Spire Motorsports FaithFest 250 Race Advance

• In eight NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway, Spire Motorsports has earned one win, two top five and two top 10s. Kyle Larson led 138 of 232 laps en route to victory driving the No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado in the series’ return to North Wilkesboro in 2023.
• The FaithFest 250 will be televised live on FS1 Saturday, July 18 beginning at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The 15th 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.

Chase Elliott – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado RST

• Chase Elliott will race Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet Silverado RST in Saturday’s NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series FaithFest 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
• HENDRICKCARS.COM is the online home for everything Hendrick Automotive Group. Visitors can shop more than 30,000 new or pre-owned vehicles, locate centers for service and collision repair, receive a value to sell or trade their car, chat online with customer service, discover career opportunities, learn more about vehicle protection programs, and explore how the company gives back to the community.
• Elliott will pull quadruple duty this weekend at North Wilkesboro Speedway. In addition to his full-time obligations in Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro in the NASCAR Cup Series and his duties with Spire Motorsports, he will also compete in Friday night’s zMAX CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car race for JR Motorsports and the Pro Late Model Series Spears Manufacturing 75 with FR8 Racing.
• Saturday’s 250-lap contest will mark Elliott’s first NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start since the 2023 NextEra Energy 250 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway where he started 14th and finished 10th.
• In 18 career CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts, the Dawsonville, Ga., native has earned three poles, three wins, 11 top fives, 15 top 10s and an extraordinary 7.7 average finish.
• In seven CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts on short track configurations, the 30-year-old has recorded one win, four top-five and five top-10 results. He collected the checkered flag at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in 2017, driving the Maury Gallagher-owned No. 23 Chevrolet.
• The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Champion’s short-track success dates back to his early racing career, when at just 14-years-old, he earned a victory at North Wilkesboro in the Pro All Stars Series South Super Late Model Division. Elliott led 69 of 200 laps en route to the win.
• In three NASCAR All-Star Race appearances at North Wilkesboro Speedway, Elliott has earned two top-five and three top-10 results. In 2025, he locked himself into the main event by finishing third in his heat race before securing a fifth-place finish in NASCAR’s annual all-star extravaganza.
• Elliott will pilot Spire Manufacturing chassis SMT-096 in Saturday’s FaithFest 250, a brand-new Chevrolet Silverado RST.

Chase Elliott Quote
How special is it to have the opportunity to climb behind the wheel of the No. 7 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet this weekend?
“I was honored when the folks at Spire reached out to me about driving the HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevy at North Wilkesboro. I think this was a race that Kyle (Busch) was supposed to run for them, so to be able to fill in for him is really special. I would love to go and get a win to honor him. I’m looking forward to it. It should be a good, fun weekend all around. A busy one for sure.”

Brian Pattie – Crew Chief, No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado RST

• Brian Pattie is the crew chief of Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado RST, an entry that will see a collection of all-star caliber drivers behind the wheel throughout the 2026 season
• Pattie has called three CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races at North Wilkesboro, highlighted by a fifth-place finish with Sammy Smith in 2024.
• The Zephyrhills, Fla., native spent 14 seasons in NASCAR’s premier division. As a crew chief, he has earned six wins in Cup Series competition, 11 in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and nine in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. He stands as one of 11 crew chiefs to win races across all three of NASCAR’s national touring series.
• Through 14 races, the No. 7 team sits fourth in the division’s owner’s championship point standings on the strength of two wins, five top-five and eight top-10 finishes.

Shane Van Gisbergen – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado RST

• Shane Van Gisbergen will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 NationsGuard Chevrolet Silverado RST in Saturday’s NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series FaithFest 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
• NationsGuard is an innovator in the Automotive F&I space. Its programs are designed to maximize sales, profit, CSI and customer retention. NationsGuard delivers consistent, measurable results through disciplined monitoring and continuous improvement. The process measures every key element of a dealer’s program – from vehicle inspection efficiency to service advisor performance. NationsGuard targets and eliminates waste and inefficiency wherever it’s found, maintaining process improvements, making changes where necessary and relentlessly pursuing perfection.
• Van Gisbergen will pull double duty this weekend and also race the No. 97 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Trackhouse Racing in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series’ Window World 450.
• Saturday’s 156-mile event will mark Van Gisbergen’s fourth CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start and third this season. In addition to his lone start for Spire Motorsports at Charlotte Motor Speedway, “SVG” competed in two CRAFTSMAN Truck Series events (2023, 2026) for Niece Motorsports and secured a career/series best third-place finish at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International May 8.
• Van Gisbergen’s lone short track start in CRAFTSMAN Truck Series competition came at in August 2023 at Indianapolis Raceway Park where he started 28th and finished 19th at the controls of Niece Motorsports’ No. 41 Chevy.
• The 35-year-old earned his eighth career NASCAR Cup Series win earlier this season at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway where he started sixth, led 74 of 110 laps, and collected the checkered flag.
• Van Gisbergen will pilot Spire Manufacturing chassis SMT-085 Saturday afternoon. This is the same truck he raced to a 15th-place finish in May at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. Rajah Caruth earned the chassis’ best finish when he secured an eighth-place result at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway in October 2024.

Shane Van Gisbergen Quote
You had a solid showing at North Wilkesboro in the Cup Series last year. How much confidence does that give you heading into this weekend?
“I’m really looking forward to racing the Chevrolet Silverado this weekend at North Wilkesboro and getting more laps on a smaller oval. It’s a track I’ve only been to once and went pretty good at it last year in the Cup car. But just being able to get more laps and a feel for how the track races throughout the weekend will be really helpful. Thanks to Spire Motorsports and NationsGuard for having me. It’s going to be awesome.”

Kevin “Bono” Manion – Crew Chief, No. 71 Chevrolet Silverado RST
Kevin “Bono” Manion is the crew chief of Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 Chevrolet Silverado for driver Shane Van Gisbergen in this weekend’s NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series FaithFest 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Manion has called two CRAFTSMAN Truck Series events at North Wilkesboro, highlighted by Kyle Larson’s dominant 2022 win.
Manion, a 32-year veteran of the sport, founded Spire Motorsports’ CRAFTSMAN Truck Series program alongside industry veteran Mike Greci in 2022. The team claimed its first victory in just its second outing with driver William Byron April 7, 2022 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.
The 54-year-old has earned six NASCAR 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.
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 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 Saturday’s FaithFest 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway
• 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.
• The 23-year-old driver, a veteran of 90 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races, has logged one pole, six wins, 25 top fives and 38 top 10s, while leading 908 laps. He made the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series playoffs in all his three full-time seasons and earned a spot in the 2023 Championship 4.
• The six-time CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race winner made his first and only series start at the storied Wilkes County venue in 2023. Hocevar started second, and despite spending the majority of the afternoon in second, was forced to settle for a fourth-place finish.
• Hocevar will pull double duty this weekend at North Wilkesboro, where he’ll also drive Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Spectrum Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series’ Window World 450.
• The Portage, Mich., native currently sits eighth in the NASCAR Cup Series championship point standings. His one win, five top fives, eight top 10s, 563 points scored, average starting position of 11.2 and 14.4 average finish are all career highs through the first 20 points-paying races of the 2026 season.
• Hocevar will be at the controls of Spire Manufacturing chassis SMT-094 Saturday afternoon, a brand new Chevrolet Silverado RST.

Carson Hocevar Quote
What are your thoughts heading into the truck race at North Wilkesboro?
“It has been fun running a bunch of truck races this year. We have had a lot of speed, just seems like something out of our control has happened that’s limited us to one win. I ran up front in the first truck race at North Wilkesboro in 2023, and I expect to do the same Saturday.”

Chad Walter – Crew Chief, No. 77 Chevrolet Silverado RST

• Chad Walter is the crew chief of Spire Motorsports No. 77 Chevrolet Silverado RST in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, an entry that will see multiple all-star caliber drivers behind the wheel throughout the 2026 season.
• Walter has called three CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races at North Wilkesboro Speedway, earning a venue-best 14th-place finish with Rajah Caruth in 2024.
• Between NASCAR’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, Walter has racked up seven wins, 59 top fives and 145 top 10s.
• Walter earned a mechanical engineering degree from the Cornell University College of Engineering. During his studies, he played defensive end for the Big Red football team.

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 its first NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win April 7, 2022, at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The team’s most recent victory came May 24, 2026, when Daniel Suárez won the NASCAR Cup Series’ Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

In 2026, Spire Motorsports campaigns 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 also fields the No. 77 410 sprint car in Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing competition.