In 26 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS), Spire Motorsports has logged three top-five, four top-10 and seven top-15 finishes. Carson Hocevar, driver of the team’s No. 77 Spectrum Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, posted a team-best runner-up finish in last February\u2019s Ambetter Health 400 at the 1.5-mile quad-oval. Spire Motorsports fields the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s in the Cup Series for Daniel Suarez, Michael McDowell and Hocevar, respectively.
\nThe NASCAR Cup Series race at AMS will be televised live on FOX, Sunday, Feb. 22 beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The second of 36 points-paying races on the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series calendar will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.<\/p>\n
Daniel Su\u00e1rez \u2013 Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1<\/p>\n
Daniel Su\u00e1rez will pilot Spire Motorsports\u2019 No. 7 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Sunday\u2019s NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta.
\nOn February 25, 2024, Su\u00e1rez earned his second career NASCAR Cup Series victory when he took the checkered flag at AMS, by winning the Ambetter Health 400 in one of the closest finishes in series\u2019 history. Su\u00e1rez prevailed in a dramatic three-wide sprint to the checkered flag, edging out Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch by a scant 0.003 seconds. The victory was his first since 2022 at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway and secured Su\u00e1rez\u2019s spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
\nThe two-time NASCAR Cup Series winner has made 14 starts at Atlanta, earning one victory, four top-five, six top-10 and eight top-20 results. He holds an average starting position of 21.6 and an average finishing position of 17.2 at the 1.54-mile quad-oval. In total, he has led 32 laps at AMS.
\nLast Sunday, Su\u00e1rez started from the rear of the field in the Daytona 500 in a back-up car, after his primary car was damaged in Thursday\u2019s qualifying race. He climbed the leaderboard, earning stage points with fifth- and 10th-place finishes in the race\u2019s first and second stages. Su\u00e1rez ran a fuel-saving strategy during the final stage and earned a respectable 13th-place finish in his No. 7 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet.
\nThis weekend, One Inc., will step into an associate sponsor role aboard Suarez\u2019s No. 7 machine. One Inc. is modernizing the insurance industry through a unified and frictionless payment network. Focusing only on the insurance industry, One Inc helps carriers transform their operations by reducing costs, increasing security, and optimizing customer experience. The comprehensive end-to-end digital payments platform provides expanded payment options, multi-channel digital communications, and rapid digital claim payment, even for the most complex insurance use cases. As one of the fastest growing digital payments platforms in the insurance industry, One Inc manages billions of dollars per year in premiums and claims payments. For more information, please visit www.oneinc.com.
\nFreeway Insurance was established in 1987 and is one of the largest and fastest-growing personal lines insurance brokers in the United States, offering coverage through a \u201cclick, call, or come in\u201d approach that connects customers nationwide. The company continually researches, grows, and diversifies its product offerings to stay responsive to the evolving insurance market. Freeway provides a wide range of options\u2014from basic to premium coverage\u2014in auto, truck, commercial vehicle, homeowners, renters, small business, motorcycle, recreational vehicle, fire, and flood insurance. In 2008, Freeway Insurance became part of Confie, the nation\u2019s leading personal lines insurance distribution company. Customers can access Freeway Insurance through neighborhood offices, online at www.freeway.com, or by calling (800) 300-0227.
\nSu\u00e1rez has made two NASCAR O\u2019Reilly Auto Parts Series starts at AMS prior to the track reconfiguration in 2022, earning one top-10 and two top-20 finishes. He recorded his career-best series result at Atlanta with a seventh-place finish in March 2016.
\nThe Monterrey, Mexico native earned a fourth-place finish in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at AMS in 2015.
\nThe 34-year-old is a veteran of 324 Cup Series starts and has notched two wins (Sonoma, June 2022 and AMS, Feb. 2024), 25 top fives and 76 top 10s in NASCAR\u2019s premier division. Suarez has led a total of 907 laps and has earned three poles since entering the series full time in 2017.<\/p>\n
Daniel Su\u00e1rez Quotes
How do you view Atlanta? Is it a superspeedway or an intermediate racetrack?
\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s either in my opinion. I think it\u2019s a hybrid track and the reason why I like it so much is because it is very different. It doesn\u2019t race like a 1.5-mile track but it also doesn\u2019t race like a superspeedway, either, because everything happens so quick. The way the track is built, the speed in the corners, the banking is just completely different when you compare it to another 1.5 mile track, for example, Kansas Speedway. So, the way I see it, yes maybe on paper people call Atlanta a superspeedway with that style of racing, but to me it\u2019s a hybrid.\u201d<\/p>\n
How mentally taxing is Atlanta compared to other tracks?
\u201cAtlanta is very mentally exhausting. At most 1.5-mile tracks, you usually get some space after five or 10 laps to move around, and at superspeedways, it\u2019s intense but mostly in the first 15 laps. At Atlanta, you never get space\u2014you can\u2019t relax or reset. Even running 25th, it\u2019s still super intense. You have to go full speed and constantly learn and adjust during the race. There\u2019s no time to think about what just happened because everything happens so fast.\u201d<\/p>\n
Atop the No. 7 Box \u2013 Crew Chief Ryan Sparks<\/p>\n
Ryan Sparks has called 203 NASCAR Cup Series races, earning five top-five and 11 top-10 finishes since making his Cup Series debut atop the pit box in 2020.
\nThe Winston-Salem, N.C., native\u2019s best finish at AMS came in the 2023 Ambetter Health 400, where he led the No. 7 team to a fourth-place result. Sparks has called nine races at Atlanta, producing one top-five and two top-10 finishes. Overall, Sparks has led the charge in 96 races on drafting-style tracks.
\nSparks joined Spire Motorsports in 2021, where he served as both Crew Chief and Competition Director, leading the organization\u2019s competitive and technical efforts. In the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, Sparks serves as crew chief for Daniel Su\u00e1rez.
\nSparks brings more than a decade of experience across all three national series, highlighted by 13 seasons at Richard Childress Racing and contributions to title-winning campaigns in the 2011 CRAFTMAN Truck Series and 2013 O\u2019Reilly Auto Parts Series.<\/p>\n
Michael McDowell \u2013 Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1<\/p>\n
Michael McDowell will pilot Spire Motorsports\u2019 No. 71 B\u2019laster Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Sunday\u2019s NASCAR Cup Series race at AMS.
\nMcDowell owns 20 NASCAR Cup Series starts at AMS, highlighted by one top five, two top 10s and 58 laps led. He started 20th and claimed a venue-best fourth-place finish in fall 2022.
\nIn last year\u2019s spring race at the Hampton, Ga., quad-oval, McDowell ran into power steering issues early in the race and was forced to retreat to the garage where he lost six laps while the team effected repairs. With the help of a handful of timely cautions and savvy work from the driver\u2019s seat, McDowell raced his way back to the lead lap to earn a respectable 13th-place finish.
\nIn 2024, McDowell and crew chief Travis Peterson swept qualifying in both races at AMS, leading the field to green at both events.
\nAcross his last five attempts at AMS, the 41-year-old driver holds an average finish of 13th with only one finish outside of the top 20.
\nB\u2019laster will return as the primary partner for this weekend\u2019s 400-mile contest. The No. 71 Chevrolet will feature two of its PB penetrant products as part of the livery. Founded in 1957 with PB B\u2019laster Penetrant, B\u2019laster offers a full line of high-performance penetrants, lubricants, solvents, greases, refrigerants and protectants. B\u2019laster products are trusted in garages and race shops nationwide to break loose, clean up, and protect.
\nIn last week\u2019s season-opener at Daytona International Speedway, the No. 71 Modo Casino Chevrolet finished fourth in Thursday night\u2019s qualifying race, to earn a 10th-place starting spot for the Daytona 500. McDowell led 10 laps and was second in the running order when the white flag was displayed, but was collected in a last-lap melee and left with a disappointing 22nd-place finish.
\nWith 35 points-paying races left on the 2026 schedule, McDowell is 17th in the driver standings, after earning additional points in Thursday\u2019s qualifying race and stage points on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Michael McDowell Quote
What did you learn during Atlanta last year that you can use for this weekend?
\u201cI am looking forward to going to Atlanta with B\u2019laster on our Spire Motorsports Chevy.\u2029We obviously had some troubles there on the No. 71 last year and rallied back to the lead lap, but 77 had a great run there at the end of the race; Carson was one of the fastest cars. So, we have a good notebook and good momentum coming off Daytona with having cars that had lots of speed and handled well, now going to another drafting semi-speedway track to hopefully redeem ourselves from Daytona.\u201d
Atop the No. 71 Box \u2013 Crew Chief Travis Peterson<\/p>\n
Travis Peterson, in his fourth season as McDowell\u2019s crew chief, led his driver to both pole positions at AMS in 2024.
\nPeterson also served as race engineer on the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet that Chase Elliott drove to a pole in qualifying at Atlanta in 2014.
\nPeterson contributed to several victories during his tenure at RFK Racing, Hendrick Motorsports and JR Motorsports, highlighted by clinching the NASCAR O\u2019Reilly Auto Parts Series title in 2014 and racking up three Cup Series wins with Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and the No. 88 team in 2015.
\nPeterson is a mechanical engineering graduate of the Williams States Lee College of Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The West Bend, Wis., native earned his degree in 2012.<\/p>\n
Carson Hocevar \u2013 Driver, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1<\/p>\n
Carson Hocevar will race Spire Motorsports\u2019 No. 77 Spectrum Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Sunday\u2019s 400-mile NASCAR Cup Series race at AMS.
\nHocevar came within 2.5 miles of victory in last weekend\u2019s Daytona 500 before chaos enveloped the field with one lap to go. He led the field to the white flag, but contact initiated by another competitor heading into Turn 1 sent him into the outside retaining wall, ultimately spinning in front of the field. He was eventually scored 18th in the final rundown.
\nThe 23-year-old diver will pull double duty this weekend at AMS, where he\u2019ll pilot Spire Motorsports\u2019 No. 77 Chevy Silverado prior to his traditional NASCAR Cup Series duties aboard the team\u2019s No. 77 Spectrum Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Sunday\u2019s 266-lap race.
\nLast February, Hocevar started 26th at the 1.54-mile quad-oval, but was quick to climb the leaderboard. He picked up stage points in each of the first two segments and positioned himself to contend for his first Cup Series win in NASCAR Overtime. He made a three-wide move for the lead, but a caution for an incident while the leaders were making their way through Turns 3 and 4 brought the race to an end. Hocevar was ultimately scored with a second-place finish.
\nHocevar put on a statistical showcase last February, averaging a top-10 running position (9.59) while spending 90.6 percent (241-of-266 laps) of the race within the top 15, all while registering the most green flag passes and quality passes and calculating a 105.0 driver rating.
\nIn four Cup Series starts at Atlanta, the Portage, Mich., native has finished no worse than 19th, tallying one top-five and two top-10 results. He finished 10th in the series\u2019 most recent visit to the 1.54-mile venue last September.
\nThe five-time CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race winner owns three previous starts at AMS, where he earned a venue-best 16th-place finish in 2021, one year prior to the track\u2019s reconfiguration.
\nIn 14 Cup Series starts on drafting-style tracks, Hocevar has tallied one top-five, four top-10 and 10 top-20 results, highlighted by his runner-up finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway last February.
\nSpectrum is a suite of advanced communications services offered by Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR), a leading broadband connectivity\u202fcompany available to 58 million homes and small to large businesses across 41 states. Founded in 1993, Charter has evolved from providing cable TV to streaming, and from high-speed Internet to a converged broadband, WiFi and mobile experience. Over the Spectrum Fiber Broadband Network and supported by our 100 percent U.S.-based employees, the Company offers Seamless Connectivity and Entertainment with Spectrum Internet\u00ae, Mobile, TV and Voice products. More information can be found at corporate.charter.com.<\/p>\n
Carson Hocevar Quotes
What does it take to win at Atlanta?
\u201cYou just have to make moves. All offense, no defense.\u201d<\/p>\n
What about the new configuration at Atlanta has clicked for you?
\u201cI\u2019ve been envious and watched a bunch of races at the old bumpy Daytona. Every time I get to run Atlanta it just makes me think about bumpy Daytona where you can draft by yourself. You don\u2019t need anybody. You can just make moves and time things. It\u2019s basically all offense. It just works for me. If this move didn\u2019t work, I\u2019ll get back in line and make the next one. And if that didn\u2019t work, I\u2019ll make the next one. Eventually, one of my six moves is going to work and I\u2019ll gain spots. Ultimately, I\u2019m just smiling the whole time because it reminds me of those nostalgic 2000s era races at Daytona. Atlanta provides the opportunity and it\u2019s something I\u2019ve always wanted to do, so that\u2019s the best thing we got.\u201d<\/p>\n
How do you balance the disappointment of the finish of last weekend\u2019s Daytona 500 with the optimism of Atlanta this weekend?
\u201cWell we ran second in the Duel on Thursday, and were right where we needed to be on Sunday. We were leading coming to the white, but obviously, things just didn\u2019t work out. I\u2019m not too disappointed knowing we were where we needed to be and there isn\u2019t really anything I could have done to prevent the outcome. If anything, I am more confident for Atlanta this weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n
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