RYAN PREECE
North Wilkesboro / All-Star Race Advance
No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Event Overview

● Event: NASCAR All-Star Open | NASCAR All-Star Race (non-points races)
● Time/Date: 5:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, May 19
● Location: North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway
● Layout: .625-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 100 laps/62.5 miles | 200 laps/125 miles
● TV/Radio: FS1 / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Ryan Preece is headed to North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway this weekend to compete for a spot in Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race. The driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing will have to race into the main event by finishing in the top-two positions during Sunday’s undercard All-Star Open. NASCAR returned to North Wilkesboro after a 27-year hiatus for last season’s All-Star event. Preece qualified eighth and finished fourth in last year’s All-Star Open, falling just two spots short of advancing to the main event.

● Preece is known for success on short tracks similar to North Wilkesboro. He made a name for himself racing on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, which competes on racetracks 1 mile or less. He clinched the championship in 2013 and has 26 career Tour wins. His two career NASCAR Xfinity Series win both came on short tracks – the .87-mile Iowa Speedway in Newton on July 29, 2017, and the half-mile Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway on April 14, 2018. In the April 2023 NASCAR Cup Series race on the half-mile Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, Preece qualified on the pole and led 135 of 400 race laps. He also finished fourth at the .75-mile Richmond (Va.) Raceway in the July 2023 Cup Series race, marking his best result of 2023. Preece’s ninth-place finish last month at Martinsville remains his best result thus far in 2024.

● Preece arrives at North Wilkesboro after starting 26th and finishing 17th in last Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. It was his sixth top-20 finish this season and the 10th time in 13 races he finished better than he started. This weekend’s All-Star event provides drivers and teams with a break from the points-paying season. The regular season will resume on Memorial Day Weekend with the traditional Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. Preece currently sits 28th in the driver standings with 192 points.

● Joining Preece and the No. 41 Ford Mustang for the second consecutive All-Star Open is HaasTooling.com, the cutting tool division of Haas Automation. HaasTooling.com allows CNC machinists to purchase high-quality cutting tools at great prices. Haas cutting tools are sold exclusively online at HaasTooling.com and shipped directly to end users. Haas Automation, founded in 1983, is America’s leading builder of CNC machine tools. The company manufactures a complete line of vertical and horizontal machining centers, turning centers, rotaries and indexers, and automation solutions.

Ryan Preece, Driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

North Wilkesboro has been paved since last season’s All-Star Race. How do you envision it will affect the race compared to last season?

“With North Wilkesboro’s repave and all the improvements to the racetrack, some of that takes away from the tire fall-off. However, at the same time, I had the opportunity to go there earlier this year to do a tire test, and it’s still the same North Wilkesboro that all of us love. It should be an exciting weekend from both a competition and entertainment standpoint.”

What’s your mindset heading into the weekend, as you will have to race your way into the main event via the All-Star Open?

“This is the weekend where no points are on the line. We’re looking to bring as much speed as possible and race for the money. It’s over a million dollars on the line, so it’s a really big deal for a lot of us. Having a strong performance there can certainly give you a boost when we go back to points racing at Charlotte next week.”

What are your thoughts on North Wilkesboro hosting the All-Star Race and being on the schedule in years to come?

“Going back to North Wilkesboro, a track that was closed for many years, seeing the improvements that have been made to the facility is really good to see. It really has been a resurrection. It’s been a resurrection of the town and the racetrack. North Wilkesboro is an important place for our sport and certainly an important place for our sport to continue to be and grow with into the future.”

What would it mean for you to race your way into the All-Star Race?

“Someone like myself who’s a big short-track racer and grassroots type of guy, getting into the All-Star Race and being a part of that event would be huge for me and my career. Having an opportunity to race for a million dollars would be nice, as well.”

No. 41 HaasTooling.com Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Ryan Preece

Hometown: Berlin, Connecticut

Crew Chief: Chad Johnston

Hometown: Cayuga, Indiana

Car Chief: Jeremy West

Hometown: Gardena, California

Engineer: Marc Hendricksen

Hometown: Clinton, New Jersey

Spotter: Tony Raines

Hometown: LaPorte, Indiana

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Devin Lester

Hometown: Bluefield, West Virginia

Rear Tire Changer: Austin Chrismon

Hometown: China Grove, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Chad Emmons

Hometown: Tyler, Texas

Jack Man: Kapil Fletcher

Hometown: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Fuel Man: Dwayne Moore

Hometown: Griffin, Georgia

Road Crew Members

Front End Mechanic: Joe Zanolini

Hometown: Sybertsville, Pennsylvania

Interior Mechanic: Robert Dalby

Hometown: Anaheim, California

Tire Specialist: Matt Ridgeway

Hometown: Carrollton, Georgia

Engine Tuner: Jimmy Fife

Hometown: Orange County, California

Transporter Co-Driver: David Rodrigues

Hometown: Santa Clarita, California

Transporter Co-Driver: Charlie Schleyer

Hometown: Youngsville, Pennsylvania

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
All-Star Media Advance | Wednesday, May 15, 2024

Justin Haley, driver of the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse, is coming off a ninth-place finish in last weekend’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. He took part in a media call earlier today to discuss the progress his team has shown since the season started and what his expectations are for this weekend’s All-Star Open.

JUSTIN HALEY, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse – HOW GOOD WAS DARLINGTON? “It’s something I feel like we’ve been working towards throughout the season. At the start of the season we had some struggles just with a new crew chief, new spotter, new pit crew, just kind of the issues you probably don’t realize moving to a new team that are quite so significant as they are, just having everyone mesh together, and I feel like over the past two weeks we’ve started to execute how we feel like we should be able to and Darlington was another step at that. I feel like our cars have been fairly competitive and quite quick recently, and I feel like the balance is what I like. I just feel like it’s taken longer than what we wanted to reach this point of having relative speed to be able to compete for top 10s and in the top 15 area, but I feel like that’s where we should run every once in a while, so the speed is starting to get there.”

DOES THE PERFORMANCE AT DARLINGTON GIVE YOU ANY EXTRA MOMENTUM THAT YOU CAN RACE YOUR WAY INTO THE ALL-STAR RACE? “Yeah, of course. Kansas, we were right on the cusp of a top 10 as well before the caution came out and we took four instead of two. That was a difficult call there, but the past few weeks I feel like we’ve had top 10 speed or at least top 15 to the field throughout the race, and I feel like our car has been quick in the race – not maybe in qualifying – but we’ve brought really good race cars and I’m kind of following through with RFK and what they’re doing and kind of leaning on them has been beneficial. I’m super proud of every one at Rick Ware Racing. I feel like we’ve got a good shot this weekend, so we’ll just go and try to do our best and go from there.”

HAVE THE SOCIAL VIDEOS BEEN FUN OR UNCOMFORTABLE TO PROMOTE YOURSELF? “I said this yesterday with the professional and the personality side of things. You’re expected and held to a level of professionalism when you’re in our sport and it’s hard to cross that over to the personality side of things. This has been a great spot for me to break out and show some personality in a professional setting. It’s definitely been cool for me, especially like this week at Darlington. Just leaving the racetrack there were a lot of fans screaming “HaleYes” and things like that, so the reaction from the fans at the track is more than I ever expected and it kind of realizes what we’re doing. You can do it and you can post it and it’s all cool, but until you have the fans interact with you it really validates what you’re doing. I feel pretty good about it going into Sunday.”

HOW MANY TAKES ON ALL THAT STUFF? “I’m a one shot kind of guy. If I don’t do it in the first take, I will mess up the rest of the takes forever, so we filmed twice. We did it at Bristol and a little bit at Kansas. It was fun. I love working with Rick Ware and True Speed on it, so it’s super fun with great ideas. Hopefully we can start to show a little bit more of it.”

CAN YOU GIVE MORE INSIGHT INTO THE RELATIONSHIP WITH RICK WARE? “Rick has a lot of race teams so he’s always flying around. Usually, if there’s an NHRA event or a flat track event, he will be there for parts of the weekend. He normally shows up for Sunday unless the dragster is doing really well or something. I’d say we have a close relationship. We try to have lunch every once in a while and talk. He’s always in our competition meetings and trying to bring value to what we’re doing, so it’s definitely a close relationship. I like how hands-on he is. It’s a little bit different for me to have a team owner that’s here every day and who really encapsulates himself on the competition side of the team as well. It’s been cool. Rick gave me this opportunity to continue my Cup Series career, so I definitely appreciate him and his family.”

HAVE YOU LEARNED ANYTHING THAT WILL HELP MOVING FORWARD FROM A TEAM BUILDING ASPECT? “He definitely spreads himself and then also Robby Benton not only is over the NASCAR stuff as well, he kind of spreads himself to all the teams, so it’s kind of a group effort. I haven’t been to another one of his racing series races because we obviously race every weekend, but he’s definitely successful in all of his forms. We’re just trying to take the Cup Series side of things and prove that we can get it to a spot where it’s pretty competitive.

WHAT IS YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON THE MOVE TO FORD AND THE CHALLENGES SO FAR THIS SEASON? “It’s tough for me to comment on it just because it’s all new to me and I really don’t know what was in the past and what’s new now. For me, it’s definitely different with engines coming from Roush Yates. We struggled a little bit with that in the start of the season with different procedures and things that they require compared to what I was used to. I probably got that figured out and got past that. The Ford body, I guess you could say they’re all relatively close within NASCAR’s parameters. To be truthfully honest, I feel like every car I’ve driven this year has been balanced well. We might lack speed here and there, but I couldn’t pinpoint what that is, but I feel like all the cars I’ve driven are well. I don’t know if that’s Ford aero balance or just my car doing a really good job with the setup, but it’s hard for me to comment because I don’t have a place of maybe where they were in the past. It’s all so new to me that I’m just trying to get a firm grip on it.”

HOW MUCH DO YOU LEAN ON YOUR PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE OF JUMPING TEAMS? “Every team has a different style and the way they go about it. You have different people and relationships and sponsors and things like that, so I don’t really feel like it was a tough transition. It was probably more than I thought it was going to be just because I was in a place for so long and with a race team for so long. I knew everyone’s names and relationships and everything, so it’s the unexpected things. It’s different shift points or RPMs in an engine, or remembering certain engine procedures and learning names and learning how to talk and debrief with your crew chief and just stuff like that. That was all brand new to me. I didn’t have a single similar thing that I have had for the past few years in Cup racing or racing in general. Everyone was new, except my motorhome driver. You’re just taking a leap of faith and betting on yourself and hoping it works out. I feel like, again, it probably took us longer to climb the mountain than we expected, but I feel like we’re at a height now where we can compete. I feel like we’re trying to start filling the potential that I feel like we’re capable of, so if we just keep working hard. It’s obviously a tough sport and one race isn’t gonna change anything, so we have to go out and continue to do it. I said yesterday when someone asked me where this ranked on races that I remember, I really can’t rank it because there’s always next week. Last week really didn’t matter at this point. We’re focused on North Wilkesboro.”

THIS PERFORMANCE CAME AT THE HALFWAY POINT OF THE REGULAR SEASON. HOW DO YOU BUILD ON THAT MOMENTUM? “We’ve showed speed at a lot of racetracks. Again, I feel like the month of April to May was kind of where we started to show speed at Bristol and COTA and Dover and Kansas. The 15 car has been quick as well with Kaz behind it. I feel like Kaz has been doing an awesome job for as little experience he has. I feel like he’s been crushing it as well. It’s not only just my car that’s running good, I feel like as a team we’re elevated and leaning on each other. We’ve got to keep working. The car we brought last week probably wouldn’t even be able to compete later in the year because of how fast the Cup Series grows. The cars are always getting faster and evolving and little stuff is happening, so it’s all in the details and we just have to keep working. You can’t just say, ‘OK, that car was fast, leave it together and we’ll run it in three months,’ because in three months the car probably won’t be competitive compared to the field. The field is always moving and getting faster and that’s where the smaller teams might struggle is just keeping up with the fast pace and the millions and millions of dollars that the big teams spend. It’s all in the details and we’re trying to refine those.”

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT ANNOUNCED EARLIER THIS WEEK AND WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO WIN THAT? “I feel like it’s definitely cool for maybe a smaller organization like us because I feel like we probably have a better chance than what we would in a regular season playoff. If we have a string of good races, it could be pretty big for us. I like it. I think it’s fun. Hopefully, it drives a little bit more attention and maybe makes it get a little more exciting for the middle of the season races that are just kind of trickling along. It’s definitely an improvement. I like to see the innovation the sport has taken recently and it should be fun.”

THERE ARE A LOT OF QUALITY DRIVERS AND TEAMS IN THE OPEN. WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO GET THE FAN VOTE IF YOU DON’T RACE YOUR WAY IN? “Obviously, it would be cool. I looked at the Open yesterday and didn’t realize there are more cars in the Open this year than there are in the All-Star Race. It’s definitely a competitive field and a lot of big names. We just have to go out and bring our best performance. It’s definitely gonna be a little tricky this year with the repave and things like that and tire selection, but we’re just gonna have to keep working forward. I’m not trying to rely on the fan vote. I don’t think anyone is, but it would definitely be cool to win that.”

IF NASCAR GAVE THE IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT WINNER A PLAYOFF SPOT, HOW WOULD THAT IMPACT THINGS AND DO YOU THINK THAT WOULD GIVE A TEAM LIKE RWR A BETTER CHANCE TO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS OR WOULD IT JUST MAKE THE BIG TEAMS DO MORE DURING THOSE FIVE? “Both, probably. I think it’s a great idea. I don’t think NASCAR would probably pay much attention to the idea, but I don’t mind it. I feel like the more opportunities there are for a playoff spot, the better it is for the position I’m in right now. I don’t mind the idea. I feel like either way the five races are gonna be tough. There’s a lot of competition every week, but those five will kind of be capitalized similar to the Dash 4 Cash in Xfinity.”

This Week in Motorsports: May 13 – 19, 2024

· NCS/NCTS: North Wilkesboro Speedway – May 17-19
· ARCA EAST: Flat Rock Speedway – May 18
· NHRA: Route 66 Raceway – May 17-19

PLANO, Texas (May 15, 2024) – NASCAR is back at the historic North Wilkesboro Speedway, where the Truck Series holds its 10th race of 2024, and the Cup Series runs its annual All-Star race. The ARCA Menards Series East is at Flat Rock Speedway for its second consecutive race weekend. The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series is back in action after a few weeks off, heading to the Midwest and Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois.

NASCAR National Series – NCS | NCTS

Four Camry XSEs top 10 in points … With a week between its next points-paying race, half of Toyota’s full-time Cup Series drivers are currently in the top 10 of the points standings. Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing continue to be the lead Camry XSEs in points, sitting in second and third, respectively. The two are joined inside the top 10 by their teammate, Ty Gibbs (seventh) and 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick (sixth).

Toyota seeks another All-Star triumph … A win on Sunday for one of the Toyota Camry XSEs would mark the third for Toyota in NASCAR’s All-Star race. The manufacturer captured its first All-Star race victory in 2015 with Hamlin, as well as another event win in 2017 with former Toyota driver Kyle Busch.

Heim, Gray brothers leading Toyota Tundras … After last weekend in Darlington, three Toyota Tundra TRD Pros continue inside the top 10 of the Truck Series points. Corey Heim sits in second position, only 14 points behind of the top spot. His TRICON Garage teammates, Taylor and Tanner Gray, join him in the top 10 in fifth and ninth positions.

Butterbean makes Trucks debut … In the opportunity of a lifetime, Brenden “Butterbean” Queen will pilot the No. 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for TRICON Garage this Saturday in his Truck Series debut. The Virginia native and CARS Tour racer will look to go back-to-back at North Wilkesboro as he was victorious in the CARS Tour race last year, one of his four victories on the season en route to a second-place finish in the series standings.

NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA Menards Series East

Toyota Camrys take on Flat Rock … The ARCA Menards Series East heads to Flat Rock Speedway in Monroe, Michigan, for its fourth race of 2024. For Team Toyota, Gio Ruggiero and Toni Breidinger will pilot Toyota Camrys for Venturini Motorsports, and William Sawalich will once again run for Joe Gibbs Racing. Sawalich and Ruggiero sit just five and six points behind the series points lead entering the weekend.

NHRA – Top Fuel | Funny Car

Toyota racers at the top of points standings … After a few weeks off, the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series is back on track with Team Toyota drivers off to strong starts in 2024. In Top Fuel, Toyota’s six drivers own the top six points standings positions, with Justin Ashley atop the points after his victory at Charlotte three weeks ago. In Funny Car, J.R. Todd remains in second position, with Ron Capps in sixth and Alexis DeJoria in seventh entering the sixth race of the 2024 season.

Toyota’s Top Fuel streak … This weekend in Joliet, Toyota’s Top Fuel dragsters look for their seventh straight victory, a streak that dates back to the 2023 season’s final round at Pomona last November. Team Toyota has six chances at victory across its driver lineup, including Antron Brown who seeks his sixth overall win at Route 66 Raceway in his NHRA career.

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs more than 49,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 34 million cars and trucks at our nine manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 10th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 28 electrified options.

Through its Driving Possibilities initiative, the Toyota USA Foundation has committed to creating innovative educational programs within, and in partnership with, historically underserved and diverse communities near the company’s U.S. operating sites.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

• The 2024 NASCAR All-Star Open will mark Spire Motorsports’ fifth attempt to qualify for the NASCAR All-Star Race. Justin Haley earned a bid in the 2020 NASCAR All-Star Race, and finished 14th, by virtue of his win in the 2019 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway. Corey LaJoie posted the team’s best finish in the NASCAR All-Star Open when he raced to a fourth-place finish in the 2022 edition at Texas Motor Speedway. Last year, in the division’s celebrated return to North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway, former teammate Ty Dillon and LaJoie finished eighth and ninth, respectively. The Mooresville, N.C., team fields the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s in the NCS with LaJoie, and fellow drivers Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar, respectively.
• Live Coverage of NASCAR’s annual All-Star Race festivities will be televised live on FS1 Sunday, May 19, beginning at 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Both the NASCAR All-Star Open and the NASCAR All-Star Race will broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Corey LaJoie – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Corey LaJoie heads to North Wilkesboro Speedway behind the wheel of the No. 7 Gainbridge Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
• Lajoie started 24th and finished 16th last weekend at Darlington Raceway.
• In his lone NCS starts at North Wilkesboro Speedway, LaJoie started third and finished ninth in last year’s NASCAR All-Star Open.
• Gainbridge Insurance Agency, LLC (“Gainbridge”), a Group 1001 company, is an insurtech which strives to offer products that are simple, intuitive, and backed by smart technology with no complexity or hidden fees. Gainbridge empowers consumers to take control of their financial future with solutions that are accessible to everyone no matter their budget or financial knowledge. Gainbridge’s digital-first distribution model underpins its mission to reach all communities, including those that have been historically underserved by the national financial system.
• Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Open will mark LaJoie’s seventh attempt to race his way into the All-Star Race. His best finish came in 2022 when the event was held at Texas Motor Speedway where he finished fourth.

Corey LaJoie Quotes
There are no points on the line this weekend and you’re looking to race for a big pay at one of NASCAR’s most storied race tracks. What’s your plan to get into the All-Star Race?
“North Wilkesboro is going to be fun. I haven’t made a big push for the fan vote this year because I want to drive my way in there through the All-Star Open and earn our spot. The new asphalt will change how it races and how we approach our set up. No points on the table this weekend, so it’ll be elbows up with our Gainbridge Chevrolet.”

Zane Smith – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• No. 71 Focused Health Chevrolet driver Zane Smith hopes to race for $1 million Sunday night in the 40th-annual NASCAR All-Star Race held for the second consecutive year at the 0.625-mile North Wilkesboro Speedway.
• Before the Spire Motorsports’ driver joins the 17-driver All-Star field, Smith must finish first or second in the 100-lap Open race Sunday that precedes the All-Star Race.
• The All-Star Open will have a caution at lap 50, at which teams must perform a four-tire pit stop. Drivers and teams will choose from three types of Goodyear tires on hand — a baseline “prime” tire, a softer “option” tire, and wet-weather tires should conditions warrant.
• At the end, three Open drivers will advance to the All-Star Race – the top two race finishers and the Fan Vote Winner.
• While the rookie driver has never appeared in an All-Star event, he raced at North Wilkesboro last year in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series logging track time he hopes to use this weekend.
• Cast your Zane Smith All-Star vote at www.nascar.com/fanvote. Vote up to five times per day! Voting ends Sunday, May 20.
• Smith will carry the No. 71 primary sponsor, Focused Health, for at least 62.5 miles this Sunday at North Wilkesboro. The blue and orange paint scheme represents a health insurance agency that assists consumers and employers in navigating the myriad of health insurance options in the government programs space.
• Focused Health is a National Health Insurance agency founded by industry veterans with over 60 years combined industry experience. Primarily focused on the government programs space, Focused Health partners with payors and employers to deliver health insurance solutions for individuals and families. For more information visit AtFocusedHealth.com.

Zane Smith Quotes
What do you think about being able to run any tire at North Wilkesboro this weekend and how that combination might work, plus having to race your way in?
“I think it’s awesome! I mean obviously the elephant in the room is that the short tracks have been a struggle and I think anything is great to try to learn and make it better and I think this is the perfect opportunity to do that. There has been some conversation with the softer tire being made from the rain tire rubber and I’ve heard how much faster it is and obviously, the fall off. What we want is tire fall off. So, I’m excited to see how that is but just having options is going to be great. It’s going to be an exciting weekend!”

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

• Carson Hocevar will make his NCS debut at North Wilkesboro Speedway in the No. 77 Gainbridge Chevrolet ZL1 in Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Open. Hocevar has yet to win a race on NASCAR’s senior circuit and will have to either race his way into Sunday night’s 200-lap feature by either finishing first or second in the All-Star Open or by winning the All-Star fan vote.
• Hocevar started 21st and finished 26th in last Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway.
• In his lone NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start at North Wilkesboro, Hocevar started second, led 16 laps, and finished fourth in last May’s Tyson 250.
• Gainbridge Insurance Agency, LLC (“Gainbridge”), a Group 1001 company, is an insurtech which strives to offer products that are simple, intuitive, and backed by smart technology with no complexity or hidden fees. Gainbridge empowers consumers to take control of their financial future with solutions that are accessible to everyone no matter their budget or financial knowledge. Gainbridge’s digital-first distribution model underpins its mission to reach all communities, including those that have been historically underserved by the national financial system.
• Hocevar’s All-Star Race scheme will feature the NASCAR Day Giveathon Logo as well as the names of the 350 charities that will benefit from participating in the NASCAR Day Giveathon.
• The Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender is currently 25th in the division’s championship points. Over the course of the season’s first 13 races, Hocevar has notched one top-10 and three top-15 finishes.
• Hocevar will serve as a driver during Sunday morning’s All-Star Weekend Hot Laps program. All proceeds help Speedway Children’s Charities provide support for critical programs for children facing medical challenges, educational hurdles, and critical needs.
• Race fans can join Hocevar for a 15-minute Trackside Live Q&A with Kenny Wallace and John Roberts at the Fan Zone stage in the speedway’s midway, Sunday at 12:15 p.m.
• Fans can also meet Hocevar at the NASCAR Classics merchandise trailer for an autograph on Sunday at 12:45 p.m.
• Following his visit to the NASCAR Classics merchandise trailer, Hocevar will stop at the Chevrolet activation for a Q&A at 1:30 p.m.
• Crew Chief Luke Lambert is no rookie to the All-Star races, calling Jeff Burton’s third-place finish in the 2013 Sprint Showdown as well as Noah Gragson’s All-Star berth in 2023.

Carson Hocevar Quotes
What do you think the keys are this weekend with all the different tire options and the unknowns with the repave?
“Qualifying is the biggest thing, being able to be out front early will be huge. Everybody is going to get super close once everyone figures it out, so its’ just the guys who unload really good, really early, will have the edge.”
Would it mean more if you raced your way in this weekend or won the Fan Vote?
“Probably more so to race my way in but if you get in with the fan vote, it shows you still did a lot, and I would be extremely proud of that. I look at this weekend as more of a practice. We still want to work on our race package and we’re still building and still learning. We’re still pretty new, especially me, in that shop. If we get in, I am almost looking at it like a free race to learn and grow which would be huge for everyone involved.”

From the Top of the Box

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

• Ryan Sparks serves in a dual role as both Spire Motorsports competition director and crew chief for driver Corey LaJoie and the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro in the NCS.
• Sparks, a Winston-Salem, N.C., native, has been paired with LaJoie since 2020.
• Combined, Sparks and LaJoie have earned four top-five and seven top-10 finishes, including a fourth-place finish in the 2024 Daytona 500.

Stephen Doran – Crew Chief, No. 71 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Stephen Doran begins his first full season as a Cup Series crew chief leading Zane Smith and the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet team during the 2024 season.
• In 2006, Doran got his start in NASCAR at Petty Enterprises.
• Prior to his arrival at Spire Motorsports, Doran worked at Stewart-Haas Racing as an engineer, most recently on the No. 4 car driven by Kevin Harvick.

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

• Luke Lambert is the crew chief for Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 team with 2024 NCS Rookie of the Year candidate Carson Hocevar
• The 2005 North Carolina State graduate has led the competition efforts for some of the sport’s most notable names including Jeff Burton, Ryan Newman, Elliott Sadler and Chris Buescher.
• In 2014, Lambert led Newman to a berth in the Championship 4, and ultimately a runner-up finish in the NCS championship point standings.

About Spire Motorsports …
Spire Motorsports is a NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race team co-owned by long-time NASCAR industry executives Jeff Dickerson and Thaddeus “T.J.” Puchyr. In 2024, Spire Motorsports will campaign the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s in the NASCAR Cup Series with drivers Corey LaJoie, Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar, respectively. The team will also field the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Silverados full time in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. An all-star driver lineup will rotate throughout the 2024 season in the No. 7 Chevy. Rajah Caruth will drive the No. 71 entry and Chase Purdy rounds out the team’s fleet of Chevrolets in the No. 77.

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 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 Speedway. The team’s most recent win came on April 12, 2024, when Kyle Busch took the took the checkered flag in the SpeedyCash.com 250 at Texas Motor Speedway.