Spire Motorsports Ambetter Health 400 Race Advance

Spire Motorsports at Atlanta Motor Speedway: In 14 NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) races at Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS), Spire Motorsports has logged two top-five and two top-10 finishes with seven different drivers. Corey LaJoie, driver of Spire Motorsports No. 7 CELSIUS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 earned both the organization’s top fives after finishing fifth in March 2022 and fourth last March. The Mooresville, N.C., team fields the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s in the NCS with LaJoie, and fellow drivers Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar, respectively.
Flag-to-Flag Coverage: The Ambetter Health 400 from AMS will be televised live on FOX, Sunday, February 25 beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). Pre-race coverage from NASCAR RaceDay on FOX will take the green flag at 2 p.m. EST. The second of 36 races on the 2024 NCS schedule will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Corey LaJoie – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Corey LaJoie heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS) fresh off a fourth-place finish in Monday’s rain-delayed Daytona 500. LaJoie’s fourth-place effort is the third time the Concord, N.C., native has finished fourth – his career-best in NCS competition. He finished fourth last spring at AMS and again at Talladega Superspeedway last fall.
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In addition to this weekend’s Ambetter Health 400, CELSIUS will be showcased as LaJoie’s primary sponsor July 7 at the Chicago Street Course and again August 24 at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway. Celsius was also LaJoie’s primary sponsor last March at AMS when he earned his first career top-four finish.
Following his fourth-place finish last weekend at the Daytona 500, LaJoie comes into Round 2 of the 2024 NCS championship battle 10th in points.
The first of two Atlanta races of the 2024 season will mark LaJoie’s 10th career NCS start at the ultra-fast 1.54-mile Hampton, Ga., quad-oval.
In his nine previous starts at AMS, LaJoie has earned two top fives and logged a 22.4 average finish. The 32-year-old veteran racer has led 19 laps and completed 2,556 of 2,590 laps contested (98.7 percent).

Corey LaJoie Quotes:
Recently, you’ve had a couple really good runs at Atlanta Motor Speedway, so it seems like a place that’s climbing your list of favorite tracks.
“Since the Atlanta reconfiguration our Spire Motorsports team has had a good handle on it. As the surface has aged over the last several years it will look less like a Talladega and more like a really compacted pack at Charlotte. Handling will be a premium and with no practice we’re hoping we can nail down a good package in our Celsius Camaro. We’ve been in contention here multiple times and we’re going this weekend to try and do the same thing.”

Zane Smith – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Zane Smith will make his 11th career NCS start in Sunday’s Ambetter Health 400. In 2023, Smith started on the pole in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) race at AMS and finished 20th. Smith has visited Atlanta four times, but this will be his first time around the speedway in NASCAR’s premier series.
There are few things in life more important to Smith than NASCAR racing, but during the Atlanta race weekend he’ll put racing aside for a few hours and help at one of his favorite organizations that focuses on transforming lives of Atlanta residents. Smith’s No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet will carry the City of Refuge paint scheme during the Ambetter Health 400 at AMS.
Smith will visit City of Refuge on Atlanta’s Westside at 10 a.m. ET Friday to unveil his special paint scheme. The scheme honors City of Refuge and calls attention to the organization’s work, something Smith is passionate about.
City of Refuge was founded in 1997 with the mission to transform the lives of individuals and communities in Atlanta and beyond. Today the organization resides in a warehouse that was graciously donated in the 30314 neighborhood, one of the poorest and most crime-ridden areas in the nation. Since inhabiting the warehouse, City of Refuge has served over 35,000. The organization has created several programs designed to impact housing, youth development, health & wellness, and vocation. The City of Refuge is a leader in social transformation and continuously works to empower and equip individuals with the tools to succeed.
Swing by the AMS Fan Zone on Sunday, as Smith will make an appearance at 10:40 a.m. at the Ambetter Health Activation.
Start your NASCAR Ambetter Health 400 race day with Speedway Charity Hot Laps sponsored by Ambetter Health and Centene Charitable Foundation. At 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, Smith will be driving select individuals for three laps around AMS in the official Chevrolet Camaro Pace Car.
Smith and the No. 71 Spire Motorsports team began their 2024 NASCAR season at the 66th running of the Daytona 500. Smith started 14th and raced his way into the top 10 by the second stage. He was able to avoid two large crashes throughout the race and would take the checkered flag in 13th.

Zane Smith Quotes
What does it mean to you to carry City of Refuge on your car this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway?
“The City of Refuge organization is something that is super important to me. It is special to see community members, organizations and volunteers come together to make an impact on people’s lives. The good work they do across the country continues to amaze me. I look forward to spreading awareness about City of Refuge throughout the weekend in Atlanta.”
What are your thoughts on your first Daytona 500 with the Spire Motorsports Team?
“I’m super happy with how our team executed Daytona. I had a really fast WeatherTech Chevrolet Camaro and the guys worked hard all off-season to bring a fast car to the track. That was an intense race and we avoided two big crashes, finishing 13th. I learned a lot through that race. We have great momentum heading into Atlanta this weekend and I’m looking forward Sunday.”

Carson Hocevar – Driver, No.77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Carson Hocevar will make his NCS debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Sunday’s Ambetter Health 400 where Premier Security Solutions will be featured as the No. 77 team’s primary sponsor. Premier Security will serve as the primary partner aboard Hocevar’s No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for 10 races in 2024.
Hocevar’s promising Daytona 500 debut was sidelined early when the NCS Rookie-of-the-Year contender was collected in a Lap 5, multi-car incident. After a strong run Thursday night in the Bluegreen Vacations Duels, Hocevar started ninth and was racing with the leaders in the very early goings but extensive damage to his Zeigler Auto Group/Gainbridge Chevrolet forced him to make an early exit from the 66th running of the Great American Race.
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Premier Security is a long-time supporter of Hocevar’s career. The Flint, Mich.-headquartered organization has been prominently featured alongside Hocevar dating to his time racing short tracks in the pavement late model ranks.
The Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender has raced at AMS three times in the NCTS. He’s complied a 23.3 average finish and completed 389 of 402 laps contested (96.8 percent).
The Portage, Mich., driver logged four NCTS wins in 2023 and finished fourth in the division’s championship point standings.
Hocevar will be featured on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90 Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. ET following each race to discuss his NCS rookie season.

Carson Hocevar Quotes
What do you think it will take to be competitive at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend?
“Of course, handing comes into it a little bit more than a regular superspeedway and maybe at times it’s going to look like an old-style Daytona. We may not need to focus so much on saving fuel. We’re ready for it. We’re confident heading into Atlanta and as a team, confidence goes a long way this weekend.”

Premier Security has supported your career dating back to your days racing late models. What does it mean to have Premier as your primary sponsor in the NASCAR Cup Series this weekend?
“Premier going from being on my late models, to the truck with me a few years ago, to then Xfinity and now Cup has just come full circle. There’s no better time than now. We’re lucky enough to have them on our No. 77 Chevrolet this weekend and again next weekend in Las Vegas. Hopefully we can put on a good show.”

You had some tough luck at the Daytona 500, does that change your perspective for this week’s race at all?
“We’re hungry and ready to go run after a disappointing day at Daytona. We’re looking at this race as if it’s the first one. There’s nowhere else to go but up from last week. The whole team is ready to go, I can promise you that.”
From the Top of the Box

Ryan Sparks – Crew Chief, No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Ryan Sparks serves in a dual role as both Spire Motorsports competition director and crew chief for driver Corey LaJoie and the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro in the NCS.
Sparks, a Winston-Salem, N.C., native, has been paired with LaJoie since 2020.
Combined, Sparks and LaJoie have earned three top-five and six top-10 finishes, including a pair of top fours in 2023.

Stephen Doran – Crew Chief, No. 71 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Stephen Doran begins his first full season as a Cup Series crew chief leading Zane Smith and the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet team during the 2024 season.
In 2006, Doran got his start in NASCAR at Petty Enterprises.
Since 2012, he has worked at Stewart-Haas Racing as an engineer, most recently on the No. 4 car driven by Kevin Harvick.

Luke Lambert – Crew Chief, No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Luke Lambert is the crew chief for Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 team with 2024 NCS Rookie of the Year candidate Carson Hocevar
The 2005 North Carolina State graduate has led the competition efforts for some of the sport’s most notable names including Jeff Burton, Ryan Newman, Elliott Sadler and Chris Buescher.
In 2014, Lambert led Newman to a berth in the Championship 4, and ultimately a runner-up finish in the NCS championship point standings.

About Spire Motorsports …
Spire Motorsports is a NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race team co-owned by long-time NASCAR industry executives Jeff Dickerson and Thaddeus “T.J.” Puchyr. In 2024, Spire Motorsports will campaign the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s in the NASCAR Cup Series with drivers Corey LaJoie, Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar, respectively. The team will also field the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Silverados full time in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. An all-star driver lineup will rotate throughout the 2024 season in the No. 7 Chevy. Rajah Caruth will drive the No. 71 entry and Chase Purdy rounds out the team’s fleet of Chevrolets in the No. 77.

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. The team’s most recent win came on May 20, 2023, when Kyle Larson took the checkered flag in the Tyson 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway.