Spire Motorsports SpeedyCash.com 250 Race Advance

• In three NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at Texas Motor Speedway, Spire Motorsports has earned one win, one top-10 and two top-15 finishes. Kyle Busch led 112 of 167 laps en route to victory in the 2024 SpeedyCash.com 250. The Mooresville, N.C., organization fields the Nos. 07, 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Silverados full time in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The Nos. 07 and 7 entries will see a rotating roster of all-star caliber drivers throughout the season, while Rajah Caruth and Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Andres Perez de Lara will pilot the Nos. 71 and 77, respectively, for the full slate of races.
• The SpeedyCash.com 250 will be televised live on FS1 Friday, May 2 beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The eighth of 25 races on the 2025 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series calendar will be broadcast live on the NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Nick Sanchez – Driver, No. 07 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado

• Nick Sanchez will drive Spire Motorsports’ No. 07 Gainbridge Chevrolet Silverado in Friday’s SpeedyCash.com 250 at Texas Motor Speedway.
• The Miami, Fla., native will pull double duty this weekend, and also pilot Big Machine Racing’s No. 48 Chevrolet in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Andy’s Frozen Custard 300.
• The 2023 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Rookie of the Year has 46 series starts between the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He secured 13 top fives, 26 top 10s, seven pole awards and led 391 laps, while claiming victories at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway last year. He qualified for the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series playoffs in both seasons, reaching the Round of 8 in both attempts.
• Sanchez has two CRAFTSMAN Truck Series appearances under his belt at “The Great American Speedway,” where he earned the pole position in both 2023 and 2024. He led 168 of 172 laps in a dominating performance in 2023, registering an impressive average running position of 1.1. An incident on an overtime restart relegated his Gainbridge SIlverado to a 16th-place result. Last season, Sanchez managed top-five track position throughout the evening to secure a third-place finish, his fourth top five through the season’s first seven events.
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• Through the opening 11 events on the 2025 Xfinity Series calendar, Sanchez has earned one top-five and four top-10 finishes. He is currently 14th in the series’ championship point standings, 25 points outside the playoff cutline.
• The 2022 ARCA Menards Series champion made 42 starts in the historic stock car series, collecting four wins, 18 top fives, 31 top 10s and championship honors in just his second full season. Two of his four victories in the series came at Kansas Speedway, another 1.5-mile oval.
• The black and yellow Gainbridge colors will cover Spire Manufacturing chassis SMT-087. The truck was last on track at Bristol, finishing in the runner-up position with Kyle Larson at the controls.

Nick Sanchez Quotes
What are you looking forward to in your return to Spire Motorsports this weekend at Texas?
“I’m really excited to join Spire Motorsports again. I obviously spent the last two years driving those Chevy Silverados during the team’s technical partnership with Rev Racing, so I’m familiar with them for sure. Texas is a great track for us. We won the pole there the last two years and led a bunch of laps. It’s definitely a race I’ve had circled on my calendar that I want to win for this team. I get to run my first double-duty weekend, so that will be a fun, new challenge for me.”

Atop the No. 07 Box – Crew Chief Allen Hart

• Allen Hart calls the shots for the No. 07 team, an entry that will see a rotating roster of drivers throughout the 2025 campaign.
• Last time out at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway, the No. 07 team and driver Sammy Smith spent most of the afternoon racing inside the top 10. The Gainbridge Silverado hit pit road under green-flag conditions with nine laps remaining to top off with fuel, but a speeding penalty forced them down pit road a second time. The team crossed the line in 16th, one lap down.
• As a race engineer at JR Motorsports, the Midland, Mich., native helped Justin Allgaier and the No. 7 team to a runner-up finish in NASCAR Xfinity Series competition at Texas Motor Speedway in June 2021. Allgaier led 23 laps on the day, but was bested by 0.433 seconds by Kyle Busch, who secured his 99th victory in the series.
• Hart earned his first career win in a crew chief role in March’s Baptist Health 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. After a spin midway through the Final Stage, Kyle Larson made an impressive run through the field over the event’s final 40 circuits, chasing down the leaders with two laps remaining to make the winning move.
• Through seven races, No. 07 team sit sixth in the division’s owner’s championship point standings. They have collected one win, two top-five and two top-10 finishes on the 2025 campaign.

Carson Hocevar – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado

• Carson Hocevar will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chili’s Ride the ‘Dente Chevrolet Silverado in Friday’s SpeedyCash.com 250 at Texas Motor Speedway.
• Hocevar will pull double duty this weekend as he will also drive Spire Motorsports No. 77 Chili’s Ride the ‘Dente Chevrolet ZL1 in Sunday’s WÜRTH 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY.
• The 22-year-old has made three CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at Texas, earning the black cowboy hat in what marked his first trip to CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Victory Lane in April 2023. In total, he has collected two top-fives at the 1.5-mile Fort Worth oval, in addition to an 11th-place result in his first appearance.
• The Portage, Mich., native is a veteran of 77 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races, earning four wins, 21 top fives and 33 top 10s while leading 600 laps. He made the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series playoffs in all three full-time seasons, and reached the Championship 4 in 2023.
• The 2024 Cup Series Rookie of the Year has a pair of appearances at Texas in NASCAR’s premier division, collecting a 10th-place finish last May. The result marked his first Cup Series top 10 and one of six earned in his rookie campaign.
• The four-time CRAFTSMAN Truck Series winner will return to the No. 7 Silverado next weekend at Kansas Speedway. He will round out his four-race slate at Michigan International Speedway (June 7) and Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (June 20).
• Hocevar will race Spire Manufacturing chassis SMT-086 Friday night. The truck’s first and only prior appearance came at Homestead-Miami Speedway in March, collecting a 15th-place result with Corey Day.
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Carson Hocevar Quote
What are your expectations for you return to the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series at Texas, a track you’ve won at before?
“I’m really excited to get behind the wheel of a truck again. It has been a while since I’ve run in the series, but I am really looking forward to it. I won my first truck race there and will be with one of the best teams in the garage and with one of the most experienced crew chiefs (Brian Pattie). It is cool to see the Ride the ‘Dente colors on a Silverado. Hopefully we can bring all the Chili’s folks to Victory Lane both Friday night and Sunday.”

Atop the No. 7 Box – Crew Chief Brian Pattie

• Brian Pattie stands atop of the No. 7 pit box, an entry that will see a plethora of all-star caliber drivers behind the wheel throughout the 2025 season.
• The Zephyrhills, Fla., native has called two CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races at Texas Motor Speedway, including Kyle Busch’s dominant performance in the 2024 SpeedyCash.com 250. Busch led 112 of the event’s 167 laps en route to Victory Lane, calculating an impressive field-leading 1.62 average running position.
• The 24-year veteran spent 14 seasons in NASCAR’s premier division. As a crew chief, he has earned six wins in Cup Series competition and 11 in the Xfinity Series. He stands as one of 11 crew chiefs to win races across all three of NASCAR’s national touring series.
• Earlier this season, the No. 7 team defended its 2024 victory in the Fr8 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway with Kyle Busch behind the wheel. The Las Vegas driver spent all 135 laps in the top 15 while leading a race-high 80 laps and recording a field-leading average running position (3.2) and driver rating (124.6).

Rajah Caruth – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado

• Rajah Caruth will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet Silverado in Friday evening’s SpeedyCash.com 250 at Texas Motor Speedway.
• The 22-year-old has made two CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at the Texas tri-oval, highlighted by a venue-best 12th-place finish last May.
• In the 2024 SpeedyCash.com 250, Caruth secured the 10th-place starting spot in qualifying but ran over a piece of debris on the cool-down lap, puncturing the right-rear tire. After the No. 71 team changed the tire, the driver was forced to start at the tail of the field. Despite a spin early in the event parlayed with a severe lack of track position, Caruth secured an impressive 12th-place finish.
• Caruth made his debut at the track in 2023 and fell multiple laps down when contact with a competitor forced his Silverado into the outside retaining wall. The resulting right-side damage caused a tire rub, and eventually, a flat tire. He rebounded to finish 19th following a slew of late-race yellow flags.
• Last time out at Rockingham Speedway, Caruth managed his fuel load over a 77-lap run to claim a fourth-place finish.
• After starting the season with back-to-back finishes outside the top 25, Caruth has rebounded with four top-10 finishes in the last five events. He is one of four drivers to accomplish the feat over the same number of races.
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• The 2024 season marked a career year for Caruth where he tallied one win, a pair of Cometic Gasket Pole Awards and five top-five finishes, all of which were the first of his young career. The 12 top-10 finishes on the season tripled Caruth’s total of four in 2023, while his average starting position of 10.7 was four positions higher than 2023 and his 11.6 average finish was an impressive seven positions higher.
• With his first career CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win last season, Caruth became the third African-American driver to win a NASCAR National Touring Series race.
• Caruth and the No. 71 team qualified for the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series playoffs in 2024, the first such appearance for the former Washington, D.C., resident. Despite reaching the Round of 8, mechanical issues stalled his championship bid in the season’s penultimate event at Martinsville Speedway.
• Caruth will be behind the wheel of Spire Manufacturing chassis SMT-080. The truck has seen action four times, most recently finishing second at Las Vegas in March.

Rajah Caruth Quotes
Last season at Texas you had to battle through adversity to salvage a 12th-place finish. Talk about how the day unfolded.
“Texas started pretty well last year. We were solid in practice and I put down a 10th-place qualifying run, but we ran over a rivet or something pulling back into the garage after my lap. It flattened my right-rear tire so we had to change it before the race and got sent to the back. To compound the day, I spun trying to pass a slower truck early, then got run into later and had to pit with a flat right-front tire. I spent a majority of the night one lap down until I got the free pass close to the end to get back on the lead lap. Then we managed to finish 12th. I don’t think our finish was indicative of how fast our HENDRICKCARS.COM Silverado was. Kyle (Busch) dominated the race and Nick (Sanchez) finished third, so we had company-wide speed. I believe we can replicate that Friday and get our Silverados up front.”

You’ve had four top 10s in the last five races, capped off with your first top five of the season at Rockingham. How does that help your confidence heading into the upcoming six-race stretch?
“I think it mostly helped going into the off week. Mentally, when you come off a good result it makes things feel okay. If you head into a break or off weekend after a bad night, it makes the gaps more difficult to manage. The strategy worked in our favor, but I think that was one we got back. There were three or four races last year that a caution messed up our strategy or took us out of the running for a good finish, so I’m happy we were on the right side of it this time. The next couple race tracks are in my bread and butter, so I think we will be good enough we won’t have to rely on strategy.”

Atop the No. 71 Box – Crew Chief Kevin “Bono” Manion

• Veteran crew chief Kevin “Bono” Manion has called 11 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races at Texas Motor Speedway and led his drivers to four top-five and six top-10 finishes.
• The Boylston, Mass., native guided Martin Truex, Jr., to a third-place finish in the 2007 Dickie’s 500 in NASCAR Cup Series competition during his time with Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
• Manion, a 31-year veteran of the sport, founded Spire Motorsports’ CRAFTSMAN Truck Series program alongside industry veteran Mike Greci in 2022. The team claimed their first victory in their second outing with William Byron behind the wheel at Martinsville Speedway.
• The 53-year-old has racked up six Cup Series victories – including the 2010 Daytona 500 – 17 NASCAR Xfinity Series triumphs and 11 CRAFTSMAN Truck series wins. Manion is also one of 11 crew chiefs to have called wins across all three of NASCAR’s national touring series.
• In 2023, Manion became one of few to call a race in all three of NASCAR’s national series in a single season, all of which came under the Spire Motorsports banner. He led the part-time effort on the No. 7 Silverado in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, helped in limited starts for Carson Hocevar in the Xfinity Series and took the reigns during the second half of the Cup Series season for Ty Dillon and the No. 77 team.

Andres Perez de Lara – Driver, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado

• Andres Perez de Lara will pilot the No. 77 Telcel Chevrolet Silverado for Spire Motorsports in the SpeedyCash.com 250 at Texas Motor Speedway.
• In the division’s most recent race at Rockingham Speedway, the 2024 ARCA Menard’s Series Champion was was competing in the top five until he had to return to pit road for fuel with 20 laps to go. Despite the set back, Perez de Lara rallied for a 12th-place finish.
• The 20-year-old will make his first start at the Texas oval on Friday and third CRAFTSMAN Truck Series appearance at a 1.5-mile venue. Perez de Lara has made six starts on 1.5-mile ovals in the ARCA Menards Series, collecting one top-five and three top-10 finishes, while claiming the pole position in the 2023 event at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
• Telcel is Mexico’s leading telecommunications company, providing nationwide coverage, cutting-edge mobile connectivity, and high-speed internet services to millions of users. With over 30 years of experience, Telcel continues to innovate in digital communication, offering solutions that keep people connected anytime, anywhere.
• Beyond technology, Telcel is committed to supporting excellence in sports, particularly in motorsports. As a proud and long-time sponsor of Perez de Lara, Telcel fuels the passion for speed, precision and performance, driving success both on and off the track. Telcel will be a season-long partner with Perez de Lara and the No. 77 team.
• The Mexico City native has made nine CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts, eight of which were behind the wheel of a Spire Motorsports Silverado. He earned his first-career top 10 in his CRAFTSMAN Truck Series debut last June at World Wide Technology Raceway via a ninth-place result. His career-best seventh-place finish at Martinsville Speedway in March marked his second top 10 in the series.
• Perez de Lara is in pursuit of Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors in 2025 and sits second in the standings for the award, 41 points behind leader Gio Ruggiero.
• The 2024 ARCA Menards Series champion juggled his duties while also competing full time in the NASCAR Mexico Series. In 2023, he earned the Rookie of the Year award while finishing fourth in the division’s championship point standings and reaching the series’ version of the NASCAR playoffs. His lone win in the series came at Ovalo Aguascalientes, a 0.875-mile oval.
• Perez de Lara will pilot Spire Manufacturing chassis SMT-085 on Friday. The chassis has made two appearances, both at Homestead-Miami Speedway, earning a chassis-best eighth-place finish last October with Rajah Caruth behind the wheel.

Andres Perez de Lara Quotes
Texas Motor Speedway is another new track for you, What are your thoughts heading there for the first time?
“Texas is probably the fastest mile-and-a-half we go to all year. I feel confident going into this weekend because Spire has always brought fast Silverados to Texas. Knowing that I will have a fast truck gives me the feeling that we will be able to get a result that will help us with my Rookie of the Year campaign. The No. 77 team has continually gotten better every week. If we do everything right, we will be fighting for a great result.”

How do you think Texas will differ from the other mile-and-a-halves where you’ve raced?
“Texas is so one of a kind when it comes to intermediate tracks. The corners race completely different and you have to be good on both ends to be successful. The time I’ve gotten in the sim has been super beneficial to get familiar with the track. I will definitely have to qualify well because track position is crucial, especially in a truck. I am excited to race at Texas and hopefully come home with a good result.”

Atop the No. 77 Box – Crew Chief Chad Walter

• Crew chief Chad Walter has called four CRAFTSMAN Truck Series events at Texas Motor Speedway, earning two top-five and three top-10 finishes. Chase Elliott earned a runner-up finish aboard the No. 24 GMS Racing Silverado in 2021 with Walter atop the box.
• As a shop engineer at Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Walter had a hand in the engineering efforts behind Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s, first Cup Series victory at Texas in April 2000. The driver of the No. 8 Chevy led a race-high 106 laps en route to a nearly six-second victory.
• Between NASCAR’s Xfinity Series and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, the Albion, N.Y. native has racked up six wins, 52 top fives and 131 top 10s.

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 March 21, 2025, when Kyle Larson took the checkered flag in the Baptist Health 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

In 2025, Spire Motorsports campaigns the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolets in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team also fields 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.