Spire Motorsports Viva Mexico 250 Race Advance

• Spire Motorsports will field three entries in the NASCAR Cup Series’ inaugural visit to Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, Mexico. Two points-paying Cup Series races were held in Canada (1952 and 1958), while exhibition races were held in Japan and Australia throughout the 90s. The event will mark the third international points race for NASCAR’s premier division and first since 1958. Spire Motorsports fields the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet ZL1s in the Cup Series for Justin Haley, Michael McDowell and Carson Hocevar, respectively.
• Spire Motorsports will honor teammate Tony Witt who tragically lost his life Friday, June 6. Witt served as a suspension mechanic for the team’s NASCAR Cup Series’ operation and had been with the organization since March 2022. He was journeyman competitor who made the move from Wisconsin to North Carolina in the mid 90s to work alongside fellow Wisconsin racer Robbie Reiser on his fledgling NASCAR Xfinity Series team. Since then, he made stops and won races at Darrell Waltrip Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing and others prior to his time with Spire. Witt leaves behind two sons, Dalton and Tyler, mother Jo Anne and brothers Todd and Jon. He was preceded in death by his late wife Paula. The team will honor Witt’s memory with a decal on all three of its NASCAR Cup Series entries this weekend in Mexico City.
• The Viva Mexico 250 will be streamed live on Amazon Prime, Sunday, June 15 beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The 16th of 36 points-paying races on the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series calendar will be broadcast live on the Motor 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 Gainbridge Chevrolet ZL1 in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
• Haley finished second at the inaugural Grant Park 220 Chicago Street Race in 2023. In 25 Cup Series events contested on road courses, Haley has collected one top five and four top 10s.
• In the last five Cup Series road- and street-course races over the last two seasons, Haley has earned a 26.5 average showing, including a pair of 16th-place finishes (Circuit of the Americas ‘25/Chicago ’24).
• The 26-year-old veteran racer finished eighth in the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard at the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway behind the wheel of Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Chevrolet at the first Cup Series event to be held on the Indianapolis road-course layout.
• 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.
• Last week at Michigan International Speedway, Haley battled handling issues throughout the 200-lap race and came home 21st in the final scoring tally.
• Haley won the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. It was his second top-five finish in three starts at the venue. He finished fourth at the 2017 event.
• In NASCAR Xfinity Series road-racing competition, Haley has collected four top-five and 10 top-10 finishes, including a pair of runner-up finishes (Indianapolis/Mid-Ohio) in 2020 and 2021.
• Haley, the 2016 ARCA Menards Series East Series Champion, never finished outside of the top-five in a road race while competing in the regional series.
• The former Trans-Am Series competitor owns 23 starts in the division’s TA2 Class where he collected 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.
• The Indiana native is a veteran of 161 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 57 Cup Series starts for Spire Motorsports, including his first start in NASCAR’s premier division at Talladega Superspeedway on his 20th birthday.

Justin Haley Quote
What are your thoughts as the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Mexico City for the first time?
“Mexico City will be a lot of fun for the industry, for the drivers and for the fans. This will be the first time I’ve raced this track, but we had good speed earlier this season at Circuit of the Americas and I feel pretty good about our road-race program. The biggest challenge is the high elevation, so I’ve been trying to prepare for that part of it. I have been sleeping in an altitude tent to train for the race. We’ll use practice to figure out the fast way around so we can be in a good spot for qualifying and the race.”

Atop the No. 7 Box – Crew Chief Ryan Sparks

• Ryan Sparks serves in a dual role as both Spire Motorsports’ Competition Director and Haley’s crew chief.
• The Winston Salem, N.C., native has called 181 NASCAR Cup Series races, earning three top-five and nine top-10 finishes.
• In total, the 41-year-old has called 25 road course races, earning a career-best eighth-place result with Corey LaJoie at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International last season.

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

• Michael McDowell will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 B’laster Chevrolet ZL1 in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Viva Mexico 250 at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
• McDowell will be one of the few drivers in the field with previous experience at the famed Mexican circuit. The veteran racer earned the victory in the 2005 La Gran De la Serie Rolex Sports Car race where he was paired with legendary road racer Memo Gidley at Finley Motorsports. The potent duo led 28 of 90 laps to collect the win in the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series season finale.
• The following day, McDowell made his second start in the Champ Car World Series for the series’ 195-mile season finale. Driving for team owner Paul Gentilozzi, he qualified 16th and raced his way to an 11th-place finish in the Gran Premio Telmex-Tecate.
• One of the 40-year-old’s two Cup Series victories came on the road course configuration of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. After qualifying fourth, the father of five kissed the bricks alongside his family by leading a field-leading 54 laps, tallying a 2.9 average running position and securing a career-best 141.1 driver rating.
• The No. 71 B’laster Chevrolet ZL1 will feature an in-car camera during this weekend’s race, showcasing the elite footwork and reaction time of the road course ace.
• B’laster LLC is a chemical manufacturing company based in Valley View, Ohio. Founded in 1957 with PB B’laster Penetrant, the company has since expanded its portfolio to include penetrants, lubricants, cleaners, solvents, removers, grease, protectants, and refrigerants.
• The Glendale, Ariz., native has logged an 18.0 average start and a 20.7 average finish at road courses across his career, a career-best at any track type.
• McDowell collected the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series win at Road America, where he led 24 of 48 laps on an overcast Saturday afternoon, making the trip to Victory Lane in his lone start behind the wheel of Richard Childress Racing’s No. 2 Chevrolet.
• The 2021 Daytona 500 Champion will have a familiar voice on the spotter stand this week as McDowell’s cousin, Jason Noll, will assist primary spotter Michael Fisher during the Cup Series’ first visit to Mexico City.
• Last Sunday at Michigan International Speedway, McDowell qualified 32nd and promptly raced his way towards the top 10. Unfortunately, the No. 71 team battled fuel pick-up issues during the late goings, ultimately saddling the team with a 30th-place finish.
• The No. 71 team earned a $100,000 payday and a trip to Victory Lane after winning the Mechanix Wear Pit Crew Challenge during last month’s visit to North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway. The crew’s blazing 12.587-second stop topped all entries for both the NASCAR All-Star Open and NASCAR All-Star Race, earning the title of the fastest team on pit road.
• Through the first 15 races of the 2025 campaign, McDowell owns an average starting position of 14.8, including five starts inside the top 10.
• McDowell has claimed three Xfinity Fastest Lap awards this season, clocking the fastest lap in the Daytona 500, Phoenix Raceway and Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. The No. 71 stands as the only Cup Series team to earn the award three times.
• McDowell secured Spire Motorsports’ first Busch Light Pole Award at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March. His 28.833-second lap marks the fastest lap in NASCAR’s seventh-generation Cup Series car (2022-present) at the 1.5-mile Nevada oval.

Michael McDowell Quote
You have previous experience at the track in a variety of disciplines. Talk about that and if you think that experience gives you an advantage heading into this weekend.
“Anytime you have gone somewhere, had success, and experienced the racetrack, the culture, altitude adjustment, and all the things that we have to do going into this weekend, it gives you a little bit of extra confidence. It was a long time ago. It was 2005 when I was back in Mexico City for that double-header weekend where I ran IMSA in the Rolex prototypes. We sat on the pole and won the race on Saturday, then woke up the Sunday morning to run the IndyCar race. It is a little different than the double header that we are used to on the NASCAR side. I went from the prototype to the open wheel car, but I had a lot of fun. It was a great atmosphere. Fans are intense, engaged, and absolutely love motorsports. I think NASCAR is going to be embraced and it is going to be a huge event. I am looking forward to it. I know there is a lot of logistical challenges and stuff like that, but to me, it is a great opportunity to put our sport in a spotlight and go put on a good show at a great facility with very passionate fans.”

You’ve got B’laster on the car this weekend as the primary sponsor. How do you manage your expectations to perform well for a new partner?
“This is going to be our first race with B’laster on board, but we had GUNK, another brand in the B’laster family, with us at Talladega earlier this year. We are looking forward to continuing to build that partnership and brand. When they came on board, they really wanted Mexico City as one of their races. They knew it would be an opportunity for us to go run up front and have a shot at winning, so we hope to do that, right? Anytime you have a new partner onboard, you want to help continue to grow that brand and opportunity. I feel like running well is important and Mexico City is a good opportunity to do that.”

Atop the No. 71 Box – Crew Chief Travis Peterson

• Crew chief Travis Peterson heads south of the border having called 11 NASCAR Cup Series races on road courses. Peterson called McDowell’s win in the 2023 Verizon 200 at the Brickyard at the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The 34-year-old Cup Series topkick has earned a 15.5 average finish at road courses, his best average finish at any track type with a minimum of 10 attempts.
• Peterson has called 91 races in NASCAR’s premier series, securing one win, four top fives, 18 top 10s and seven pole awards.

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

• Carson Hocevar will pilot the No. 77 Totalplay Chevrolet ZL1 for the Viva Mexico 250.
• Totalplay is Mexico’s leading telecommunications provider, delivering top-quality connectivity and entertainment services through its 100% fully fiber-optic, direct-to-home network. Its commitment to innovation and excellence has positioned the company as the provider with the fastest internet, best service, and most advanced technology in the market. As part of Grupo Salinas, Totalplay continues to transform the industry by developing and integrating new technologies, offering unique experiences that redefine how Mexican households access the internet, television, and digital services.
• The Viva Mexico 250 will be the sixth Cup Series road-course event for the Portage, Mich., native who finished third in last year’s Go Bowling at The Glen.
• Hocevar has turned heads in recent weeks as a result of his aggressive driving style and the team’s high level of performance. The No. 77 crew captured the pole position at Texas Motor Speedway, led 22 laps and was in position for a top-five finish before a late caution mired Hocevar in traffic. Two weeks later at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, he was battling for the lead with 91 laps remaining when an engine failure ended his race. The next Sunday, at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway, Hocevar earned his second runner-up finish of the year – the first coming at Atlanta Motor Speedway in February. In the most recent outing for the Cup Series, Hocevar returned to his hometrack of Michigan International Speedway where he started 14th, led 32 laps and came within 19 laps from his first Cup Series victory when tragedy struck in the form of a flat left-rear tire.
• In the last five races, Hocevar has led a total of 60 laps – six times more than he led in the first 10 races of the season.

Carson Hocevar Quotes
How do you feel about participating in the first points-paying international Cup Series race in the modern era this weekend in Mexico?
“I’m really excited. This is such a big moment for NASCAR and it will be nice to go to a new track that has hosted motorsports events in some of the top series in the world. We finished last year with a really strong showing at Watkins Glen and I felt like we had a decent car earlier this year at COTA, so it’ll be nice to have a full practice to get laps on track before we qualify. I think it’ll be a great weekend overall and a good show for all the fans”

Atop the No. 77 Box – Crew Chief Luke Lambert

• Crew chief Luke Lambert will call his 37th road-course event from the pit box where he’s earned two top-five and four top-10 finishes.
• He also called four top-five and seven top-10 finishes in nine NASCAR Xfinity Series road-course races.
• The Viva Mexico 250 will mark the Mount Airy, N.C., native’s 60th race atop the pit box for Hocevar with 51 of those starts occurring with Spire Motorsports. Together they’ve earned three top-five, nine top-10 finishes, and captured Hocevar’s first Cup Series pole award on May 3 at Texas Motor Speedway.

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 May 30, 2025, when Rajah Caruth took the checkered flag in the Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway.

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.