Carson Hocevar swapped his fire suit for a more conventional suit-suit for a surprise appearance at the Met Gala on Monday night.

The prestigious event is one of the biggest events of the year in the fashion world, and is attended by some of the most famous people on the planet...and, apparently, a 23-year-old NASCAR driver.

The young racer, who won his first Cup Series race just over a week ago at Talladega before pulling off one of the most iconic celebrations of a generation, admitted that he was 'completely a rookie' in the high celebrity, high fashion setting.

He had a touching moment on the red carpet, revealing that he was wearing the first watch that his father, Scott, ever gave him – and quipping that his mother might be more proud of him strutting his stuff at the gala than she was for his Talladega win.

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Hocevar reveals touching accessory at Met Gala

On the official E! stream from the red carpet, he admitted: "I'm confident racing and putting a race suit on, but when I put this suit on, it's hard for me to get this confident. This is just so new to me, but I'm enjoying every experience.

"I get to wear this watch. (It was) my dad's first watch he ever gave me, so I wanted to wear that tonight. And then my mom is super proud. I think she's more proud that I'm here than winning Talladega. This has just been an awesome experience for me."

The Spire Motorsports star, who is the first NASCAR driver to attend the event since Jeff Gordon in 2010, has been repping Sabrina Carpenter at races and on social media of late – wearing a garish shirt with multiple pictures of the singer at Talladega before his win – and admitted that he was hoping to see her at some point in the evening.

Asked who he was hoping to spot at the star-studded event, he admitted: “If somehow or another I get to pass by Sabrina Carpenter that would be high on my list."

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