Spire Motorsports Driver Claims Runner-Up Finish in First-Season Title Run
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Oct. 17, 2026) – The 2026 Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing season concluded with a two-night show at Texas Motor Speedway. Spire Motorsports driver Gio Scelzi entered the weekend just 45 points behind defending champion Rico Abreu. The 24-year-old driver of the No. 77 Chili’s sprint car set quick time in Friday’s qualifying session en route to his fourth-career High Limit win, and third of the season, to narrow the points gap to just 36 entering Saturday’s finale. Scelzi started on the pole for Saturday’s feature and led all 30 laps to close out the season with back-to-back-to-back victories.
The 2026 season marked the first full-time High Limit endeavor for both Scelzi and Spire Motorsports, resulting in a series-leading 43 top-10 finishes and wins in the Bob Weikert Memorial at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway and the Heartland of America Showdown at Lakeside (Kan.) Speedway.
“Hats off to Eric (Prutzman), the car has been so good. It was really cool to get these wins with Jeff (Dickerson) here and in the home state of Chili’s,” said Scelzi. “These guys do all the work to get the cars prepared flawlessly. Eric has done a great job leading this team, teaching these guys how to prep. It’s hard to be upset after ending the season with four wins. We dug ourselves a hole out west, so it was a little too late but we had a lot of speed these last few races. I wish there was more racing left this season, but we have a whole off season to get ready for next year to chase another title.”
Spire Motorsports announced its plans to contest a full-time Interstate Batteries High Limit Series effort last December and that Scelzi and celebrated crew chief Eric Prutzman would front the plans with support from Chili’s® Grill & Bar. The pairing of Scelzi and Prutzman have combined for four wins, 29 top fives and 47 top 10s to date in their first season working together.
“This is such an incredible moment for Spire Motorsports,” said Dickerson. “Eric and Gio have done such a good job this year putting the team together and working through all of the little things that it takes to put a competitive team together. We believed in them from the beginning and knew that if we stuck to the plan, we would have a successful first season. We have a good future ahead of us and I think everyone at Spire is looking forward to next year.”
Scelzi, the son of former NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car champion Gary Scelzi, became the youngest winner in World of Outlaws Sprint Car history at 16-years-old, clinching victory in the prestigious National Open at Williams Grove (Pa.) Speedway. One year later, he became the youngest winner in Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway history.
After a short stint in pavement racing, Scelzi returned to his open-wheel roots, competing with both the World of Outlaws and the All-Star Circuit of Champions. He claimed the World of Outlaws’ Kevin Goebrecht Rookie of the Year in 2023 and boasted five wins, 48 top fives and 130 top 10s over three years. He closed out the out the 2025 season for the injured Tyler Courtney in Clauson Marshall Racing’s iconic No. 7BC.
Prutzman, one of the most celebrated mechanics in the sport, began his career as a Car Chief for Craig Dollansky in 2006. He went on to work for Tony Bruce Jr. from 2007-2008 and finished the 2008 season with Daryn Pittman at Titan Racing. From 2009-2015, he served as a Tire Specialist for Donny Schatz at Tony Stewart Racing and registered four World of Outlaws championships.
Prutzman earned his first Crew Chief role in 2016 with Joey Saldana at Roth Motorsports, leading the team to four World of Outlaws wins. He transitioned to Kasey Kahne Racing in 2017, calling the shots on Daryn Pittman’s No. 9 before joining Brad Sweet’s No. 49 program in 2018. Over the next seven seasons, the duo became one of sprint car racing’s most potent pairings, collecting 66 World of Outlaws wins, 10 High Limit victories, five consecutive World of Outlaws championships (2019–2023) and the 2024 High Limit title. Their success led to multiple jewel victories including the 2018 Knoxville Nationals and 2019 King’s Royal.
Prutzman’s hard work earned him Crew Chief of the Year honors with the World of Outlaws in 2019 and 2023, and High Limit in 2024. With six national championships and 84 national-tour victories on his résumé, Prutzman brings elite-level experience to Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Chili’s Sprint Car program.
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.
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.
