Carson Hocevar has revealed an emotional response after his first NASCAR Cup Series win.
The Spire Motorsports driver navigated a chaotic race at Talladega to visit victory lane for the first time on Sunday, ending with a celebration which will be shown on hype reels for decades to come.
The 23-year-old took a while to set up, before driving down the front stretch while sitting out the window of his car, taking in every moment of the fans joining in his celebrations before bumping it into the wall and burning out the tires.
Hocevar was clearly emotional after the race, and that emotion didn't go away even after celebrations and a night's sleep.
NASCAR RESULTS: Carson Hocevar takes epic first Cup Series victory at Talladega
Hocevar 'so thankful' after first Cup win
Taking to social media the next day, he wrote: "Just woke up. Tears in my eyes watching the footage and edits and reactions. Genuinely unbelievable. So thankful that this feeling is exactly what I dreamt it would feel like.
"Thank you, everyone."
Hocevar's reaction to the win has gone over well with fans and others in the sport, with his open and sincere emotion at odds with the jokey and often confrontational persona that's more often present.
Hocevar wanted to soak in every moment
The unique way Hocevar celebrated also had another motive the youngster wanted to be able to see everything that was going on around him, up close and personal. So he could remember it for ever.
“Yeah, I mean, ultimately I just wanted to make sure I soaked every bit of it in. I think I could tell you what everybody was wearing, where every seat was, where every 77 shirt was. I think I could have pointed it all out to you because I remember it so clearly right now.
“That means more than anything else to me, just that I know this has been a blur. I could tell you exactly just off turn four, it was like, I have it, to right now, I could tell you every second.”
READ MORE: NASCAR winner Carson Hocevar reveals how he pulled off epic Talladega celebration
