Daytona 500 Race Report

Justin Haley – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet ZL1

Justin Haley rolled off the grid 35th for the 67th edition of the Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. After a pair of rain delays, Haley restarted 38th. The Winamac, Ind.,  strategically remained in the rear of the field to conserve fuel throughout Stage One and Stage Two. As the laps ticked down, Haley took advantage of other’s misfortune to advance through the field, placing the No. 7 Chili’s Ride the ‘Dente Chevrolet ZL1 19th for NASCAR overtime. The 25-year-old had momentum in the outside lane, but was narrowly collected in a last-lap incident. After reigning in his Chevrolet, Haley vaulted across the line in the 19th position.

Justin’s Post-Race Comments
“Not the best speedweek for the No. 7 team, but we did all we could to get the best outcome for Sunday. The team at Spire Motorsports brought three fast Chevrolets to Daytona, and unfortunately we had to use our back up car. I appreciate the whole team for coming together and getting the car ready for the race. The outcome wasn’t what we wanted but we will head to Atlanta next week with higher aspirations.”

Michael McDowell – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet ZL1

Michael McDowell started 25th for the 67th running of the Daytona 500 and quickly advanced the No. 71 Go Bowling Chevrolet ZL1 to 17th after a 10-lap green-flag run. A four-hour rain delay put a damper on the day’s festivities, but racing resumed as darkness encroached upon Daytona International Speedway. Strategy placed the father-of-five at the rear of the field for the majority of Stage One. After beginning Stage Two in the 21st position, the 2021 Daytona 500 champion cycled to eighth and led his first lap of the day on Lap 91. The 41-year-old restarted 20th in the Final Stage, visiting pit road for the final time with 36 laps remaining to top off on fuel. After setting the race’s fastest lap at a speed of 199.292mph, McDowell was positioned for a strong finish when a red flag was issued with four laps to go due to a multi-car incident. On the ensuing restart, McDowell navigated the late-race carnage to secure an 11th-place finish.

Michael’s Post-Race Comments
“Not the result we wanted, but I’m so thankful for everyone at Go Bowling. We ended up 11th; it just wasn’t what we needed tonight. We had a fuel pump issue early on, but were able to manage that. We lost track position, but in the end, the inevitable chaos broke out. While it’s not the finish we wanted, we are happy about a clean finish, and bringing home our No. 71 Go Bowling Chevrolet in one piece to improve on. I’m thankful for everyone and their effort in our first showing as a group, and I’m looking forward to Atlanta next week.”

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

Carson Hocevar started 33rd for the season-opening Daytona 500 and completed four circuits before reporting a loss of fuel pressure aboard his Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet. Just as the team regrouped, weather intervened and the race was placed until a four-hour red-flag delay. When the race returned to green-flag action, the Portage, Mich., native was scored 40th with a plan to stay toward the back of the pack to conserve fuel for the remainder of Stage One. The No. 77 lined up 30th for Stage 2 and ran as high as 23rd before completing the stage in 27th. Hocevar dropped to the back for the start of the final stage to save fuel until the final scheduled pit stop. The 2024 Rookie of the Year was 25th when the yellow flag was shown on Lap 197, with just three laps remaining in the event. The 22-year-old radioed to the team a loss fuel pressure in the secondary fuel pump. The team pushed the car behind the wall and were unable to refire the car, forcing a retirement from the event a measly 15 miles from the 500-mile mark. Hocevar was relegated to a 30th-place result.

Carson’s Post-Race Comments
“The No. 77 Zeigler Auto Group bunch had a great strategy, but early fuel pump issues put us behind. It felt like we were out of the woods and on track for a decent finish when all of the cautions started at the end, but it just didn’t go our way. We’ll take a look at what’s going on and move on to Atlanta.”

Up Next…
The NASCAR Cup Series season rolls on as the tour’s cars and stars take to the exciting Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 23. The Ambetter Health 400 will be televised live on FOX at 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST).

The second of 36 points-paying races in the Cup Series calendar will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

To stay up-to-date on all the latest news and exclusive content, follow Spire Motorsports on Facebook, X and Instagram, and visit Spire-Motorsports.com.

About Spire Motorsports …

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

In 2025, Spire Motorsports will campaign the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolets in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team will also field the Nos. 07, 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Silverados in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and the No. 77 Chevrolet in the ARCA Menards Series in select events.