CONCORD, N.C. (March 20, 2023) – Spire Motorsports announced today seven-time NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) race winner Alex Bowman will return to the seat of the team’s No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado for the March 25 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) race at Circuit of the Americas (COTA).
Additionally, Bowman will race the No. 7 Silverado at North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 20.
HendrickCars.com will serve as the effort’s primary sponsor while Ally, Bowman’s primary sponsor in the NCS, will be displayed on the truck’s lower-rear quarter panels.
“We see our racing partnerships as a terrific opportunity to continue building HendrickCars.com into a national brand,” said Greg Gach, president of Charlotte-based Hendrick Automotive Group. “With Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman behind the wheel, we’re excited to join forces with Spire Motorsports and Chevrolet for this opportunity. Both have track records of success in the Truck Series and we look forward to seeing the team compete.”
Bowman, a native of Tucson, Ariz., is the full-time driver of Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the NCS. The 29-year-old driver has four top-10 results in five NCS starts this year – best of his career through this point in the season.
“I am excited to get the opportunity to drive the No. 7 truck for Spire Motorsports,” said Bowman. “Last year we were really fast in the truck race at COTA and I am hoping we can be fast again this year. It would be really cool to get a truck win and have won a race in all three of NASCAR’s top series. I feel like racing there in the truck will help me get ready for Sunday as well.”
The team is led by championship-winning industry veterans Mike Greci and Kevin “Bono” Manion.
Spire Motorsports made its first NCTS start of the season in February at Daytona International Speedway where Corey LaJoie led three times for 19 laps. Unfortunately, the race was declared official 21 laps short of the scheduled 100-lap distance because of rain, stalling his bid for the checkers.
Bowman wheeled the No. 7 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports last season at COTA and Sonoma Raceway and used the opportunity to fine tune his road racing skills in preparation for the NCS event at both tracks. In similar fashion, he’ll look upon the 2023 opportunity to make extra laps at COTA and ready himself for the 2023 NASCAR All Star Race at the legendary Wilkes County (N.C.) .625-mile oval.
“We’re thrilled to have Alex back in the seat of the No. 7 truck for a couple races this season,” said Manion. “He was a tremendous asset in 2022 and will be again in 2023. Alex is a savvy road racer and as good of a short-track racer as they come. We have no doubt that Alex gives Spire Motorsports a strong opportunity to win races every time he’s behind the wheel.”
The NCTS race from Circuit of the Americas will be televised live on FS1 Saturday, March 25 beginning at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The race will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
About Hendrick Automotive Group …
Representing 131 franchises and 25 manufacturer nameplates from the Carolinas to California, Hendrick Automotive Group is the largest privately held automotive retail organization in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the company employs more than 10,000 people in its 95 dealership locations, 21 collision centers and four accessories distributor installers in 13 states. For more information, please visit HendrickCars.com.
About Hendrickcars.Com …
HendrickCars.com is the online home for everything Hendrick Automotive Group. Visitors can shop thousands of new or pre-owned vehicles, locate centers for service and collision repair, receive a value to sell or trade their car, chat online with customer service, discover career opportunities, learn more about vehicle protection programs, and explore how the company gives back to the community.
About Spire Motorsports …
Spire Motorsports is a full-time, two-car NASCAR Cup Series race team co-owned by long-time NASCAR industry executives Jeff Dickerson and Thaddeus “T.J.” Puchyr. In 2023, Spire Motorsports will field the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for driver Corey LaJoie and No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Ty Dillon. The team also fields NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series teams in select events.
Spire Motorsports earned its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series victory in its first full season of competition when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 7, 2019. Less than three years later, William Byron drove Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado to its inaugural NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win on April 7, 2022, at Martinsville Speedway.
