Justin Haley – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet ZL1
| START: 22ND | FINISH: 23RD | POINTS: 30TH |
A late-race incident while competing for position inside the top five relegated Justin Haley to a 23rd-place finish in Saturday evening’s Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart. After starting 22nd, Haley moved forward prior to a red flag for inclement weather on Lap 43.
When the red flag was lifted, the No. 7 Gainbridge Chevrolet received wedge adjustments to improve balance, along with four fresh Goodyear tires and a full load of fuel. A caution with two laps remaining in Stage 1 led to a multi-car incident, which Haley narrowly avoided.
With 33 laps remaining, a competitor lost control and made contact with the fifth-place No. 7 Chevrolet, sending the driver spinning and flattening three tires. The team was forced to the DVP area where they made adequate repairs and bolted on four fresh Goodyear tires to finish the event. After returning to action, Haley finished 23rd, two laps behind the leaders. Unfortunately, the result was not enough to advance to Round 2 of the inaugural NASCAR In-Season Challenge as Haley’s competitor, Ty Gibbs, crossed the line 14th.
Justin’s Post-Race Comments
“We had another strong day with out No. 7 Gainbridge Chevrolet. Just unfortunate end to a good day. We will regroup and head to Chicago.”
Michael McDowell – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet ZL1
| START: 32ND | FINISH: 18TH | POINTS: 22ND |
Michael McDowell rebounded from a multi-car incident early in Stage 2 by earning multiple free passes en route to a hard fought 18th-place result in Saturday evening’s Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart.
After starting 32nd, the No. 71 team utilized a rain-induced delay on Lap 32 to remain on the race track and gain track position, allowing the Glendale, Ariz., native to restart seventh. The father-of-five held on to cross the line 14th at the conclusion of the opening stanza.
In Stage Two, a 23-car wreck collected the No. 71 Delaware Life Chevrolet ZL1, sustaining right-rear toe link damage. The Travis Peterson-led crew hit pit road and made three consecutive adjustments to avoid timing concerns regarding NASCAR’s DVP clock. Amazingly, the team changed the toe link while only falling one lap behind the leaders. As the Final Stage started, the father of five continued to fall laps down after losing the draft. The team continued to make repairs to the nose and hood, and with 28 laps remaining, returned to the lead lap.
After restarting 17th on the final restart, the No. 71 brought home a hard-fought 18th-place result. Unfortunately, the finish was not enough to advance to Round 2 of the inaugural NASCAR In-Season Challenge as McDowell’s competitor, A.J. Allmendinger, crossed the line 12th.
Michael’s Post-Race Comments
“It was a long night; not what we hoped for. We got damage early on and fought hard, but couldn’t really make anything happen. We didn’t have much speed with the damage. All the guys on the Delaware Life Chevy team didn’t quit, we got a couple laps back, and were able to make up a few positions. On to Chicago next week.”
Carson Hocevar – Driver, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet ZL1
| START: 30TH | FINISH: 10TH | POINTS: 18TH |
Carson Hocevar drove the No. 77 Ride The ‘Dente Chevrolet ZL1 to a 10th-place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He started 30th and made his way into the top 10 just 20 laps into the 260-lap event. Hocevar completed Stage 1 in the fifth position to pick up six stage points.
Hocevar began the second stage in 29th after only half the field pitted at the stage break. The No. 77 was collected during a 23-car pile up on the Lap-68 restart, forcing the team to the garage for repairs. Hocevar returned the track one lap down, despite multiple pit stops for additional repairs. During a Lap-111 caution, the Portage, Mich., native earned the free pass, returning to lead lap status. He was scored 18th at the conclusion of Stage 2 and the team utilized the pit stop at the stage break to continue working on the car.
The 2024 Cup Series Rookie of the Year began the Final Stage in 21st but quickly made his way to the front and battled within the top 10 for the final 85 laps. With six laps remaining, Hocevar reported he had worn out the right-rear tire and was struggling to gain positions. He held on to claim his fourth top-10 finish of the season via a 10th-place result.
The finish propelled Hocevar to Round 2 of the inaugural NASCAR In-Season Tournament, while his competitor, Ryan Blaney, was knocked out in Stage One in an incident. Next week at Chicago, he will compete against Tyler Reddick to further advance in the brand-new head-to-head shootout.
Carson’s Post-Race Comments
“We battled a lot of adversity today and still came out with a top 10. I couldn’t be more proud of the No. 77 team for pushing through and making the repairs needed to get us back up front. We’ve had some wild rides in the Ride The ‘Dente Chevy and it was nice to come out of one of those with a decent finish.”
Up Next…
The NASCAR Cup Series season rolls on next Sunday, July 6 in the streets of Chicago. The Grant Park 165 will be televised live on TNT at 2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).
The 19th of 36 points paying-races on the Cup Series schedule will also 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 May 30, 2025, when Rajah Caruth took the checkered flag in the Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway.
In 2025, Spire Motorsports campaigns the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolets in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team also fields 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.