Daniel Suárez – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
START: 12TH
FINISH: 5TH
POINTS: 7TH
Daniel Suárez, the February 2024 NASCAR Cup Series winner at Atlanta Motor Speedway, finished fifth in NASCAR Overtime. Despite handling challenges, the Monterrey, Mexico native and his No. 7 Freeway Insurance team made key adjustments throughout the race. Suárez charged through the field in the final stage to secure his 26th top-five and 77th top-10 finish in NASCAR’s premier division.
Suárez started 12th per the NASCAR rulebook after qualifying was canceled due to wet weather conditions. As Stage 1 came to a close, the 34-year-old driver reported his Chevrolet was tight, but handled better in clean air. Crew chief Ryan Sparks called the No. 7 Chevy down pit road for adjustments, four fresh Goodyear tires and a full tank of Sunoco fuel for the start of Stage 2. Suárez pitted twice during the second for additional adjustments and ultimately took the green-and-white checkered flag in the 18th position.
Suárez began the Final Stage from 19th, determined to make a strong push to the finish. When the seventh caution caution of the night occurred on Lap 225, the No. 7 Chevy remained on track to restart 12th with 36 laps remaining in the race. Suárez entered the top 10 prior to a multi-car incident on Lap 258 that led to a brief red flag period. When the race returned to green, the Freeway Insurance driver restarted eighth and pushed forward to finish fifth in NASCAR Overtime.
Daniel’s Post-Race Comments
“Honestly, I thought we were in an amazing spot for that last restart. The No. 77 (Carson Hocevar) was leading the top lane and the No. 1 (Ross Chastain) was in front of me. I thought we were in a beautiful spot to make it work. The No. 97 (Shane van Gisbergen) was on my left side and pushed me wide. I felt like that broke down the top lane a little bit. I’m not sure, but I feel like we could have done a little bit better. I feel like we gave that one away because we were in the perfect spot.
But overall, I’m very, very proud of everyone at Spire Motorsports. I couldn’t be prouder, honestly. This team just continues to fight, continues to show up and continues to get better. They never doubt that we can make the car better. I can’t thank everyone at Chevrolet and the Hendrick Engine Shop enough for the power under the hood. We just need to keep cleaning a few things up to keep getting better, but very excited for the start of the season.”
Michael McDowell – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
START: 20TH
FINISH: 20TH
POINTS: 20TH
Michael McDowell, driver of the No. 71 B’laster Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Spire Motorsports, came home with a finish of 20th following a double-overtime finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway after sustaining damage in Stage 3.
A rainout during Saturday’s qualifying session set the grid per the rulebook for Sunday’s race at AMS with McDowell taking the green flag from the 20th position. During the 60-lap stint of Stage 1, the Glendale, Ariz., native slipped just outside the top 25, but worked his way up to the 19th position before the green-and-white checkered flag waved to end the stage. McDowell visited pit road for an air pressure adjustment to assist with handling woes and the Travis Peterson-led team lined up 12th for Stage 2. As the run progressed, a caution on Lap 83 put the team in their fuel window and allowed the driver of the No. 71 Chevy to make a two-second fuel stop. The final 30 laps of racing action in Stage 2 proceeded under green and the 41-year-old driver completed the second stage in the 20th position.
Following pit stops during the stage break, McDowell lined up 22nd with 92 laps remaining, but an incident on Lap 223 resulted in damage to the nose and right-rear fender of the B’laster machine. The damage was a significant hindrance to the team’s speed and, as a result, McDowell was credited with a finish of 20th following multiple cautions and overtime attempts.
Michael’s Post-Race Comments
“It’s unfortunate. We had times we were sitting in a decent spot with our B’laster Chevy, but we were involved in that wreck there and had to manage the damage. It is really cool to see two Spire Motorsports cars get top-five finishes, but disappointed we weren’t up there. Regardless, we got to the end despite a car that had pretty heavy damage. So, we will head back to the shop and get ready for COTA next weekend.”
Carson Hocevar – Driver, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
START: 15TH
FINISH: 4TH
POINTS: 4TH
Carson Hocevar, driver of Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Spectrum Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, rallied from a tire issue early in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Atlanta Motor Speedway to restart on the front row for NASCAR Overtime. Despite racing side-by-side for the lead when the white flag was displayed, for the second time in as many weeks, Hocevar left AMS with a fourth-place result.
Inclement weather forced the cancellation of Saturday’s qualifying session relegating Hocevar to a 15th-place start. He made quick work of the field to reach the top five by Lap 27. While racing for position within the top 10, the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year encountered a right-front tire issue, sending him into the outside retaining wall. He brought his Chevy to the attention of the Spectrum crew, receiving fresh right side tires, but returned to competition two laps behind the leaders. At the conclusion of Stage 1, the No. 77 team received the free pass placing them just one lap behind the leaders.
Crew chief Luke Lambert took advantage of the stage break to bring Hocevar to pit road for damage repair and a new right-side window, which was lost prior to the stage end. A caution at Lap 83 for a multi-car incident allowed the team to receive their second free pass of the day and return to the lead lap. The Portage, Mich., native restarted 36th on Lap 93, cracked the top 20 on Lap 116, and was soon back in the top five on Lap 153. Despite making contact with the outside wall in the closing laps of the stage, Hocevar took the green-and-white checkered flag in sixth to collect five stage points.
The team decided to forego their track position to look over their Camaro for damage during the ensuing round of pit stops, and provided Hocevar with an adjustment to address a tight-handling condition. A nine-car pileup on Lap 225, gave the No. 77 team an opportunity to visit pit road one last time, with Hocevar lining up 21st for the restart on Lap 232. It took just six laps for Hocevar to re-enter the top 10, where he stayed for the final 30 laps and even battled for the lead on multiple occasions. Hocevar lined up on the outside of the front row of NASCAR Overtime and raced for the lead at the white flag before crossing the finish line in fourth to earn his first top-five result of the year.
Carson’s Post-Race Comments
“I was really happy with this No. 77 Spectrum Chevrolet. Our car was really fast to go from two laps down to getting stage points and finishing fourth. Overall, it was a good points day for us. I was taking every run I could. I’m sure I owe people apologies, but I think we’re all battling for spaces and runs. At the end, all four tires were straight. My toe was knocked out, but it was still pretty fast. Pretty excited about a strong start to the season.”
Up Next…
The NASCAR Cup Series season heads to Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas for the first road-course race of the year. The DuraMax Grand Prix Powered by RelaDyne will be televised live on FOX at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST).
The third of 36 points-paying races on the Cup Series calendar will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
To stay up-to-date on all the latest news and exclusive content, follow Spire Motorsports on Facebook, X and Instagram, and visit Spire-Motorsports.com.
About Spire Motorsports …
Spire Motorsports fields full-time entries in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing.
The team, co-owned by longtime NASCAR industry executive Jeff Dickerson and TWG Motorsports CEO Dan Towriss, 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 2026, Spire Motorsports will campaign the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s in the NASCAR Cup Series and the Nos. 7 and 77 Chevrolet Silverado RSTs in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The Mooresville, N.C., organization will also field the No. 77 410 sprint car in Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing competition.
