In four NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway, Spire Motorsports has earned one win, two top-five and three top-15 finishes. In the 2023 Tyson 250, Kyle Larson started eighth and led 138 of the event’s 250 laps en route to victory. The win marked the second in the young team’s history. The Mooresville, N.C., organization fields the Nos. 07, 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Silverados full time in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The Nos. 07 and 7 entries will see a rotating roster of all-star caliber drivers throughout the season, while Rajah Caruth and Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Andres Perez de Lara will pilot the Nos. 71 and 77, respectively, for the full slate of races.
The Window World 250 will be televised live on FS1 Saturday, May 17 beginning at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The 10th of 25 races on the 2025 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series calendar will be broadcast live on the NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Kyle Busch – Driver, No. 07 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado

Kyle Busch will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 07 Gainbridge Chevrolet Silverado in Saturday’s Window World 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
In Busch’s most recent CRAFTSMAN Truck Series outing, he defended his 2024 victory in the Fr8 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, spending all 135 laps in the top 15 while leading a race-high 80 laps and recording a field-leading average running position (3.2) and driver rating (124.6).
While the 40-year-old will make his first CRAFTSMAN Truck Series appearance at the historic 0.625-mile speedway in Wilkes County, he has made two Cup Series starts at the track in the rejuvenated NASCAR All-Star Race. He collected a venue-best 10th-place result last May.
The Las Vegas native holds the record for most CRAFTSMAN Truck Series wins (67) and best finish in series history (6.5), while he ranks second on the series’ all-time laps led list (8,130).
In his past 12 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series appearances, Busch has finished in the first or second position nine times, six of which he ended the day in Victory Lane.
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The two-time Cup Series champion has made 33 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts on short tracks, collecting seven wins, 18 top fives and 23 top 10s, including a ninth-place result in his series debut at Indianapolis Raceway Park in August 2001.
In five starts last season with Spire Motorsports, Busch racked up two wins (Atlanta and Texas Motor Speedway), three top fives and 263 laps led.
Busch will reunite with crew chief Brian Pattie and the No. 7 team next week at Charlotte Motor Speedway (May 23), while he returns to the cockpit of Spire’s No. 07 Chevy at Nashville Superspeedway (May 30) and Watkins Glen International (August 8).
“Rowdy” will pilot Spire Manufacturing chassis SMT-058 Saturday afternoon. The truck has made 27 starts, reaching Victory Lane four times with Busch (Charlotte, May 2019) and John Hunter Nemechek (Las Vegas, Feb. 2021; Richmond, April 2021; Charlotte, May 2021) in the cockpit.

Kyle Busch Quote
What are your thoughts heading into your second-of-five CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start of the year?
“It’ll be my first time racing a truck at North Wilkesboro and my first time racing with Allen (Hart, crew chief) and the No. 07 group, so practice will be important for us this week. The 07 team has shown good speed winning with (Kyle) Larson and picking up a couple runner-up finishes in recent weeks, so hopefully we can continue the momentum they’ve been building and put our Gainbridge Silverado in Victory Lane this weekend.”
Atop the No. 07 Box – Crew Chief Allen Hart

Allen Hart calls the shots for the No. 07 team, an entry that will see a rotating roster of drivers throughout the 2025 campaign.
Last time out at Kansas Speedway, the No. 07 team and driver William Byron lined up next to teammate Carson Hocevar on a late-race restart and ultimately settled for a second-place finish.
The Midland, Mich., native earned his first career win in a crew chief role in March’s Baptist Health 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. After a spin midway through the Final Stage, Kyle Larson made an impressive run through the field over the event’s final 40 circuits, chasing down the leaders with two laps remaining to make the winning move.
Through nine races, No. 07 team sits fifth in the division’s owner’s championship point standings on the strength of one win, three top-five and three top-10 finishes.

Sammy Smith – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado

Sammy Smith will drive Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 TMC Transportation Chevrolet Silverado in the Window World 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
The Johnston, Iowa, native earned a fifth-place finish at North Wilkesboro Speedway last May behind the wheel of Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Silverado. Smith started 31st after qualifying was cancelled due to inclement weather, but registered the second-most green flag passes (78) and fifth-most quality passes (43) in the field en route to a series-best finish.
The 20-year-old made four CRAFTSMAN Truck Series appearances aboard Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Silverado in 2024. He collected one top-five and three top-10 finishes while maintaining an average finish of 9.0.
The Super Late Model phenom was victorious in a star-studded combination ARCA CRA Super Series/Southern Super Series race at the 0.625-mile oval in August 2022. After qualifying second, Smith took the lead on the race’s initial start and led wire-to-wire en route to the Racetrack Revival victory.
In 87 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, Smith has earned three wins, 17 top-fives and 39 top-10s, claiming victories at Phoenix Raceway (March 2023), Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (Oct. 2024) and Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway (April 2025).
The two-time ARCA Menards Series East champion has racked up eight wins across 15 starts in the regional stock car series. He claimed his second-consecutive East Series title in a dominant 2022 campaign, winning five of the seven races while maintaining an average finish of 1.7.
Smith doubled-up in 2022, earning the ARCA Menards Series Sioux Chief Showdown crown. Smith emerged victorious four times in the series, did not finish outside of the top five in all 10 events, and maintained a 2.2 average finish.
The short track ace has earned wins in some of the country’s most notable Late Model races including the Winchester 400, Red Bud 400 and Florida Governor’s Cup. He snagged a CARS Pro Late Model Tour victory in 2021 at Jennerstown (Pa.) Speedway and four pavement super late model wins that same season.
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Smith will pilot Spire Manufacturing chassis SMT-062. The truck has collected seven top five-finishes in 22 appearances, most recently with Smith at North Wilkesboro last May.

Sammy Smith Quote
What are your thoughts heading into your second CRAFTSMAN Truck Series appearance of the season with Spire Motorsports?
“I’m really looking forward to getting behind the wheel of the No. 7 TMC Transportation Chevrolet Silverado for Spire Motorsports at North Wilkesboro this weekend. The team always puts together a fast Silverado, and with the support of TMC, I am confident we will have a great race and a strong showing.“
Atop the No. 7 Box – Crew Chief Brian Pattie

Brian Pattie stands atop of the No. 7 pit box, an entry that will see a plethora of all-star caliber drivers behind the wheel throughout the 2025 season.
Last weekend at Kansas Speedway, Pattie called Carson Hocevar to his fifth-career CRAFTSMAN Truck Series victory in dominating fashion, leading 75 of the event’s 134 laps.
The Zephyrhills, Fla., native has called two CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races at North Wilkesboro, highlighted by a fifth-place finish with Sammy Smith last season.
The 24-year veteran spent 14 seasons in NASCAR’s premier division. As a crew chief, he has earned six wins in Cup Series competition, 11 in the Xfinity Series and seven in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. He stands as one of 11 crew chiefs to win races across all three of NASCAR’s national touring series.
Earlier this season, the No. 7 team defended its 2024 victory in the Fr8 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway with Kyle Busch behind the wheel. The Las Vegas driver spent all 135 laps in the top 15 while leading a race-high 80 laps and recording a field-leading average running position (3.2) and driver rating (124.6).
Through nine races, No. 7 team sits ninth in the division’s owner’s championship point standings on the strength of two wins, three top-five and three top-10 finishes.

Rajah Caruth – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado

Rajah Caruth will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Silverado in Saturday afternoon’s Window World 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
The 22-year-old has made two CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at the Wilkes County short track, highlighted by a 14th-place result last May.
Last time out at Kansas Speedway, Caruth qualified sixth and spent a majority of the night racing inside the top-five. He was caught speeding on pit road during a late-race green-flag pit stop. A caution flag interrupted the cycle and trapped the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet one lap down. He was unable to make his lap up and ended up 21st in the final rundown.
Through the first nine events on the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series calendar, Caruth has tallied two top fives and five top 10s, while pacing the field for 115 circuits – doubling his total of 56 from the 2024 campaign.
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The 2024 season marked a career year for Caruth where he tallied one win, a pair of Cometic Gasket Pole Awards and five top-five finishes, all of which were the first of his young career. The 12 top-10 finishes on the season tripled Caruth’s total of four in 2023, while his average starting position of 10.7 was four positions higher than 2023 and his 11.6 average finish was an impressive seven positions higher.
With his first career CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last season, Caruth became the third African-American driver to win a NASCAR National Touring Series race, joining 2015 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Wendell Scott and current Cup Series star Bubba Wallace.
Caruth and the No. 71 team qualified for the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series playoffs in 2024, the first such appearance for the former Washington, D.C., resident. Despite reaching the Round of 8, mechanical issues stalled his championship bid in the season’s penultimate event at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.
The blue and white HendrickCars.com colors will wrap Spire Manufacturing chassis SMT-070. In 20 starts, the truck visited Victory Lane three times with Chandler Smith (Phoenix, Nov. 2021; Las Vegas, March 2022; Richmond, Aug. 2022), paced the field for 318 circuits and recorded an 8.7 average finish. Nick Sanchez piloted the chassis to a fourth-place result last November at Phoenix Raceway.
Fans who donate $25 or more to The NASCAR Foundation NASCAR Day Giveathon before 9 a.m. on Wednesday, May 14 can get their name on the bedcover of Rajah Caruth’s No. 71 Silverado at North Wilkesboro. Go to nascardaygiveathon.org to make a donation.

Rajah Caruth Quotes
You’ve put a lot of emphasis on improving at short tracks over the last year. How do you feel you have improved heading into North Wilkesboro?
“I have definitely improved by leaps and bounds over where I was at this point last year. I have put a lot of work into becoming a better short-track racer, and I expect to be really competitive at North Wilkesboro, in particular. I feel confident and ready to go.”

As a self-proclaimed student of the sport, what is it like to race at the hallowed grounds in Wilkes County?
“It is super cool to go to North Wilkesboro. I enjoy driving up U.S. Route 421 on race day morning with the scenic view of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance. Then when you get there, you feel like you are in Days of Thunder. The facility is nice, and despite all the restorations and renovations made, it still has that retro feel. Every time we’ve gone back, there is something new at the facility, so I’m excited to walk around the grounds this weekend and check it out.”
Atop the No. 71 Box – Crew Chief Kevin “Bono” Manion

Veteran crew chief Kevin “Bono” Manion has called two CRAFTSMAN Truck Series events at North Wilkesboro, highlighted by Kyle Larson’s dominant 2022. “Yung Money” led 138 of the event’s 252 laps en route to the second win in the series for Spire Motorsports.
Last season, the 52-year-old helped Nick Sanchez to a seventh-place finish at North Wilkesboro, his fifth consecutive top-10 finish.
Manion, a 31-year veteran of the sport, founded Spire Motorsports’ CRAFTSMAN Truck Series program alongside industry veteran Mike Greci in 2022. The team claimed their first victory in their second outing with William Byron behind the wheel at Martinsville Speedway.
The 53-year-old has racked up six Cup Series victories – including the 2010 Daytona 500 – 17 NASCAR Xfinity Series triumphs and 11 CRAFTSMAN Truck series wins. Manion is also one of 11 crew chiefs to have called wins across all three of NASCAR’s national touring series.
In 2023, Manion became one of few to call a race in all three of NASCAR’s national series in a single season, all of which came under the Spire Motorsports banner. He led the part-time effort on the No. 7 Silverado in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, helped in limited starts for Carson Hocevar in the Xfinity Series and took the reigns during the second half of the Cup Series season for Ty Dillon and the No. 77 team.

Andres Perez de Lara – Driver, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado

Andres Perez de Lara will pilot the No. 77 Telcel Chevrolet Silverado for Spire Motorsports in Saturday’s Window World 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
While the 20-year-old will make his first start at the Wilkes County short-track this weekend, Perez de Lara made 12 short track starts across his two full-time seasons in the ARCA Menards Series. He earned nine top fives, including a pair of runner-up finishes last season at Indianapolis Raceway Park and Salem (Ind.) Speedway, while maintaining an average finish of 4.5.
The Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender has made two short-track starts in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series this season, earning a career-best seventh-place finish at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.
The 2023 NASCAR Mexico Series Rookie of the Year saw success on short tracks during his time in Mexico’s premier stock car series. His lone win in the series came at Ovalo Aguascalientes, a 0.875-mile oval. In 13 appearances on short tracks in the series, Perez de Lara tallied four top fives and nine top 10s.
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The Mexico City native has made 10 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts, nine of which were behind the wheel of a Spire Motorsports Chevy Silverado. He earned his first-career top 10 in his CRAFTSMAN Truck Series debut last June at World Wide Technology Raceway via a ninth-place result. His career-best seventh-place finish at Martinsville Speedway in March marked his second top 10 in the division.
The 2024 ARCA Menards Series champion juggled his duties last season while also competing full time in the NASCAR Mexico Series. In 2023, he earned the Rookie of the Year award while finishing fourth in the division’s championship point standings and reaching the series’ version of the NASCAR playoffs.
Spire Manufacturing chassis SMT-056 will be driven by Perez de Lara on Saturday. The truck has two wins in its 23 starts, visiting Victory Lane with John Hunter Nemechek at Pocono (June, 2021) and Kansas (September, 2022). He drove the chassis to a career-best seventh-place finish at Martinsville in its last appearance.

Andres Perez de Lara Quotes
What are your thoughts on heading to North Wilkesboro for the first time?
“I’m excited to head up to North Wilkesboro for the first time. It should be a good weekend for the 77 team. We’ve been competitive on short tracks and our best run of the year came at Martinsville, so there’s no doubt we can end up with a great result. Our sim work has been productive and I feel confident in the setup we are bringing to the track will be what we need for a good finish. I know that all of our Spire Motorsports Silverados will be fast. Hopefully we can get a good result and start building momentum for the summer stretch.”

What do you think about the history and storied past of North Wilkesboro?
“Even though I’ve never been to North Wilkesboro before, the history is something that is special. The throwback atmosphere is something that I like a lot. Everyone that is someone in NASCAR has won there. The track is so unique to anywhere else we race. I have heard stories of races that have taken place up there, and I’m excited to have the opportunity to race there.”

Spire Motorsports PR