Spire Motorsports Bass Pro Shops Night Race Advance

• In 25 previous NASCAR Cup Series starts at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Spire Motorsports has two top-10 and seven top-15 finishes. Carson Hocevar earned the team’s best result in Sept. 2025 with a seventh-place effort. Spire Motorsports fields the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s in the Cup Series with Daniel Suárez, Michael McDowell and Hocevar, respectively.
• The Bass Pro Shops Night Race will be televised live on USA Network Saturday, Sept. 19 beginning at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The 29th of 36 points-paying races on the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series calendar will also be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Daniel Suárez – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Daniel Suárez will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
• The Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation (CRSF) empowers communities with clean, safe places for underserved youth to play, learn, and grow. Since 2018, Group 1001 and the CRSF have combined efforts to build 17 youth development parks and install 20 STEM centers nationwide. Group 1001 employees have joined CRSF to host and volunteer for four Community Enhancement Projects. CRSF and Group 1001 have impacted over 100,000 youth in their joint effort to promote active lifestyles and educational opportunities. For more information, visit https://ripkenfoundation.org/.
• Suárez will make his 16th Cup Series start at Bristol where he’s led five laps, earned two top-10 and 10 top-20 finishes. His series/venue best came in 2019 when he finished eighth in both Bristol races that season. He finished 12th in April in the division’s most recent visit to “Thunder Valley.”
• With eight races remaining to determine the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Champion, Suárez sits 16th in points after last weekend’s race at World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR) – 119 markers behind the leader – and a handsome 13 positions ahead of where he was in the standings at this point last season. He enters Saturday’s race with one win, three top-five, seven top-10 and 21 top-20 finishes on the year. Over 28 races this season, he holds a 14.0 average starting position and a 15.4 average finish.
• Last Sunday at WWTR, the No. 7 Chevy picked up cosmetic damage early in the race, but the No. 7 team was able to affect repairs and keep their driver on track. Unfortunately, an incident on Lap 229 caused extensive damage, forcing Suárez to retire from the race 18 laps early from the 247-lap conclusion.
• Suárez is a veteran of 351 Cup Series starts and earned three wins, 27 top fives and 82 top-10s in NASCAR’s premier division. He’s led 949 laps and earned three poles since 2017. Suárez has collected checkered flags at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway (2022), Atlanta Motor Speedway (2024) and Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (2026).

Daniel Suárez Quote
Heading back to Bristol, what are your thoughts going into the night race?
“Bristol at night is a race I really enjoy. Last fall was a tough race, but I am excited to get back there with the No. 7 team. We’ve learned a lot since the spring race, where we had a decent finish. The fans, the lights, the atmosphere, is what is really exciting at the night race. Hopefully, this time we can put together the kind of night I know this team is capable of.”

Ryan Sparks – Crew Chief, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Ryan Sparks is the Crew Chief of Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 with driver Daniel Suárez in the NASCAR Cup Series.
• Sparks’ best finish at Bristol came in the Spring, when he guided Suárez to a 12th-place finish. In total, he has played a leading competition role in nine races at “The Last Great Colosseum” in NASCAR’s premier division.
• The Winston-Salem, N.C., native has called 230 Cup Series races, earning one win, seven top-five and 17 top-10 finishes since making his Cup Series debut atop the pit box in 2020.
• Sparks joined Spire Motorsports in 2021, where he served as both Crew Chief and Competition Director, leading the organization’s competitive and technical efforts. In 2026, Sparks serves in a singular role as crew chief for Daniel Suárez. He brings more than a decade of experience across all three of NASCAR’s national touring series, highlighted by 13 seasons at Richard Childress Racing and contributions to title-winning campaigns in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (2011) and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (2013).

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

• Michael McDowell will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 RCA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
• RCA is one of the most recognized names in the electronics industry, delivering innovative and reliable technology that has been entertaining families for over 100 years. Consumers throughout the world depend on the RCA brand to provide products and services that feature the latest technology and design, are easy to use, and deliver the highest value and longevity. Generations of families continue to rely on the RCA brand for their home entertainment and lifestyle. RCA is a global trademark of established, Inc.
• RCA has its own celebrated, winning history in the NASCAR Cup Series and previously sponsored Cale Yarborough Motorsports. Drivers Jeremy Mayfield and John Andretti both spent time in an RCA-sponsored entry throughout the mid-90’s, with Andretti taking the company to Victory Lane in the 1997 Pepsi 400 after fighting off NASCAR Hall-of-Famers Terry Labonte and Dale Earnhardt to collect the checkered flag.
• In addition to the vibrant red RCA livery, the No. 71 machine will showcase K9s for Warriors on the rear bumper of McDowell’s ride. K9s for Warriors is the nation’s leading supporter of trained service dogs for veterans.
• McDowell has 29 starts at Bristol Motor Speedway, where he’s earned two top-10 finishes.
• In the Cup Series’ most recent visit to “The Last Great Colosseum”, McDowell qualified 19th and finished 24th at the controls of the No. 71 Delaware Life Chevrolet.
• Over the four Bristol races run on the traditional half-mile circuit from 2022-2024, McDowell collected a 9.75 average finish, including one sixth-place effort and three 11th-place results.
• The veteran racer has five NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series starts at Bristol, including a series-best 10th-place finish in 2009.
• Last weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway, the father-of-five sustained damage early in Stage 1 but an industrious repair effort on pit road allowed McDowell to forge a respectable top-20 effort.
• Dating back to New Hampshire Motor Speedway four races ago, the 19-year Cup Series veteran has generated a 14.2 average finish, a 9.3 position increase compared to his previous three races (Indianapolis – Richmond).
• In 28 races this season, McDowell has led 24 laps while logging three top-five and six top-10 finishes. He’s recorded a 16.3 average start, an 18.8 average finish and currently sits 20th in points.

Michael McDowell Quote
What is your outlook heading into one of the most highly anticipated races of the season?
“Bristol is such a great weekend when it comes to the night race. I didn’t come from a traditional short track racing background, my upbringing was sports cars and road courses, unlike a lot of the other drivers. So, I have always felt like if I could win at Bristol then I can finally say I have made it as a Cup Series driver, which can be a little contradicting after almost 20 years of stock car racing. It is an incredible environment. Travis (crew chief Travis Peterson) and I had some success there early in our career together. We finished 11th two times and sixth before that. Track position is critical to maximize your day. We have also seen some unpredictable tire wear in the past, so that is always a factor, but our Spire organization has started to find some success there in the last year or so and feel like we have the notebook to compete.”

Travis Peterson – Crew Chief, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Travis Peterson serves as the Crew Chief for driver Michael McDowell and Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the NASCAR Cup Series.
• Across 141 starts serving in the crew chief role, Peterson has called eight poles, one win, 10 top-five and 29 top-10 finishes.
• Across six NASCAR Cup Series races in the crew chief role at Bristol, Peterson has earned an average start of 14.3 paired with an average finish of 16.5, all with McDowell behind the wheel.
• The duo of Peterson and McDowell secured a venue-best sixth-place finish in the 2023 Bristol Night Race after qualifying a career-high, fourth.
• As a former race engineer at RFK Racing, Peterson played a key role in Chris Buescher’s 2022 Bristol win. After qualifying 20th, the team led 169 of the 500 laps en route to Buescher’s second career victory.

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

• Carson Hocevar will race Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Saturday night’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, the third of 10 races in The Chase.
• Zeigler Automotive Group is one of the largest privately-owned dealer groups in the U.S. with 88 franchises across 41 locations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. Vehicle brands represented include all the domestic and majority of the imported manufacturers. Besides its extensive automotive portfolio, the organization owns and operates Zeigler Motorsports, an 85,000-square-foot motorsports dealership and action park, offering 19 different powersports brands, plus its own onsite restaurant: Trak Houz Bar & Grill. Additionally, Zeigler Motorsports houses the Elevate Leadership & Team Building Academy, an executive training company. The Kalamazoo-based dealer group also owns three Byrider franchises, three finance companies, several insurance firms, and a leasing firm.
• The Zeigler Auto Group Chevy Camaro will debut a new look this weekend, trading its traditionally black design for a predominantly yellow livery.
• Hocevar and the No. 77 team, along with teammate Daniel Suarez and the No. 7 team, are competing for 2026 NASCAR Cup Series championship honors. The opportunity marks the first appearance in The Chase for Hocevar and the first time a Spire Motorsports team will compete for a Cup Series title. Through two of 10 races in The Chase, the No. 77 team sits ninth in points, 29 markers behind eighth.
• Through 28 races, the Portage, Mich., native has already set career-highs in multiple categories:
• Season-to-date results of one win, five top fives, 10 top 10s
• 159 laps led
• 733 points scored
• 12.8 average start
• 16.2 average finish
• The 23-year-old driver has been one of the most improved on the circuit throughout the 2026 campaign. The team’s average starting and finishing positions have each improved by over five spots compared to this point in 2025. Hocevar is on pace to improve his average finish by 5.4 positions at the end of the season – the third-best of all drivers – while his ninth position in points is a 14-position improvement compared to the end of 2025 – the largest improvement in the field.
• In six career NASCAR Cup Series starts at “The Last Great Colosseum, Hocevar secured a venue-best seventh-place finish in the 2025 night race. In the series’ most recent trip to Bristol this April, he was in position to secure his third top-five finish of the season until a caution flag waved on Lap 478. While most of the drivers on the lead lap ducked to pit road for fresh Goodyear Racing Eagles, the No. 77 team chose to remain on the track and restart second. Unfortunately, Hocevar was unable to hold off his challengers on fresher tires, but still managed to turn in a solid 10th-place finish.
• The six-time NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race winner has tallied five Truck Series starts at Bristol, earning a venue-best fourth-place result in September 2023.
• Last Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway, the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year qualified sixth and was running inside the top 10 when he was forced to return to pit road to secure a loose wheel. Despite restarting 30th on Lap 206, he negotiated several multi-car incidents to turn in a spirited top-10 effort, his 10th top-10 finish of the season. The solid effort propelled him three positions, from 12th to ninth, in the standings.
• Hocevar registered his first-career victory earlier this season at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. He survived a late-race restart with three laps remaining and brought home the checkered flag to register Spire Motorsports’ second Cup Series win and first since the 2019 Coke Zero Sugar 400.

Carson Hocevar Quote
You’re ninth in points and have a two solid runs to start The Chase. How do you and Luke (Lambert, Crew Chief) ) stack up at Bristol?
“I enjoy it. We run well there. I felt like we had a really good shot, and probably the best chance we’d had to win a race last fall before the caution came out late in the pit cycle. It is Luke’s favorite race, and he’s won there a couple times, so we all look forward to that one.”

Luke Lambert – Crew Chief, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Luke Lambert is the Crew Chief of Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the NASCAR Cup Series with driver Carson Hocevar.
• Lambert is in his third season at Spire Motorsports and fourth with Hocevar. The duo has logged three pole awards, one win, eight top-five and 25 top-10 finishes in 108 races.
• The 16-year veteran crew chief has called 27 NASCAR Cup Series races at Bristol, earning one top five and eight top 10s, highlighted by a fifth-place finish in April 2015 with Ryan Newman.
• As a former race engineer at Richard Childress Racing, the Mount Airy, N.C., native played a key role in Jeff Burton’s Bristol victory in March 2008. Burton inherited the top spot on a green-white-checkered restart after the leaders tangled, earning the win and leading the charge on a one-two-three RCR finish.
• The North Carolina State University graduate owns two wins in three NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races at Bristol. He first led Elliott Sadler to Victory Lane March 17, 2012 before Noah Gragson took the checkered flag in “Thunder Valley” on Sept. 16, 2022.

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.