I mean, it was screams from all over.
“So that was pretty cool to know that ... You can do all this stuff and put it out but to know that it actually translated was eye-opening for me.”