Spire Motorsports EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix Race Advance

• In nine NASCAR Cup Series starts at Circuit of the Americas (COTA), Spire Motorsports has logged one top-15 and two top-20 finishes. Corey LaJoie earned a team-best 11th-place result in the 2023 edition of the Cup Series annual visit to COTA. Spire Motorsports fields the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet ZL1s in the NCS with Justin Haley, Michael McDowell and Carson Hocevar, respectively.
• The EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix from COTA will be televised live on FOX Sunday, March 2, beginning at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The third of 36 points-paying races on the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series schedule will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

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

• Justin Haley will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Group 1001 Chevrolet ZL1 in Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix.
• Group 1001 Insurance is a collective that empowers companies to create positive growth. Our insurance and annuities are easy to understand and accessible to all. Our online investing platform gives individuals control over their savings. Our technology and innovation help companies succeed. And our strategic partnerships bring people together through education and sports. As of September 30, 2024, Group 1001 Insurance had more than 1,500 employees and combined assets under management of $66.8 billion and provides over 496,000 active annuity contracts and life insurance policies. It comprises the following brands: Delaware Life, Gainbridge®, Clear Spring Life and Annuity Company, Clear Spring Property and Casualty Group, Clear Spring Health, and the RVI Group, among others.
• Group 1001 is excited to celebrate Women’s History Month by featuring the names of women employees on two Spire Motorsports-prepared Chevrolets this weekend. There are 821 women employees at Group 1001, over 50 percent of its workforce. Gainbridge® spends over 40 percent of its sports sponsorship dollars on women’s sports and counts Caitlin Clark, Billie Jean King and Annika Sorenstam as brand ambassadors.
• Last week at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Haley grappled handling challenges with his Gainbridge Chevrolet ZL1 for a majority of the afternoon. A last-lap incident left him 24th in the final rundown.
• The 25-year-old has four NASCAR Cup Series events under his belt at COTA. His best qualifying and finishing positions came in 2022, where he started ninth and finished 15th.
• Last season, Haley qualified 13th and raced inside or near the top 15 for the majority of the day. He logged an average running position of 14.32, the 11th highest in the field, and spent 48 of the 68 laps (70.6%) in the top 15, the ninth-most in the event.
• Haley competed in one NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Circuit of the Americas. In 2021, he started sixth and paced the field for three laps before ultimately finishing ninth.
• On road courses, Haley has collected one top five and four top 10s in the NASCAR Cup Series, four top fives and 10 top 10s in the Xfinity Series and claimed the checkered flag in the August 2018 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.
• The former Trans-Am Series competitor owns 23 starts in the division’s TA2 Class, collecting 10 top-five and 16 top-10 finishes. He closed out the 2016 season sixth in the division’s championship point standings after earning three poles, six top fives and nine top 10s while pacing the field for 41 laps.
• Haley made a pair of appearances in Trans Am competition at the 3.41-mile race course, highlighted by a 10th-place overall finish and second in the TA2 class.
• Last September, Haley made his return to Spire Motorsports and participated in the final seven events of the year aboard the team’s No. 7 Chevrolet, earning a season-best finish of seventh at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.
• The Winamac, Ind., native is a veteran of 146 Cup Series starts and has notched one win, five top fives, 16 top 10s and led 103 laps in NASCAR’s premier division.
• In total, Haley has made 43 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 Talladega Superspeedway on his 20th birthday.

Justin Haley Quote
How do you feel about heading to Circuit of the Americas with the 7 team, especially after a tough start to the season?
“I’ve always felt really comfortable at Circuit of the Americas. We haven’t had the best start to the season but I’m looking forward to getting to a road course with the No.7 team and racing it out on Sunday.”

Atop the No. 7 Box – Crew Chief Rodney Childers

• Crew chief Rodney Childers comes to Spire Motorsports after spending the past 11 seasons at Stewart-Haas Racing, leading the organization’s No. 4 team. The first 10 of those campaigns were with 2014 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kevin Harvick.
• Childers has called all four Cup Series events at Circuit of the Americas, snagging a pair of top 15s with Kevin Harvick in 2022 and 2023.
• The 48-year-old called Harvick’s victory at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway in 2017. The pairing dominated the field, leading 24 laps and converting the highest average running position in the field (6.03).
• The veteran crew chief has participated in 679 NASCAR Cup Series races where he’s earned 34 poles, 40 wins, 178 top-five and 298 top-10 finishes. He also earned 2014 championship honors with Harvick.
• Childers’ 40 wins at NASCAR’s premier level are second-most amongst all active crew chiefs in the Cup Series garage.

Michael McDowell – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet ZL1

• Michael McDowell will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 Gainbridge Chevrolet ZL1 in Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas.
• 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.
• McDowell has competed in all four Cup Series visits to COTA, earning three top 15s including a seventh-place finish in the 2021 rain-filled event.
• The former road course racer owns one win, three top-five, and 11 top-10 finishes on road courses in Cup Series competition. Furthermore, his 2016 Xfinity Series victory came at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis.
• In the last four road and street course races—Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway ROVAL, Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, Chicago Street Course, and Sonoma Raceway—the father of five has earned an average finish of 7.25, including a runner-up effort at Sonoma Raceway.
• In last week’s Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the No. 71 Chevrolet encountered a power steering issue late in Stage 1. During the ensuing stage break, the team hustled to the garage and fixed the issue, returning to competition six laps down. Fortunately, a slew of cautions allowed the veteran driver to earn the free pass over six consecutive cautions, returning to the lead lap on Lap 184. A multi-car incident on the final lap allowed the 41-year-old to navigate his Chevrolet to a hard fought 13th-place finish.
• McDowell’s six free passes in last week’s event tied the single-race record. Former Spire Motorsports driver Jamie McMurray also received six free passes in the May 2014 Cup Series race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.
• The veteran, now in his 18th Cup Series season, aims for his third career playoff appearance (2021, 2023). After the season’s first two events, McDowell sits 14th in the driver standings.
• McDowell marked his 500th career start at Martinsville Speedway last fall, a milestone he celebrated at the site of his first Cup Series start in 2008. Now 40-years-old and a father of five, McDowell is set to complete his 17th season competing in NASCAR’s premier division. To date, he has 503 career Cup Series starts on his resume.

Michael McDowell Quotes
How does a road course early in the season help set your sights on the rest of the calendar?
“I’m looking forward to going to COTA, obviously having a road course early on in the season is beneficial, especially for me. It’s taken a couple weeks to get up to speed with the race team, Chevrolet and feeling out the differences. Now we can learn what we need to work on so we are carrying good momentum going into COTA. I am looking forward to our first road course of the season.”

Atop the No. 71 Box – Crew Chief Travis Peterson

• Crew chief Travis Peterson joins Spire Motorsports after spending the past two seasons at Front Row Motorsports. He made the move alongside driver Michael McDowell.
• Peterson helped Michael McDowell to victory in the 2023 Verizon 200 on the road course configuration of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. After rolling off fourth, McDowell led 54 of the 82 laps en route to the win.
• The Peterson-McDowell duo has proven to be potent on road courses, collecting two top fives, five top 10s, and 79 laps led while converting an average start of 12.9 and an average finish of 16.0 in nine starts together.
• Peterson called his first road course race as a Cup Series crew chief with Chris Buescher at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2022. After rolling off 16th, a competitor made heavy contact on the opening lap with Buescher dealing damage to the exhaust and rocker box, which caught the door foam on fire. After making adequate repairs and falling two laps down, the team rallied to and finish 10th, the then 31-year-old crew chief’s second top-10 in just his fifth start.
• Peterson contributed to several victories during his tenure at RFK Racing, Hendrick Motorsports and JR Motorsports, highlighted by clinching the NASCAR Xfinity Series title in 2014 and racking up three Cup Series wins with Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and the No. 88 team in 2015.
• Peterson is a mechanical engineering graduate of the Williams States Lee College of Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The West Bend, Wis., native earned his degree in 2012.

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

• Carson Hocevar will make his second Cup Series start at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, in Sunday’s Echo Park Automotive Grand Prix. The Delaware Life driver made his road course debut in NASCAR’s premier series in last year’s event on the 3.41-mile, 20-turn full-course layout.
• Delaware Life is excited to celebrate Women’s History Month by featuring the names of women advisors on Hocevar’s No. 77 Chevrolet ZL1 at COTA. Delaware Life is an insurance and annuity company that empowers financial professionals with a wide array of customizable solutions. A subsidiary of Group 1001 Insurance Holdings, LLC (“Group 1001 Insurance”), their focus is to deliver a seamless experience for advisors. They understand how important it is to find the right fit for every client, every situation, and every individual need. They’re passionate about equipping clients with annuities that give their customers peace of mind and a successful future—allowing them to plan with confidence for whatever’s next.
• It was announced in late 2024 that Hocevar and his fellow Cup Series competitors will run the 2.3-mile, 20-turn National Course layout for the series’ fifth visit to COTA while also contesting on a freshly repaved track.
• In the 2024 event, Hocevar started 18th and crossed the finish line 22nd. The Portage, Mich., native showed flashes of a seasoned road-course racer while spending time within the top 10 late in the second stage and midway through the final stint.
• Hocevar and the No. 77 Spire Motorsports team earned a runner-up finish in the second points-paying event of the 2025 season last Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The 2024 Rookie of the Year fell short of earning his career-first Cup Series victory after a yellow-flag was displayed on the final lap as the leaders raced toward the finish line.
• Prior to the race at Atlanta, Hocevar’s career-best Cup Series finish came at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International Sept. 15, 2024, when he drove to a third-place effort in the 92-lap Go Bowling at The Glen. It was his first Cup Series start at the track and his first podium finish in Cup Series competition.
• Hocevar, 22, is set to make his second Xfinity road course start in the No. 14 SS-Greenlight Racing entry in Saturday’s Focused Health 250. Hocevar competed in the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series event at COTA where he ultimately finished 38th after a transmission failure on Lap 8.
• In nine road course starts in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, Hocevar owns one top-five and five top-10 finishes.

Carson Hocevar Quotes
Following your 29th-place run at COTA last March you improved your finishing position over the final three road course events, underscored with a third-place finish at Watkins Glen. How confident are you that the No. 77 maintain that momentum Sunday at COTA?
“I’m really excited to get to COTA and check out the new layout. Luke (Lambert) and, really, everyone at Spire did a great job last season of building up our road course program. I think we’ll all pick up where we left off, and a lot of that is the result of the work that was put in during the off season. Running the Xfinity race will give me a chance to get a couple more laps on the track and maybe find something I can share with my teammates. The other thing we’ve got going for us is two new teammates in Justin (Haley) and Michael (McDowell) that are really strong road-course racers. It’s been an exciting start to the season for us and we can definitely keep that going this weekend.”

Atop the No. 77 Box – Crew Chief Luke Lambert

• Luke Lambert, crew chief of the No. 77 Delaware Life team for Spire Motorsports, is set to call his 35th Cup Series road course event in this weekend’s race at COTA. He led Chris Buescher to a fifth-place finish at the Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway road-course race on August 16, 2020, but his best result was last year’s top-three showing with Hocevar at Watkins Glen.
• The No. 77 team’s runner-up finish at Atlanta was the 27th top-five result for the 13-year Cup Series veteran and his 92nd top-10 finish in a points-paying event.
• In the nine NASCAR Xfinity Series events contested on road courses in which Lambert was atop the pit box, he led his driver to a top-10 finish in all but two events.

About Spire Motorsports …
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 (Fla.) 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 (Va.) Speedway. The team’s most recent win came on Feb. 22, 2025, when Kyle Busch took the checkered flag in the Fr8 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

In 2025, Spire Motorsports will campaign the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolets in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team will also field the Nos. 07, 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Silverados in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and the No. 77 Chevrolet in the ARCA Menards Series in select events.