In 25 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Kansas Speedway, Spire Motorsports has logged one top-10 and three top-20 finishes. Zane Smith earned a team-best 10th-place result at the Kansas City, Kan.-venue last June. Spire Motorsports fields the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet ZL1s with Justin Haley, Michael McDowell and Carson Hocevar, respectively.
The Hollywood Casino 400 presented by ESPN Bet will be televised live on USA Sunday, Sept. 28 beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The 31st of 36 points-paying events on the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series calendar will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Channel 90.<\/p>\n
Justin Haley \u2013 Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet ZL1<\/p>\n
Justin Haley will pilot Spire Motorsports\u2019 No. 7 NationsGuard Chevrolet ZL1 in Sunday\u2019s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan.
In nine previous Cup Series starts at Kansas Speedway, dating to May 2021, Haley has earned three top-20 finishes and calls a pair of 18th-place efforts a series\/venue career best. He has logged a 26.2 average start, a 27.1 average finish and has been running at the finish of all but two of those nine races.
The 26-year-old has four NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Kansas Speedway where he posted two fourth-place finishes (October 2019 and 2021). He\u2019s recorded a 9.8 average starting position, a 5.3 average finishing position, and has never finished worse than seventh on NASCAR\u2019s junior circuit at the popular mile-and-a-half quad-oval.
In CRAFTSMAN Truck Series competition at Kansas (2017\u20132018), Haley led four laps and recorded ninth- and 10th-place finishes, respectively. In his single ARCA Menards Series race at Kansas, he started fourth and finished sixth in October 2017.
Last Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Haley started 21st but was collected in a multi-car incident on Lap 118. Following extensive repairs, he returned to the track multiple laps down to the leaders but soldiered home to a 33rd-place finish.
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 an automotive dealership\u2019s program \u2013 from vehicle inspection efficiency to service advisor performance. NationsGuard targets and eliminates waste and inefficiency wherever it\u2019s found while maintaining process improvements, making changes where necessary and relentlessly pursuing perfection.
Sunday\u2019s race at Kansas Speedway will mark Haley\u2019s 175th career NASCAR Cup Series start. Over the course of the last seven seasons, the 26-year-old has collected one win, six top five, 18 top 10s and led 123 laps. He made his first premier series start with Spire Motorsports at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in April 2019 and has since made 74 Cup Series starts with the team.<\/p>\n
Justin Haley Quotes
You\u2019ve had solid showings on intermediate tracks this year. How do you feel heading into Kansas this weekend?
\u201cWe\u2019ve had lots of speed at the mile-and-a-half tracks this year and that\u2019s credit to the team at Spire Motorsports and their remarkable attention to detail. I feel really comfortable at Kansas and we were fast in the Spring. Hopefully, we can get luck back on our side and have a good day.\u201d
Atop the No. 7 Box \u2013 Crew Chief Ryan Sparks<\/p>\n
Ryan Sparks serves in a dual role as both Spire Motorsports Competition Director and Crew Chief for driver Justin Haley. The potent duo was first paired together at Bristol Motor Speedway last September.
The Winston-Salem, N.C., native has stood atop the pit box for 196 NASCAR Cup Series races, where he\u2019s called four top-five and 10 top-10 finishes over six seasons.
Sparks has called 11 previous Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway, where he\u2019s earned two top-20 and six top-25 finishes.<\/p>\n
Michael McDowell \u2013 Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet ZL1<\/p>\n
Michael McDowell will pilot Spire Motorsports\u2019 No. 71 Gainbridge Chevrolet ZL1 in Sunday\u2019s Hollywood Casino 400 Presented by ESPN Bet at Kansas Speedway.
In 28 NASCAR Cup Series starts at the 1.5-mile tri-oval, McDowell has posted an average starting position of 24.8 and an average finish of 26.8. Over his last 11 starts, he has improved to a 16.5 average start, including four top-10 qualifying efforts, and a 20.0 average finish.
The No. 71 Chevrolet will return to its black and yellow Gainbridge livery for Sunday\u2019s 400 miler.
McDowell\u2019s front tire changer, Max Marsh, spent his college years playing football at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. Marsh earned varsity letters all four seasons, finding a home as the team\u2019s backup safety and on special teams before shifting gears for his pit-road duties on NASCAR\u2019s senior circuit.
Last weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, McDowell qualified 11th and earned his fourth top-10 finish of the season. It was his first career top-10 finish at the one-mile venue and first top 10 on a track measuring one mile or less this season.
Founded in 2018, Gainbridge\u00ae is an insurtech subsidiary of Group 1001 that empowers consumers to take control of their financial future with solutions that are accessible to everyone, no matter their budget or financial knowledge. Its platform provides access to financial products that are simple, intuitive, and backed by smart technology with no complexity or hidden fees. Gainbridge\u00ae is headquartered in Zionsville, Ind. For more information, visit gainbridge.com or follow and connect with Gainbridge on X and LinkedIn.
McDowell qualified 11th for May\u2019s AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway, a team\/venue best at the Kansas City, Kan., racecourse for the No. 71 Gainbridge Chevrolet.
The 18-year Cup Series veteran 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\u2019 first Busch Light Pole Award in March at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. McDowell\u2019s 28.833-second lap marks the fastest lap recorded in NASCAR\u2019s seventh-generation Cup Series car (2022-present) at the 1.5-mile Nevada oval. The team also earned Spire Motorsports\u2019 first stage win during the Grant Park 165 on the streets of downtown Chicago.
McDowell\u2019s team earned a handsome $100,000 payday and a trip to Victory Lane after winning the Mechanix Wear Pit Crew Challenge during May\u2019s NASCAR All-Star Weekend at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway. The crew\u2019s blistering 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.<\/p>\n
Michael McDowell Quote
A lot of drivers refer to Kansas Speedway as the perfect 1.5-mile track, what makes it so versatile and dynamic?
\u201cI think it\u2019s probably because it\u2019s the easiest to get multiple lanes going, even Lap 1 in practice you can run the top there where you know places like Charlotte, Texas, and other 1.5-mile tracks, you don\u2019t you have to build up to it. So, the track has multiple lanes, multiple grooves and that all comes together fairly early in the run. In general, Kansas seems to produce a pretty good race.\u2029I\u2019d mostly say because you can move around.\u201d
Atop the No. 71 Box \u2013 Crew Chief Travis Peterson<\/p>\n
Across five Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway, McDowell\u2019s crew chief Travis Peterson has led his driver to a 14.0 average start paired with a 22.8 average finish.
As a race engineer at JR Motorsports, the West Bend, Wis., native played a key role in Regan Smith\u2019s third-place result in 2013. After qualifying fifth, the team dominated the race and led 81 of the 200 laps en route to his seventh-of-eight top-five finishes during the 2013 season.
Prior to his time as a crew chief, the 33-year-old worked as a race engineer for Dale Earnhardt Jr., at Hendrick Motorsports where he played a key role in Earnhardt\u2019s third-place result at Kansas Speedway in 2015.<\/p>\n
Carson Hocevar \u2013 Driver, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet ZL1<\/p>\n
Carson Hocevar, driver of the Delaware Life Chevrolet ZL1 for Spire Motorsports, will make his fifth NASCAR Cup Series start in Sunday\u2019s Hollywood Casino 400 presented by ESPN Bet at Kansas Speedway.
This May, Hocevar took the checkered flag in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Heart of Health Care 200 at Kansas Speedway driving for the Brian Pattie-led No. 7 Spire Motorsports team. He led 75 of the event\u2019s 134 laps and survived last-lap contact with another competitor to earn his fifth victory in the series and first aboard a Spire-prepared Chevy Silverado.
The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year has a best finish of 20th in four prior Cup Series starts at Kansas.
Hocevar owns six CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at Kansas, including one win, two top fives and three top 10s. He\u2019s led a total of 135 laps at the Kansas City, Kan., venue.
In 18 starts on 1.5-mile tracks in NASCAR\u2019s premier series, the Portage, Mich., native owns one top-five and three top-10 finishes. He has combined to lead 32 laps this season at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway and Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.
Last weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Hocevar registered a venue-best sixth-place qualifying effort. He spent a majority of the day racing inside the top five until handling issues during the race\u2019s final segment left him with an 11th-place result. The finish marked his fourth-consecutive top 15.
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\u2019s next<\/p>\n
Carson Hocevar Quotes
You\u2019ve expressed your excitement for this weekend\u2019s race at Kansas Speedway. Given your team\u2019s recent performance and your personal preference for mile-and-a-half tracks, what do you think will be key to success?
\u201cI\u2019ve always loved mile-and-a-half tracks. They\u2019re where I feel most comfortable and our team\u2019s been showing a lot of speed the last few weeks. We won the truck race at Kansas in May, and I\u2019m hoping we can translate that into success in the Delaware Life Chevy this weekend. I love running on the fence, but you really have to move around and try different lanes. I think we\u2019re in a good position to have a strong weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spire Motorsports PR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In 25 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Kansas Speedway, Spire Motorsports has logged one top-10 and three top-20…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":165578,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[1701,49,48,717,718,925,720,634,1703,721,722,82,723],"class_list":["post-165577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-1701","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-charlotte","tag-craftsman-truck-series","tag-daytona","tag-motor","tag-nascar","tag-rookie-of-the-year","tag-series","tag-speedway","tag-sports","tag-xfinity-series"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=165577"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165577\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/165578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=165577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=165577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=165577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}