Spire Motorsports Richmond Raceway Advance

• In 21 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Richmond (Va.) Raceway, Spire Motorsports has logged one top-10 finish. Carson Hocevar earned a team-best eighth-place result in last season’s summer stop to the Virginia oval. Spire Motorsports fields the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet ZL1s in the Cup Series for Justin Haley, Michael McDowell and Hocevar, respectively.
• The 400-lap event will be televised live on USA Saturday, Aug. 16 beginning at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The 25th 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 Super League Chevrolet ZL1 in Saturday night’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond (Va.) Raceway.
• Haley has made eight previous Cup Series appearances at the 0.75-mile D-shaped oval in Henrico, Va., scoring a venue-best 21st-place finish in August 2022. In five NASCAR Xfinity Series appearances at Richmond, Haley finished in the runner-up position twice (September 2020 and 2021).
• Last weekend at Watkins Glen International, the 26-year-old clocked the fastest lap in practice and raced as high as 14th. Haley was forced to settle or a 27th-place finish when severe tire wear in the last 20 laps limited his speed.
• The Gainbridge Super League is a Division I professional women’s soccer league committed to expanding access to the highest level of the sport in the United States. Launched in 2024 and sanctioned by U.S. Soccer, the league is operated by the United Soccer League (USL). The 2025/26 season will feature nine clubs: Brooklyn FC, Carolina Ascent FC, Dallas Trinity FC, DC Power FC, Fort Lauderdale United FC, Lexington SC, Spokane Zephyr FC, Tampa Bay Sun FC, and Sporting Jax. Through a landmark entitlement partnership with Gainbridge®, a Group 1001 company, the league is building a sustainable, community-rooted model to grow women’s professional soccer nationwide. For more information, visit gainbridgesuperleague.com and follow the league on Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok.
• The 2016 ARCA Menards Series East champion owns one start at Richmond in the series. In 2015, Haley started sixth and finished 12th driving for late team owner Harry Scott, Jr.
• Haley is one of just 41 drivers to have won races in all three of NASCAR’s National Touring Series. The driver of Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevy has collected one win in the NASCAR Cup Series, four in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and three in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.
• Haley is a veteran of 168 Cup Series starts and has notched one win, five top fives, 16 top 10s and led 118 laps in NASCAR’s premier division. In total, he has made 68 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 is your outlook heading into Richmond this weekend?
“I really enjoy competing at Richmond. It’s always been one of my favorite tracks. The lack of grip from the old asphalt and short track feel makes the cars slide around and a lot of fun to drive. I feel confident we can execute a solid weekend in the Gainbridge Super League Chevy.”

Atop the No. 7 Box – Crew Chief Ryan Sparks

• Ryan Sparks serves in a dual role as both Spire Motorsports Competition Director and crew chief for driver Justin Haley and was first paired with Haley at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in September 2024.
• The Winston Salem, N.C., native has called 190 NASCAR Cup Series races where he’s earned three top-five and nine top-10 finishes.
• In total, Sparks has called eight previous Cup Series races at Richmond Raceway and has a pair of 21st-place finishes with driver Corey LaJoie.

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

• Michael McDowell will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 Go Workforce Chevrolet ZL1 in Saturday’s 400-lap race at Richmond Raceway.
• McDowell has made 27 starts in NASCAR’s premier division at the famed 0.75-mile D-shaped oval and has compiled one top-10 (sixth) and five top-20 finishes. In the series most recent visit to Richmond last August, he started 28th and raced his way to a respectable 15th-place showing.
• The Glendale, Ariz., native has logged five NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Richmond where he earned a series/venue-best eighth-place finish in the 2009 Lipton Tea 250.
• For the second time this season, Workforce Occupational Health and Safety Solutions will serve as the primary sponsor aboard McDowell’s No. 71 Chevrolet. Workforce Occupational Health and Safety Solutions is based in Pittsburgh with partners throughout North America. For over thirty years, Workforce continues to provide support to clients through the operation of three divisions – Work Injury Management, Medical Bill Repricing and Employer Services. The Work Injury Management Division provides access to telephonic physician services with expedited access to a nationwide network of specialty, imaging and therapy providers – and employer access to OSHA recordable injury investigation and impact mitigation services, preferred medical provider panel development and more. The Medical Bill Repricing Division provides cost containment to clients by minimizing incident, experience, and injury frequency rates, reducing exposure to insurance premium increases. The Employer Services Division provides employee onboarding and testing services, corporate safety committee oversight, required annual certification coordination and integration of any required testing, licensing, or accreditation. Since 1995, Workforce’s mission is developing long-term partnerships with employers that facilitate successful and positive impacts on health and safety issues encountered by their employees at the workplace.
• Over the first 24 races of the season, McDowell has tallied two top-five, three top-10 and 12 top-20 finishes. The 2021 Daytona 500 winner is currently 22nd in points, 44 markers below the playoff cutline.
• The No. 71 team earned a $100,000 payday and a trip to Victory Lane after winning the Mechanix Wear Pit Crew Challenge during May’s NASCAR All-Star Weekend at 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.
• 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 team is one of just three in the series to tally three or more bonus points via the program.
• The No. 71 team secured Spire Motorsports’ first Busch Light Pole Award at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March. The 28.833-second lap marks the fastest lap recorded in NASCAR’s seventh-generation Cup Series car (2022-present) at the 1.5-mile Nevada oval. The team also earned Spire Motorsports’ first stage win during the Grant Park 165 on the streets of downtown Chicago.

Michael McDowell Quote
What are your thoughts heading into Richmond?
“Running Richmond on a Saturday night should be a fun race. The track temps are going to be different than what we see in practice on Friday afternoon, but I think our Spire Motorsports group has been in the game with our short-track package. We had the speed at Iowa, but those long green flag runs put us behind with some old tires and didn’t get the finish we deserved. I think we have a lot to show this weekend in Richmond, and I’m looking forward to getting to the track. I have been watching a lot of film and us, as a group, have put a big emphasis our simulator sessions, so I feel confident heading into this weekend and expect to have a good run.”

Atop the No. 71 Box – Crew Chief Travis Peterson

• Travis Peterson serves as the crew chief for driver Michael McDowell and Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 Chevrolet ZL1 in the NASCAR Cup Series.
• Peterson has called four Cup Series races at Richmond Raceway, all with McDowell in the cockpit. The West Bend, Wis., native guided his driver to a spirited sixth-place finish in April 2023.
• As a race engineer at JR Motorsports, the 34-year-old played key roles in Chase Elliott’s runner-up finishes at Richmond in 2014.

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

• Carson Hocevar will make his third NASCAR Cup Series start at Richmond Raceway in Saturday night’s 400-lap race. The 22-year-old driver finished eighth in his most recent outing at the venerable 0.75-mile D-shaped oval.
• Hocevar’s most recent start on tracks measuring less than one mile in length came two weeks ago at Iowa Speedway where the driver of the Delaware Life Chevrolet started seventh and finished eighth to score his sixth top-10 finish of the season.
• 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 (“Group 1001 Insurance”), our focus is to deliver a seamless experience for advisors. We understand how important it is to find the right fit for every client, every situation, and every individual need. We’re passionate about equipping you with annuities that give your customers peace of mind and a successful future—allowing them to plan with confidence for whatever’s next.
• The Portage, Mich., native has four previous NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at Richmond. In 2023, Hocevar qualified 17th, lead 64 laps, and collected his third of four wins that season.

Carson Hocevar Quote
The No. 77 team’s short track performances have been strong this year. What is your outlook for Richmond this weekend?
“I enjoy racing at Richmond a lot. Last year I was able to move around and find different lines that worked for me based on how our tires were wearing. It was a lot of fun to move around and try something different. I feel like those are the types of tracks where I do well and can find something that works for me that may not work for someone else. I know we had the option tire there last year, and maybe that was what made the difference, but I still feel like I learned enough about how the track races to be able to put together a good run.”

Atop the No. 77 Box – Crew Chief Luke Lambert

• Crew Chief Luke Lambert is set to call his 22nd NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Saturday night. He has combined for two top-five and six top-10 finishes with six different drivers.
• The Mount Airy, N.C., native has called 69 short track races over his 13-year career in the Cup Series, resulting in four top fives and 19 top 10s
• Lambert has been atop the box for 428 races in the NASCAR Cup Series and has racked up a total of 29 top fives and 98 top 10s.

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 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series 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. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Silverados in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and an ARCA Menards Series Chevrolet in select events.