Spire Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race Advance

• In 19 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Phoenix Raceway, Spire Motorsports has logged two top-20 and three top-25 finishes with nine different drivers. Carson Hocevar earned a team-best 15th-place finish in this season’s first stop for the Cup Series at the famed one-mile paved oval. The Mooresville, N.C., organization fields the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s on NASCAR’s senior circuit with Justin Haley, Zane Smith and Hocevar, respectively.
• The NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race from Phoenix Raceway will be televised live on NBC Sunday, Nov. 10 beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). The 2024 season finale will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Countdown to Green on NBC will take the green flag at 2 p.m. EST.

Justin Haley – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Justin Haley will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Parity Week by Gainbridge® Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway.
• The Winamac, Ind., racer has recorded seven Cup Series starts at Phoenix Raceway and secured a Cup Series/venue best 17th-place finish in March 2022 at the iconic one-mile suburban-Phoenix oval. In NASCAR Xfinity Series competition, Haley has earned a pair of top-five and four top-10 finishes. In three NASCAR CRAFTSMAN starts, he has notched two top threes, including a runner-up finish in the 2018 season finale. Sunday’s race at Phoenix will mark Haley’s 144th career start in NASCAR’s premier division.
• Gainbridge® created Parity Week in 2023 to celebrate women’s sports. The namesake for the initiative is Gainbridge®’s sister company, Parity, a brand sponsorship platform dedicated to closing the gender income and opportunity gap in professional sports. Parity Week by Gainbridge® was inspired by Billie Jean King, who 50 years ago used a $5,000 check to start the Women’s Sports Foundation®. To learn more, visit paritynow.co/parityweek and follow #ParityWeek on social media.
• This year, Gainbridge® partnered with Parity and the Women’s Sports Foundation® to award 21 grants totaling $150,000 to organizations and athletes nationwide that support girls and women in sports and education. The grant recipients are from 13 states and Washington, D.C.  This November, grant recipients will execute their projects, and other Gainbridge®-sponsored professional events will take place— The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican from November 14 – 17, 2024, and the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge from November 13 – 20, 2024.
• In total, Parity Week by Gainbridge®  has awarded 21 grants and $150,000 in total funding. There are 13 states represented amongst the grant recipients. Parity Week by Gainbridge was inspired by King, who, 50 years ago, used a $5,000 check to start the Women’s Sports Foundation.
• Spire Motorsports will host four Parity athletes at this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race Weekend. Ashleigh Johnson and Whitney Dosty will be in attendance on Friday while Sam Bosco and Emily Sisson will be guests of the team on Sunday. Johnson – considered to be the best goalie in the world – is a three-time Olympian and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist. She is the first African American woman to earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic Water Polo Team. Dosty is a two-time Paralympian Gold Medalist in sitting volleyball and a two-time World Championship medalist. Bosco is a 2024 Paralympian Cycling Gold-Medal winner and World Champion. Sisson is a two-time Olympian who set the American Marathon Record in Chicago in 2022.
• Gainbridge® has sponsored an LPGA event since 2017 and over the last three years, the company has focused on increasing its investment in women’s sports. Gainbridge® is aligned with elite women athletes Annika Sorenstam, Billie Jean King, and Caitlin Clark. Gainbridge® is the title sponsor of The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge and signed Clark to a multi-year brand ambassador deal in February 2024. Gainbridge® is also the naming rights sponsor of Gainbridge Fieldhouse, which is home to the WNBA’s Indiana Fever. Both Gainbridge® and Parity are subsidiaries of Group 1001.
• Founded in 2018, Gainbridge® is an insurtech subsidiary of Group 1001 that empowers consumers to take control of their financial future with solutions that are accessible to everyone, no matter their budget or financial knowledge. Its platform provides access to financial products that are simple, intuitive, and backed by smart technology with no complexity or hidden fees. Gainbridge® is headquartered in Zionsville, Ind. For more information, visit www.gainbridge.io or follow and connect with us on X and LinkedIn. 
• Haley has collected one NASCAR Cup Series victory, four NASCAR Xfinity Series checkered flags and three NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series wins, making him one of just 41 drivers in history to have earned victories across all three of NASCAR’s National Touring Series.
• The 25-year-old is a veteran of 143 Cup Series starts and has notched one win, five top fives, 16 top 10s and led 103 laps in NASCAR’s premier division.
• In last weekend’s Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway, Haley started 30th, but handling difficulties left him a lap down and 29th in the final rundown.
• In total, Haley has made 41 Cup Series starts for Spire Motorsports, with the bulk of races coming during the 2021 season behind the wheel of the team’s No. 77 machine. He made his first Cup Series start at Phoenix Raceway March 14, 2021 where he started 29th and finished 24th.
• Haley has signed a multi-year agreement with Spire Motorsports and will pursue NASCAR Cup Series championship honors behind the wheel of the No. 7 Chevy in 2025.
• The veteran racer recorded top 10s at Darlington Raceway (May), Worldwide Technology Raceway (June) at Talladega Superspeedway (Oct.) this season. He has paced the field for 30 laps and completed 99.3 percent of the laps contested in 2024.
• The four-time Xfinity Series race winner made his NCS debut for Spire Motorsports on April 28, 2019 at Talladega Superspeedway on his 20th birthday. He picked up both his and the team’s first win – an upset of practically unprecedented proportions – less than three months later in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway behind the wheel of the No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro.

Justin Haley Quotes
What are your thoughts heading to Phoenix?
“I enjoy going out to Phoenix. It is definitely a one-of-a-kind race track, and I have always felt comfortable there. I’m excited to see the speed our No. 7 team unloads on Friday. We’ve had speed since I came back to Spire, but something has prevented us from getting the finish we deserved. Hopefully we will get the run we have been looking for heading into the offseason.”
What do you take away from these final six races of the season, and what have you learned going into next year?
“There has been a learning curve for sure, especially in familiarizing myself in the processes and how they execute. Things will obviously be different with Rodney (Childers) and other guys coming in at the end of the year, but it is still good to get inside the building and start to familiarize myself.”

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

• Zane Smith will make his final NASCAR Cup Series start of the season Sunday at Phoenix Raceway driving the No. 71 Focused Health Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports. This weekend marks Smith’s third Cup Series start at the one-mile oval.
• So far in Smith’s rookie season, he has secured two top-five, four top-10 and 14 top-20 finishes.
• Smith is no stranger to Phoenix Raceway where he logged a victory and three top fives in four NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts, and a fifth-place finish in his only Xfinity start at the legendary raceway. Smith clinched the 2022 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series title with a win at Phoenix.
• Smith will carry the No. 71 primary sponsor, Focused Health, Sunday at Phoenix Raceway. Focused Health is a National Health Insurance agency founded by industry veterans with over 60 years combined industry experience. Primarily focused on the government programs space, Focused Health partners with payors and employers to deliver health insurance solutions for individuals and families. For more information visit AtFocusedHealth.com.
• Crew Chief Stephen Doran has won five Cup Series races at Phoenix Raceway with Kevin Harvick at Stewart-Haas Racing. During his time at Stewart-Haas, Doran recorded 20 top 10s with Harvick at the track.

Zane Smith Quotes
Last race of the season this weekend, how are you feeling as you head to Phoenix for one last ride with your No. 71 Spire Motorsports Team?
“This track (Phoenix Raceway) is such a special place to me and it’s definitely going to be a bittersweet weekend. I’m proud of my No. 71 Spire Motorsports team for all the hard work they put in this season, especially the second half of the season. We’ve all fought hard to prove what this team is capable of. Huge thanks to Focused Health for all their support this year and I hope that we can get a great result and finish on a high note.”

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

• Carson Hocevar will pilot the No. 77 Delaware Life Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Spire Motorsports in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway.
• Last weekend at Martinsville Speedway, the Cup Series Rookie-of-the-Year contender qualified 27th. After racing his way to the 13th position, contact with another car sent him spinning, ultimately leaving him a lap down, and 25th at the race’s conclusion.
• In the Cup Series March trip to the Arizona desert, Hocevar reached the second round of qualifying for the first time in his young career and rolled off the starting grid 10th. He converted the fifth-most quality passes in the field (103) en route to a 15th-place finish.
• Hocevar has five CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts under his belt at Phoenix. He collected two top 10s, highlighted by a ninth-place finish in the 2022 season finale.
• The youngest Cup Series driver in the field ranks 21st in the division’s championship point standings, leading the Sunoco Rookie of The Year standings by 101 points. Over the course of the season’s first 35 races, he’s notched one top-five, six top-10 and 13 top-15 finishes.
• Delaware Life Insurance Company (“Delaware Life”) has made its mission to deliver pure value to its network of financial professionals with a set of tools and products that help them empower their clients to plan for retirement with confidence. Delaware Life’s focus is delivering a seamless experience that gives clients exactly what they’re looking for: the comfort of understanding, the confidence of transparency, and streamlined products without needless features. Learn more at www.delawarelife.com
• Crew chief Luke Lambert is quite familiar with Victory Lane at Phoenix Raceway. He earned his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory with Ryan Newman in the spring of 2017. He also called Noah Gragson’s triumph in NASCAR Xfinity Series competition at Phoenix in the spring of 2022.
• The No. 77 crew clocked an 8.29 second pit stop two weeks ago at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It stands as the fastest four-tire pit stop in series history.
• Fans can see Carson Hocevar at the NASCAR Experience Stage in the fan zone on Sunday at 8:45 a.m.
• Hocevar will be participating in a 15-minute Q&A at the Chevrolet Display in the fan zone on Sunday at 9 a.m.

Carson Hocevar Quotes
You’ve put together some of your best races of the year at tracks like Gateway and New Hampshire, which are similar to Phoenix. How do you expect the weekend to go?
“I like Phoenix. We ran well in the spring, and made the second round of qualifying for the first time in my career. We’ve ran well at some similar tracks to it, so we have a little bit of a notebook all around heading in. Phoenix is one of the first races next year, so running well is going to be important in getting the momentum rolling to carry into next season.”

The No. 77 team has made significant strides from last season. The team finished 33rd in owner points a year ago, and it looks like the team will finish 21st this year with a nearly identical crew. What will be your key takeaways from the season?
“It’s cool to be the leading rookie contender, and to be where we are in points. We are one spot behind Kyle Busch, who won three races last season and has two championships to his name. Every car ahead of us has had a deep playoff run in recent seasons, so it is cool to be where we are. I’m proud of the work Luke (Lambert) and all the No. 77 crew has done this year, and how far we’ve come this season. We put together the results very quickly. But, we are all still hungry and know we can do even better next year. The goal now is to compete for wins and earn a spot in the playoffs.”
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 Justin Haley and the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro in the NCS.
• Sparks has led the efforts for Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 team since 2021.
• Sparks will focus solely on Competition Director’s duties following the 2024 season.

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

• Stephen Doran is in his first full season as a Cup Series crew chief leading Zane Smith and the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet team.
• In 2006, Doran got his start in NASCAR at Petty Enterprises.
• Prior to his arrival at Spire Motorsports, Doran 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 campaigns the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s in the NASCAR Cup Series with drivers Justin Haley, Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar, respectively. The team also fields 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 drives the No. 71 entry and Chase Purdy rounds out the team’s fleet of Silverados 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 April 12, 2024, when Kyle Busch took the checkered flag in the SpeedyCash.com 250 at Texas Motor Speedway.