Nashville, TN – For several years, Carson Hocevar and Zach Dunson have competed and won with Champion Racing Association. From the ASA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS to the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance, the dynamic duo have parked the No.14 Chevrolet in Victory Lane at countless events. In 2024, the tides of change blow in a new, young driver from Canada to fill the seat while Hocevar builds his career in the NASCAR Cup Series. Chase Pinsonneault will build his resume on one of the most anticipated Tours in the country, the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance.
Hocevar’s success with the JEGS Tour, specifically, started just nine races into his career, in July of 2017 at Kil-Kare Raceway. Hocevar marked his name down on the list of drivers to win with the Tour then went on a seven-race streak where Hocevar was either the Fast Qualifier, on the podium, or in Victory Lane. He went back-to-back with the JEGS Tour at Birch Run Speedway and Winchester Speedway before the season ended. Since then, Hocevar has gone to Victory Lane six times with the Tour. He’s also added Redbud 400 and Winchester 400 wins to his resume as part of his seven wins in the ASA/CRA Super Series.
Crew Chief, Zach Dunson played a major role in Hocevar’s Template Late Model success, and he’ll remain on board with Carson Hocevar Racing to help mold and mentor Pinsonneault. As Hocevar’s career in NASCAR blossomed into racing on Sunday, Dunson and Hocevar wanted to find a way to increase their presence in Template Late Model racing without Hocevar behind the wheel. Dunson says Pinsonneault is a great fit for the next chapter of the program.
“It was pretty apparent right away [that Chase] had a ton of talent,” Dunson said. “He doesn’t have a lot of late model experience, [but] I watched him on video a lot and as we passed the information to him during his test at Berlin, he was able to soak it up and turn really competitive laps.”
Despite his limited starts in late model racing, Pinsonneault has started building his resume with solid finishes. In three starts in the Qwick Wick Super Stock Series, he racked up three top tens including two top fives. Four starts in 2023 with the APC Late Models resulted in a top-five finish at Sauble Speedway; plus he earned his first feature win in only his 6th start at Delaware Speedway. He would go on to earn Rookie of the Year honors and finish 2nd in the final championship points. This season, Pinsonneault has already put races under his belt with CHR. An early exit at the Speedfest 100 after an accident began the season, but the team rebounded well over the weekend with a top 10 during the Baby Rattler at South Alabama Speedway.
“Through the first three races, the progression has been extremely fast,” commented Dunson. “I think he’ll be up to speed sooner than later as far as competing up front,” Dunson finished.
The foundation is built now for Dunson and Pinsonneault to accomplish something that has never been done at CHS, win a JEGS Tour Championship. The Belle River, Ontario, Canada native knows the opportunity that is before him and is ready to bring home hardware in 2024.
“Working with Carson, Zach, and the entire CHR team is a huge opportunity,” said Pinsonneault. “The people at [VanDoorn Racing Development] build great platforms for the team to work on, giving us full potential this year at CHR to contend for a championship.”
As for the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Championship, Pinsonneault likes his chances, but also recognizes the challenge that lies before him.
“Without a doubt, [the] JEGS [Tour] is some of the best Pro Late Model racing you can get in the North,” Pinsonneault said. I’m excited to see how we’ll stack up, I’m looking forward to my JEGS/CRA debut at Berlin; I tested there last fall with CHR, and we are confident. To say I’m excited is an understatement,” he finished.
Pinsonneault and his US 131 Raceway sponsored No.14 join a list of nearly a dozen other projected full-time drivers in 2024. The season begins on Saturday, April 27th at Berlin Raceway in Marne, MI. The 13 race schedule includes 11 points paying races en route to the JEGS Tour Championship.
For more information on the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance, log onto CRA-Racing.com. Find CRA: Champion Racing Association on Facebook and follow @CRARacing on X.
