Motorsports
22-year-old Michigan racer earns first career NASCAR Cup Series pole position
Donning a black cowboy hat and a cowboy-themed firesuit, Portage native Carson Hocevar celebrated his first career NASCAR Cup Series pole position on Saturday, May 3. Hocevar clocked a lap of 28.175 seconds around the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway, averaging 191.659 mph. William Byron qualified second, 0.014 seconds behind. Hocevar is driving the No. 77 […]

Donning a black cowboy hat and a cowboy-themed firesuit, Portage native Carson Hocevar celebrated his first career NASCAR Cup Series pole position on Saturday, May 3.
Hocevar clocked a lap of 28.175 seconds around the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway, averaging 191.659 mph. William Byron qualified second, 0.014 seconds behind.
Hocevar is driving the No. 77 Chili’s “Ride the ‘Dente” Chevrolet on Sunday.
“Having the Cowboy outfit, what better place to get on the pole,” Hocevar told Prime Video after earning the pole position.
Hocevar, 22, is the youngest driver to ever win a pole at Texas Motor Speedway.
“I’m normally so hard on myself,” Hocevar said. “I still didn’t think I nailed that lap, at all.”
The honor also earns Hocevar the first pit stall, which can be an advantage to gain spots on pit road.
Hocevar is in search of his first career Cup Series win. His career best was second place at Atlanta Motor Speedway – losing by just a few feet– in February.
RELATED: Michigan 22-year-old falls just feet short of first NASCAR Cup victory
Hocevar finished sixth last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. He’s moved up from 30th in points to 20th in just two weeks.
Sunday’s race is at 3:30 p.m. on FS1.
There are three Michigan-born drivers in the field for Sunday’s race. Byron native Erik Jones qualified 14th and Rochester Hills driver Brad Keselowski will start 30th.
MORE: Portage NASCAR driver inks sponsorship deal with Kalamazoo business
Motorsports
NASCAR Nashville Entry Lists
All three of NASCAR’s national series will be in action this weekend as they head to Music City to take on Nashville Superspeedway. Here’s who’s on the entry lists for this weekend across the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The NASCAR Cup Series will run the Cracker Barrel 400 […]

All three of NASCAR’s national series will be in action this weekend as they head to Music City to take on Nashville Superspeedway.
Here’s who’s on the entry lists for this weekend across the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
The NASCAR Cup Series will run the Cracker Barrel 400 on Sunday, June 1, at 7 p.m. ET. The race will be streamed on Amazon Prime.
There are 39 entries listed, meaning every car will make the field for Sunday’s race, barring any changes to the entry list.
JJ Yeley will make his fifth Cup start of 2025 this weekend in the No. 44 for NY Racing Team.
Chad Finchum is back in Cup action this weekend in Garage 66’s No. 66.
Truck points leader Corey Heim will make his second scheduled Cup start of 2025 in the No. 67 for 23XI Racing.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series will contest the Tennessee Lottery 250 on Saturday, May 31, at 7:30 p.m. ET. The race will be broadcasted on The CW.
Forty teams are entered for Saturday’s race, meaning that two teams will not make the field following qualifying, barring any changes to the entry list.
Full-time Cup Series driver Ross Chastain will be pulling double duty this weekend, as he will be in the No. 9 JR Motorsports car for Saturday’s race.
Logan Bearden will attempt his first Xfinity Series start of 2025 in the No. 14 for SS-Green Light Racing. Garrett Smithley‘s is the car’s usual driver.
Corey Day is back in the No. 17 for Hendrick Motorsports this weekend for an attempt at his third Xfinity start of 2025.
Aric Almirola continues his part-time Xfinity schedule for 2025 as he returns to the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing car.
Jeffrey Earnhardt will attempt to qualify for this weekend’s race in the No. 24 for Sam Hunt Racing.
Mason Massey is back in action this weekend in the No. 45 for Alpha Prime Racing.
Mason Maggio returns this weekend in the No. 53 for Joey Gase Racing. JGR’s No. 35 is entered without a driver.
Thomas Annunziata will return to the Xfinity Series this weekend in the No. 70 Cope Family Racing car.
Myatt Snider is back in DGM Racing’s No. 91.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will race at Nashville Superspeedway on Friday, May 30, at 8 p.m. ET. The race will be broadcast on FOX Sports 1.
Thirty-two trucks are entered for the race, meaning that all teams will make the field for the race, barring any changes.
Full-time Xfinity driver William Sawalich will drive the No. 1 for TRICON Garage.
After two races away, Nathan Byrd returns to the Truck Series this weekend in the No. 02 for Young’s Motorsports.
Clay Green will make his first Truck start of 2025 this weekend in the No. 2 for Reaume Brothers Racing, while Tyler Tomassi’s in RBR’s No. 22.
Two-time Cup champion Kyle Busch will make his fourth Truck start of 2025 in the No. 07 for Spire Motorsports, while Corey Day is in the team’s No. 7.
Luke Fenhaus returns to Truck action this weekend in the No. 66 for ThorSport Racing.
Akinori Ogata will make his second start of the season in his self-owned No. 63.
Logan Kendall joined the Frontstretch team in 2025 as the Tuesday News Writer and fills in other roles as needed. He resides in the Finger Lakes region of New York and spends his free time writing as a hobby creatively and is a self published author.
Logan can be found on X @LoganKendall48
Motorsports
Logan Bearden Partners With T3 Vodka at Nashville Superspeedway – Speedway Digest
NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Logan Bearden announced he will compete in his first race of the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season this weekend at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway in the No.14 Chevrolet Camaro of SS-GreenLight Racing. Bearden’s primary marketing partner will be T3 Vodka. “T3 Vodka is thrilled to team up with Logan Bearden and SS-GreenLight […]

NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Logan Bearden announced he will compete in his first race of the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season this weekend at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway in the No.14 Chevrolet Camaro of SS-GreenLight Racing.
Bearden’s primary marketing partner will be T3 Vodka.
“T3 Vodka is thrilled to team up with Logan Bearden and SS-GreenLight Racing,” said Mark Lester, Founder and President of T3 Vodka. “Tennessee is our home – and it’s the heart of our identity. Partnering with Logan for Nashville just makes sense. NASCAR is built on passion and heritage, and we bring that same spirit to every bottle we make. We’re proud to bring a premium product to a fanbase that values quality, authenticity, and a damn good time.”
“Nashville is not just an iconic venue – it’s right in the middle of our target footprint,” Lester added. “This sponsorship helps us strengthen relationships with distributors and retailers while reaching NASCAR’s incredibly loyal and engaged fan base. It’s more than just branding — it’s a platform to grow our presence where it matters most.”
T3 Vodka is a Knoxville-based premium vodka brand known for its hand-crafted spirit and meticulous 10-step filtration process. The 80-proof, American-made vodka has earned international acclaim, including a Gold Medal at the 2024 TAG Global Spirits Awards in Las Vegas and a Gold Medal at the 2024 SIP International Spirits Competition in San Diego. T3 Vodka is currently distributed across Middle and East Tennessee and is expanding into Virginia, Georgia, and Nevada. For more information, visit t3vodka.com.
“It’s an honor to carry T3 Vodka on the No. 14 Chevrolet this weekend,” said Bearden. “They’re a Tennessee-born brand with big goals, and I’m excited to help bring that story to life on and off the track. We’re going to give them a show to remember.”
The Tennessee Lottery 250 (188 laps | 250.4 miles) is the 14th of thirty-three (33) NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2025 schedule. A pair of 25-minute practices will take place on Saturday, May 31, 2025, from 1:05 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Qualifying will immediately follow at 2:10 p.m. The 38-car field will take the green flag shortly after 6:30 p.m., with live coverage on The CW Network, the Performance Racing Network (Radio), and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90. All times are local (CT).
For more information on Logan Bearden, visit https://www.loganbearden.com/ or follow him on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/loganbeardenracing/), X (https://x.com/LoganBearden_) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/logan_bearden/).
For more information on T3 Vodka, visit https://t3vodka.com/ or follow them on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/t3vodka/) or Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/t3vodka).
Snow Belt Mgmt PR
Motorsports
Purdue Motorsports, Dallara Formalize PartnershipPerformance Racing Industry
Purdue University and Dallara formalized a partnership announced last year that will provide new opportunities for students in the Indiana school’s motorsports engineering program. The collaboration will see Purdue’s motorsports engineering program, the only undergraduate, ABET-accredited such program in the country, to be housed inside the U.S. headquarters of Dallara, the multinational Italian race car manufacturer. […]

Purdue University and Dallara formalized a partnership announced last year that will provide new opportunities for students in the Indiana school’s motorsports engineering program.
The collaboration will see Purdue’s motorsports engineering program, the only undergraduate, ABET-accredited such program in the country, to be housed inside the U.S. headquarters of Dallara, the multinational Italian race car manufacturer. The facility, located just one mile from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, will provide space for classrooms and hands-on training for Purdue students pursuing a career in motorsports while providing them unique opportunities to make early connections within the industry.
Purdue students will gain real-world knowledge from faculty like Chris Finch, director of the Purdue motorsports engineering program in Indianapolis and former INDYCAR race engineer with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, while training alongside Dallara.
Purdue Motorsports will begin operations at Dallara in time for the start of the fall semester in the 2025-26 academic year.
For more information, visit purdue.edu.com.
Motorsports
Supercars champion Will Brown to run Chicago NASCAR Cup race with Kaulig
Will Brown, 26, is the defending champion of the Australian Supercars Series. He has eleven career wins and finished third in last year’s Bathurst 1000. In addition to his impressive Supercars career, Brown is also a two-time class winner of the Bathurst 12 Hours. He already made his Cup debut last year, driving for Richard […]

Will Brown, 26, is the defending champion of the Australian Supercars Series. He has eleven career wins and finished third in last year’s Bathurst 1000. In addition to his impressive Supercars career, Brown is also a two-time class winner of the Bathurst 12 Hours.
He already made his Cup debut last year, driving for Richard Childress Racing at Sonoma. He started 24th and finished 31st. Brown will return for the Chicago Street Course race, driving a third entry as a teammate to AJ Allmendinger and Ty Dillon, piloting the No. 13 Chevrolet. MobileX will back the effort and serve as the primary sponsor, as they did in his start with RCR.
There has been an influx of Supercars talent in NASCAR ever since Shane van Gisbergen (SVG) won in his Cup debut at the Chicago Street Course in 2023, ultimately choosing to leave Supercars behind to pursue a full-time career in NASCAR. Brown actually replaced SVG at Red Bull Ampol Racing (Triple Eight) after he journeyed stateside.

Will Brown, Triple Eight Race Engineering Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Photo by: Edge Photographics
“After watching SVG win the 2023 Chicago NASCAR race and getting to drive myself at Sonoma last year, I’ve been really keen to have a go at the Grant Park 165,” said Brown. “The Supercars calendar aligned this year to give me time to get over to Charlotte early to prepare and give the race a crack! I have watched Kaulig Racing closely this season and I’m really excited to get behind the wheel of the MobileX and Shaw and Partners Financial Services No. 13!”
Added team owner Matt Kaulig: “This is an amazing opportunity for Kaulig Racing to compete for a win in one of the most prestigious events on the calendar. We are so excited to have Will (Brown) race with us and compete for the trophy. The team is ready, and we know he has the talent.”
The event is set to take place on July 6th with Brown hoping to become the first Australian-born driver (SVG is from New Zealand) to win at the Cup level since fellow Supercars champion did it in 2012.
In this article
Nick DeGroot
NASCAR Cup
Will Brown
Kaulig Racing
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Motorsports
Legacy Motor Club: Nashville Superspeedway Race Preview – Speedway Digest
CLUB MINUTES:JJ AT NASHVILLE: While NASCAR added Nashville Superspeedway to the Cup Series schedule after LEGACY MC co-owner Johnson retired from full-time racing, he does have one lone start there in the NASCAR Xfinity Series from April 2001 prior to the repave and improvements. He started 31st for the race and finished 28th after an […]

CLUB MINUTES:
JJ AT NASHVILLE: While NASCAR added Nashville Superspeedway to the Cup Series schedule after LEGACY MC co-owner Johnson retired from full-time racing, he does have one lone start there in the NASCAR Xfinity Series from April 2001 prior to the repave and improvements. He started 31st for the race and finished 28th after an accident ended his day on lap 203 of 225.
BAYNE AT NASHVILLE: LEGACY Club Ambassador Trevor Bayne has made six total NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) starts at Nashville Superspeedway. Although bad luck found him in two of his starts where his day ended early because of wrecks, he didn’t finish worse than 12th in his other four starts. His best finish of second came in his most recent start in June 2022 when he ran a part-time schedule with Joe Gibbs Racing. He started third for the 188-lap race and scored a runner-up result.
NEVER SETTLE: Join ESPN’s Marty Smith and LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s co-owner Johnson for their weekly podcast, “Never Settle”. The podcast airs live on SIRIUS XM NASCAR Radio Ch. 90 at 2 p.m. ET every Wednesday and can be downloaded wherever fans source their podcasts. This weeks guest is racing legend, Mario Andretti.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
NO. 42 DRIVEVALUE.COM TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
WELCOME DRIVEVALUE.COM: DriveValue.com a new partner for LEGACY MC will dawn the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE, driven by John Hunter Nemechek this weekend at Nashville Superspeedway.
RIDE ALONG: Nemechek and the No. 42 DriveValue.com Toyota Camry XSE will carry the Toyota in-car camera this weekend at Nashville Superspeedway.
JHN AT NASHVILLE: This year marks Nemechek’s second start in the NASCAR Cup Series at Nashville Superspeedway. However, the 27-year-old has found success in NASCAR’s lower ranks. In 2024, while driving for Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, he visited Victory Lane at Nashville — one of his two wins in the series that season.
TMACK AT NASHVILLE: Crew chief Travis Mack has called four Cup Series races at Nashville Superspeedway. In those four starts, his driver has an average finish of 11.25.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK QUOTE:
“I am looking forward to getting back to Nashville this weekend after getting a taste of Victory Lane last year in the Xfinity Series. Our No. 42 LEGACY MC team has shown a lot of speed over the last several weeks. Nashville is unique to all the different places that we go, but our team is really good at adapting and finding us speed. There will be a large group from DriveValue.com in attendance this weekend, and I hope we can put our Toyota Camry XSE out front.”
TRAVIS MACK QUOTE:
“We are excited for Nashville. We’ve been steadily improving each week, building on our previous race package. We will look to carry that momentum into Nashville and on to Michigan.”
ERIK JONES
NO. 43 DOLLAR TREE TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
HIGHEST FINISHER AT CHARLOTTE: Erik Jones heads into Sunday’s Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway coming off a solid finish in the series’ longest race of the year – the Coca-Cola 600. Despite having to fall to the rear on Sunday due to unapproved adjustments, Jones found speed early on despite dealing with a tight No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE. He earned stage points and ran in the top-10 for a good bit of the 600-mile race. A pit stop error on their final stop though put them deep in the back. Still, a determined Jones was able to find himself in 13th by the checkered flag, making him the highest-finishing LEGACY MC entry.
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION: Jones will celebrate his 29th birthday on Friday, May 30 prior to Sunday’s Cracker Barrel 400. Born on May 30, 1996 in Byron, Michigan, Jones has spent the past 28 years chasing and now living his dream of being a NASCAR Cup Series driver. His hope is to bring home Sunday’s trophy as his birthday present.
OSCAR JAMESON JONES: Jones’ loyal companion and best friend, Oscar Jones, also celebrates his ninth birthday this week on Sunday, June 1. The Michigan-native first brought this social media famous German Shepherd home in July 2017. Often seen on Jones’ social or his own Instagram, Oscar has become a key mascot in the Erik Jones brand. Follow along for Oscar’s adventures on his official Instagram @OscarJamesonJones.
JONES NASHVILLE STATS: Sunday’s Cracker Barrel 400 will mark Jones’ fifth NASCAR Cup Series start at Nashville where he only owns one finish outside the top 20. After starting ninth in his first race at the 1.333-mile oval in June 2021, he earned a 19th-place finish. He followed that up in June 2022 with an 11th-place finish after starting 23rd. His best finish came in his third start there in June 2023 where he once again started 23rd but found himself in eighth by the checkered flag.
BESHORE AT NASHVILLE: Crew chief Beshore has a total of three races under his belt as crew chief in the NASCAR Cup Series at Nashville. He has a best result of 11th with Kyle Busch in June 2021 after Busch led 10 laps. He also has one additional race as a crew chief for John Hunter Nemechek in the Xfinity Series at Nashville where the team started 21st and finished sixth.
READWITHERIK AT VANDERBILT: As part of his initiative to ignite a passion for reading in children, Jones will take his #READwithErik program to the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital and Seacrest Studios. Through the Seacrest Studios broadcast channels, children in the hospital will get to see a special #READwithErik where he reads “No Buddy Like a Book” by Allan Wolf virtually. The broadcast will not only air to the rooms of all the patients in the hospital, but also in all 12 Seacrest Studio locations across the United States.
ERIK JONES QUOTE:
““Nashville’s a place that I’m just happy we’re going back to. I think it’s a great market for us for one thing, and the track itself has aged really well since we were gone. It’s put on some great races over the years, so it’s been one where I feel like we’ve really gotten our season rolling in the last few years. We’ve been able to be in contention and run up front. So, we’re hoping it’s kind of the same this year. We can get our season back on track and get some things rolling the right way. Start racking up some points. I love going there. I love racing there. I’m excited to get back.”
BEN BESHORE QUOTE:
“It’s a little interesting because Nashville is concrete but it’s also a cross between a short-track and an intermediate. The track is a different package and sort of unique from that standpoint as it’s not really like any other track. With the service and the size, it’s different. It’s a smaller D-shaped mile-and-a-half, but with putting the resin down it’s definitely a unique animal. You’ll see some guys experiment with lines there, the rubber can build up on the seams – your typical concrete-track issues, but they key is going fast compared to a Dover or Bristol.”
CLUB APPEARANCES:
On race day, Nemechek will visit the NASCAR Classics merchandise hauler and connect with fans and sign some autographs. The appearance on Sunday will start at 2:00 p.m. CT.
TUNE IN:
The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Nashville Superspeedway with the Cracker Barrel 400 on Sunday, June 1. The race broadcast will take place on Amazon Prime, MAX, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90) at 7 p.m. EDT.
Motorsports
Spire Motorsports Cracker Barrel 400 Race Advance – Speedway Digest
In nine NASCAR Cup Series starts at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway, Spire Motorsports has logged one top-five and two top-15 finishes. Zane Smith posted a team-best runner-up finish in last season’s 400-mile event at Nashville. Spire Motorsports fields the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet ZL1s in the Cup Series for Justin Haley, Michael McDowell and […]

In nine NASCAR Cup Series starts at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway, Spire Motorsports has logged one top-five and two top-15 finishes. Zane Smith posted a team-best runner-up finish in last season’s 400-mile event at Nashville. Spire Motorsports fields the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet ZL1s in the Cup Series for Justin Haley, Michael McDowell and Carson Hocevar, respectively.
The Cracker Barrel 400 will be streamed live on Amazon Prime, Sunday, June 1 beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The 14th of 36 points-paying races on the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series calendar will be broadcast live on the Performance 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 Garner Trucking, Inc. Chevrolet ZL1 in Sunday’s Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway.
Haley earned a venue-best 13th-place finish last season at the 1.33-mile concrete speedway. The 26-year-old has recorded four Cup Series starts at Nashville Superspeedway. Over those four races, the Winamac, Ind., native has logged a 21.0 average start, a 23.5 average finish and earned one top-15 showing. Haley recorded back-to-back 23rd-place finshes in 2022 and 2023.
Garner Trucking is a family-owned and operated business started in 1960 by Vernon E. Garner and Regina R. Garner, headquartered in Findlay, Ohio. Daughter Sherri Garner Brumbaugh currently owns and operates the business. Garner is a 100 percent woman-owned business. Since 2017, Garner Trucking has been named a Best Fleet to Drive For from trucking companies in North America. In 2022, Garner was named the Best Fleet to Drive For – Overall Small Carrier. The company’s dedication to its drivers earned it a spot in the Best Fleets to Drive For Hall of Fame in 2023. Continuing its legacy of excellence, Garner won the inaugural Best Fleets to Drive for Hall of Fame Stratosphere Award in 2024—and claimed the title again in 2025. Garner is celebrating its 65th anniversary in 2025.
In his previous intermediate tracks this season, Haley has a 10th-place result at Homestead-Miami Speedway and top-15 finishes at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway.
Haley finished 19th in June 2021 in his lone NASCAR Xfinity Series Start at Nashville Superspeedway.
Last week at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Haley started 13th but sustained race-altering damage in the late goings, ultimately soldiering home to a 30th-place finish.
Over the course of his career, Haley has collected four NASCAR Xfinity Series checkered flags and three CRAFTSMAN Truck Series wins, making him one of just 41 drivers in history to have earned wins across all three of NASCAR’s National Touring Series.
He made his first start in NASCAR’s premier division for Spire Motorsports at Talladega Superspeedway on April 28, 2019 – his 20th birthday. Sunday will mark Haley’s 159th career NASCAR Cup Series start. Over the course of the last seven seasons, the 26-year-old racer has notched one win, five top fives, 17 top 10s and led 103 laps.
In total, Haley has made 55 Cup Series starts for Spire Motorsports, with the bulk of races coming during the 2021 season behind the wheel of the team’s No. 77 machine. In his second appearance amidst his return to Spire Motorsports at Talladega last October, Haley earned a seventh-place result, his first top 10 with the team since the 2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona.
Justin Haley Quote
How do you feel about Garner Trucking coming back to Nashville for Sunday’s race underneath the lights?
“Everyone at Spire Motorsports appreciates the support from Sherri and the entire team at Garner Trucking. Our trucks stand tall going up and down the road and when they pull into the race track for the weekend. We’re looking forward to representing Garner for the next two weekends. I feel like our cars keep getting better and Nashville and Michigan should be good tracks for us, so I’m definitely looking forward to seeing how we stack up.”
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 Motor Speedway in September 2024.
As a race engineer at Richard Childress Racing, Sparks helped Austin Dillon to victory at Nashville Superspeedway in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. Dillon qualified on the pole and led 56 laps en route to his first-of-two victories in his CRAFTSMAN Truck Series championship season.
The Winston Salem, N.C., native has called 179 NASCAR Cup Series races, earning three top-five and nine top-10 finishes.
In total, the 41-year-old has called five races at Nashville Superspeedway, earning a venue-best 15th-place result with Corey LaJoie in June 2021.
Michael McDowell – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet ZL1
Michael McDowell will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 Delaware Life Chevrolet ZL1 in this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway.
The driver of the No. 71 Chevrolet has made four NASCAR Cup Series starts at Nashville Superspeedway, earning a best finish of 17th twice (2021, 2022) in his four attempts, while leading 31 laps.
The Glendale Ariz., native has logged a 22.0 average start and a 23.0 average finish at the 1.333-mile Tennessee oval.
Last season, McDowell started 14th and led 31 laps but was ultimately forced to settle for a 35th-place finish as the result of a drivetrain-related issue.
During his time in the Xfinity Series, McDowell made four starts at Nashville Superspeedway between 2009 and 2010, earning two top-10 finishes, including a best result of fifth in 2010.
The 40-year-old earned a seventh-place finish in last week’s Coca-Cola 600, marking his best result of the 2025 season. Despite a miscue on pit road, the McDowell recovered to run consistently inside the top 10 during the second half of the Memorial Day Weekend race.
The No. 71 team earned a $100,000 payday and a trip to Victory Lane after winning the Mechanix Wear Pit Crew Challenge two weeks ago at North Wilkesboro 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.
Through the first 13 races of the 2025 campaign, the Glendale, Ariz., native owns an average starting position of 14.0, including four starts inside the top 10.
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’s next.
McDowell has claimed three Xfinity Fastest Lap awards this season, clocking the fastest lap in the Daytona 500, Phoenix Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway. He stands as the only driver in the Cup Series to have secured three bonus points via the program.
McDowell secured Spire Motorsports’ first Busch Light Pole Award at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March. His 28.833-second lap marks the fastest lap in NASCAR’s seventh-generation Cup Series car (2022-present) at the 1.5-mile Nevada oval.
Michael McDowell Quote
Talk about earning your first top 10 of the season last week in the Coca-Cola 600.
“We have been really good at 1.5-mile tracks, I’m glad to get that top 10. We have been in position to get those finishes, but haven’t been able to get to the end. It was a long night after missing my pit box and starting Stage Two at the back. It was tough to get back to the front, but we slowly and methodically worked our way forward with some big help from out pit crew. I’m proud of our guys, our ability to execute a sold night, and getting to the end of a long race with a good finish. We have some more to work on, but I am proud of the effort from our Spire Motorsports team. We have some momentum to ride into Nashville this week.”
What are your thoughts as we head into Nashville this weekend?
“Nashville is fun. I’ve been able to race there a bunch over the years with both the ARCA Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series. When I started in Cup, that was the track where we went and tested at a bunch. It’s a fun race track and it’s a challenge to get around. The race is like a hybrid of a short track and a big track, but in these cars, it’s pretty cool because you’re downshifting, up shifting, there are a lot of opportunities. I think that it’s one of my better tracks, even though we don’t have the Cup results to show for it. Speed wise, it’s been a fun track for us. We just haven’t had the finishes, whether we got tied up in wrecks or we had a transmission explode there last year. I haven’t had great luck but felt like we’ve had good speed.”
Atop the No. 71 Box – Crew Chief Travis Peterson
Crew chief Travis Peterson calls the shots for Michael McDowell and the No. 71 team.
Peterson is a mechanical engineering graduate of the William States Lee College of Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
The 34-year-old has called 90 races in NASCAR’s premier series, securing one win, four top fives, 18 top 10s and seven pole awards.
Carson Hocevar – Driver, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet ZL1
Carson Hocevar is set to make his second NASCAR Cup Series start at the 1.333-mile Nashville Superspeedway. In 2024, Hocevar started 15th and drove to a 16th-place result.
Zeigler Auto Group returns to the No. 77 Chevrolet ZL1 for Sunday’s Cracker Barrel 400, the first of two consecutive races for one of the largest privately-owned dealer groups in the U.S. with 84 franchises across 41 locations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. Vehicle brands represented include all the domestic and majority of the imported manufacturers. The family-owned and -operated organization has been a regular on the Cup Series tour since 2019.
Hocevar owns three previous NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at Nashville, highlighted by a win on June 23, 2023. The Portage, Mich., native started seventh in his third CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start at the Music City oval and led 40 laps to claim his second of four wins in the 2023 season.
In the most recent Cup Series race last Sunday in at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Hocevar was knocking on the door of his first Cup Series victory before an engine failure sent the No. 77 Chevy to the garage early in the fourth and final stage. The 22-year-old driver lined up on the front row for a restart on Lap 307 and was battling for the lead entering Turn 1 before he quickly dropped back through the field. Despite the frustrating finish, Hocevar was able to collect a career-high 15 stage bonus points on the night.
Carson Hocevar Quotes
What is your outlook for Sunday’s race at Nashville?
“I think we’ll have a good car and hopefully another shot at a win, without the bad luck this time. We’ve reached a point where it doesn’t matter what type of track we go to, we are consistently up front and running some of the fastest lap times. Eventually everything balances out and we’ll start having the finishes to match those runs. Nashville is a really fast track and I think it plays into my driving style, having to keep up with the track changes and making moves when the opening is there. I feel like we’re going to have another really good race.”
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