Spire Motorsports Bully Hill Vineyards 176 at The Glen Race Advance

• In four NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at Watkins Glen International (WGI) Spire Motorsports earned its lone top-10 finish when Sammy Smith finished sixth in last year’s Mission 176 at the Glen.
• Round 8 of the 2026 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Championship will mark Spire Motorsports 200th start that saw the team’s first foray in the division Feb. 18, 2022 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway with Austin Hill at the controls. Since then, the Mooresville, N.C. organization has gone on to record six poles, 11 wins, 40 top-five and 82 top-10 finishes. The team’s most recent CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win came last Friday at Texas Motor Speedway when Carson Hocevar earned the checkered flag in the SpeedyCash.com 250.
• The Bully Hill Vineyards 176 will be televised live on FS1 Friday, May 8 beginning at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The eighth of 25 points-paying races on the 2026 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series schedule will be broadcast live on the NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Connor Mosack – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado RST

• Connor Mosack will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Friends of Jaclyn Chevrolet Silverado RST in Friday’s Bully Hill Vineyards 176 at The Glen.
• The Friends of Jaclyn Foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life for children battling pediatric brain tumors and other childhood cancers and to raise awareness through their Adopt-A-Child, Safe on the Sidelines and Guardian Angel Programs.
• In his lone CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start at WGI, Mosack qualified 10th and raced his way into the top five during the final run where he was in contention for the win before contact during multiple overtime restarts left him 16th in the final rundown.
• During the inaugural NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (Fla.), Mosack started on the pole after qualifying was canceled due to weather, and controlled the early stages of the race. Unfortunately, heavy damage resulting from contact with another competitor shuffled Mosack down the leaderboard. Still, he managed to work his way back toward the front to recover for a solid, 13th-place finish.
• The talented road racer is a two-time race winner in the Trans Am Series at WGI where he earned back-to-back victories in 2021 and 2022, including winning from the pole in 2022.
• In ARCA Menards Series competition, Mosack has made two starts at the famed 2.45-mile road course, earning one top-five finish in 2024, a race won by Spire Motorsports’ teammate Connor Zilisch.
• The 176-mile event will mark Mosack’s third CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start of the year and ninth with Spire Motorsports. In eight previous starts with the team, the 27-year-old has tallied two top-five and five top-10 finishes.
• Mosack will drive Spire Manufacturing chassis SMT-071 Friday. This is the same truck Mosack raced in February at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
• Before it was property of Spire Motorsports, chassis SMT-071 saw success as the primary road-course truck for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Busch drove it to victory at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway in June 2022, where he led 45 of the event’s 75 laps, en route to the now defunct team’s 95th CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win.
• In 11 races, SMT-071 has tallied two poles, one win and six top fives while maintaining a 3.5 average starting position and an average finish of 10.2. The truck has paced the field for 101 circuits and led laps in six of its 10 starts.

Connor Mosack Quote
You showed top-five speed late in your only truck start at Watkins Glen. How do you build on that experience heading back this weekend?
“Watkins Glen is one of my favorite tracks and I always look forward to racing there. One of the biggest things I learned last year was how the truck transitions throughout the run and what I need to be strong all race long. I feel good about where our truck is this year and it should be a great weekend for us.”

Atop the No. 7 Box – Crew Chief Brian Pattie

• Brian Pattie sits atop the No. 7 pit box, an entry that will see myriad all-star caliber drivers behind the wheel throughout the 2026 season.
• Pattie has called four NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races at Texas Motor Speedway, including Busch’s dominant performance in the 2024 SpeedyCash.com 250. Busch led 112 of the event’s 167 laps en route to victory, calculating a decisive 1.62 average running position.
• The Zephyrhills, Fla., native has led the No. 7 team to one win, two top-five and three top-10 finishes through the first six CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races of 2026, posting an average finish of 10.3
• The 25-year industry 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 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. He stands as one of 11 crew chiefs to win races across all three of NASCAR’s national touring series.

Connor Zilisch – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado RST

• Connor Zilisch will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 Trackhouse Labs Chevrolet Silverado RST in Friday’s Bully Hill Vineyards 176 at The Glen.
• Trackhouse Labs is a division of Trackhouse Entertainment used for technical capabilities including motorsports supply needs, philanthropic services, and custom design and fabrication. Among the special projects managed by Trackhouse Labs was the construction of the Aerial Recovery trucks built to aid in first responder rescue missions after natural disasters in the United States. Trackhouse Labs also has the capability to produce custom vehicle build outs for both the road and track and as well as classic car renovations.
• Zilisch will pull triple duty this weekend and compete in all three of NASCAR’s national touring series races at WGI. In addition to his responsibilities behind the wheel of Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 Chevy Friday afternoon, the accomplished road racer will also race JR Motorsports’ No. 1 Chevrolet in Saturday’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series’ Mission 200. On Sunday, he’ll wheel Trackhouse Racing’s No. 88 machine in the NASCAR Cup Series’ Go Bowling at The Glen.
• The 72-lap event will mark his ninth CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start and seventh with Spire Motorsports. In six previous starts with the team, Zilisch has earned two Kennametal Pole Awards and two top-five finishes.
• In three CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts on road courses, Zilisch has registered two top-five and three top-10 finishes.
• In his lone start with Spire Motorsports last season, Zilisch qualified sixth at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL and finished fifth in the EcoSave 250. He ran inside the top three most of the day and despite late-race contact with another competitor, still maintained his footing inside the top five when the checkered flag flew.
• Zilisch became the seventh driver in O’Reilly Auto Parts Series history to win in his debut at Watkins Glen. The 2024 Mission 200 was extended into double overtime from its originally scheduled 82 laps where he held off the field during back-to-back restarts for his maiden trip to Victory Lane.
• The 19-year-old racer has made seven O’Reilly Auto Parts Series’ road course starts, earning five wins, six top-five and six top-10 finishes for a 4.4 average finish. His most recent road course victory came last season at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL.
• Zilisch will race Spire Manufacturing chassis SMT-076 Friday in its seventh start.

Connor Zilisch Quote
You’ve been close to a win with Spire Motorsports and always run well at Watkins Glen. What gives you the confidence this could be the weekend it all comes together?
“I’m excited to go to Watkins Glen this weekend and start my triple header weekend with Spire Motorsports. Spire has been a great team for me to race with in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. They have a lot of great people who support me and what I do, so I enjoy racing with them. I haven’t gotten a win yet, but we’ve been close. I’m pumped to go to Watkins Glen and hopefully, have a good race on Friday. I always look forward to going to Watkins Glen because that place has meant a lot to me over the years.”

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

• Veteran crew chief Kevin “Bono” Manion has called 16 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series road-course events, collecting four top-10 finishes. Zane Smith’s 2021 sixth-place result at Watkins Glen marked his best finish in CRAFTSMAN Truck Series competition at the famed New York venue.
• Manion founded Spire Motorsports’ CRAFTSMAN Truck Series program alongside industry veteran Mike Greci in 2022. The team claimed its first victory in its second outing April 7, 2022, with William Byron behind the wheel at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.
• The seasoned veteran crew chief has racked up five Cup Series victories – including the 2010 Daytona 500 – 17 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series triumphs and 12 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.
• Manion called Martin Truex, Jr.’s 2005 victory in the inaugural O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Mexico City’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. The win marked the first of six during the 2005 campaign for the Truex Jr./Manion pairing. Nine months later, the potent duo secured their second O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championship in as many seasons at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
• In 2023, Manion became one of a select few to call a race in all three of NASCAR’s national touring series in a single season, all of which came under the Spire Motorsports umbrella. 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 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and took the reigns during the second half of the Cup Series season for Ty Dillon and the No. 77 team.

Carson Hocevar – Driver, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado RST

• Carson Hocevar will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Delaware Life Chevrolet Silverado RST in Friday’s Bully Hill Vineyards 176 at The Glen.
• 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, Delaware Life focuses on delivering a seamless experience for advisors. The company understands how important it is to find the right fit for every client, every situation and every individual need. Delaware Life is passionate about equipping advisors with annuities that give their customers peace of mind and a successful future, allowing them to plan with confidence for whatever’s next.
• Hocevar will pull double duty this weekend at Watkins Glen, where he’ll also pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Spectrum Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series’ Go Bowling at The Glen.
• The 23-year-old driver led the No. 77 team to Victory Lane last Friday at Texas Motor Speedway. Hocevar started 11th and led early in the final stage, but an issue during a green-flag pit stop caused the team to slip to fourth, six seconds behind the leader. Fortunately, a Lap-145 caution flag allowed Hocevar to reel in the lead trio, and after returning to racing action on Lap 149, made the move for the top spot four laps later. He survived multiple late-race restarts, including one NASCAR Overtime attempt, to snag his sixth career victory in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, just five days removed from his first NASCAR Cup Series win.
• Hocevar currently sits sixth in the NASCAR Cup Series championship point standings. His one win, three top fives, five top 10s, 333 points scored, average starting position of 10.1 and 13.4 average finish are all career highs through the first 11 points-paying races of the 2026 season.
• The newly minted Cup Series winner has one start under his belt in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series at Watkins Glen, coming in 2021. He qualified ninth and was credited with a 10th-place result in the regular-season finale when the race was called prior to its scheduled conclusion for inclement weather.
• One day prior to his first-and-only CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start at Watkins Glen, Hocevar made a rare ARCA Menards Series appearance at the 2.45-mile racecourse. He earned a fourth-place finish in a star-studded field of up-and-coming drivers featuring four current NASCAR Cup Series competitors (Chase Briscoe, Ty Gibbs, Riley Herbst and Hocevar) and 13 other NASCAR National Series competitors.
• The 23-year-old driver, a veteran of 87 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races, has logged one pole, six wins, 24 top fives and 37 top 10s, while leading 843 laps. He made the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series playoffs in all his three full-time seasons and earned a spot in the 2023 Championship 4.
• Hocevar will be at the controls of Spire Manufacturing chassis SMT-072 Friday afternoon. This is the same Chevrolet Silverado Rajah Caruth raced to a fourth-place finish last October at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL. Over 11 starts, a collection of drivers have driven this Spire Motorsports-prepared racer to three top-five and seven top-10 finishes.

Carson Hocevar Quote
You are at the halfway mark of your truck schedule for this season. How are you enjoying the experience and what are your thoughts as you carry out the rest of your races?
“It has been super fun for me. Other guys go golfing in their free time, I just like racing. It is an opportunity for me to go out, have fun, and try to help the No. 77 team rack up as many owner points as possible. It was cool to get the win last week at Texas for Jeff (Dickerson), Chad (Walter) and everyone at Spire, and hopefully we can get a couple more before my races are over.”

Atop the No. 77 Box – Crew Chief Chad Walter

• Chad Walter calls the shots from the top of the No. 77 pit box, an entry that will see multiple all-star caliber drivers behind the wheel throughout the 2026 season.
• Walter is a mechanical engineering graduate of Cornell University in Ithaca, located 30 miles from Watkins Glen. During his studies, he played defensive end for the Big Red football team. He hails from Albion, N.Y., positioned just west of Rochester.
• Last weekend’s victory marked the first for the veteran crew chief since March 2024 when he guided Rajah Caruth to his first career NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win.
• The 54-year-old has called 10 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series road course events. Driver Tyler Ankrum earned Walter’s best result on a road course, a sixth-place result on Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway’s road course configuration in 2020.
• In 19 road course events atop the NASCAR O”Reilly Auto Parts Series pit box, Walter has tallied five top fives and seven top 10s. As a crew chief for the JR Motorsports’ No. 5 team, Walter reached Victory Lane at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve with Ron Fellows in 2008. The duo elected to run long during a pit cycle as storms were approaching the circuit. When heavy rain descended upon the track on Lap 48, the race was declared official and Fellows was declared the winner.
• During his time as a shop engineer at Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Walter was part of Steve Park’s 2000 triumph at Watkins Glen. Park led 53 laps en route to his maiden Cup Series victory. Spire Motorsports’ Truck Series Competition Director and part-time crew chief of the team’s No. 71 entry Kevin “Bono” Manion was the car chief on the No. 1 car that weekend.
• Between NASCAR’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, the 54-year-old has racked up seven wins, 56 top fives and 142 top 10s.

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 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 April 7, 2022, at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The team’s most recent win came April 27, 2026, when Carson Hocevar earned his inaugural Cup Series win in the Jack Links 500 at Talladega 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.