ABOUT SPIRE MOTORSPORTS

COREY LAJOIE / #7

Corey LaJoie has become a NASCAR Cup Series mainstay over the last six seasons and has logged 200 starts in NASCAR’s premier division heading into 2023. His career totals include five top-10 finishes with a career-best fifth-place effort coming in the 2022 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Last season, LaJoie scored one top-five, one top-10, seven top-15 and 14 top-20 finishes.

A third-generation racer whose father and grandfather are members of the New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame, LaJoie won his way to the NASCAR Cup Series ranks through top developmental series like the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (six victories) and the ARCA Menards Series (three wins). The 31-year-old driver also competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (two top 10s) and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (one top 10) enroute to his full-time seat in NASCAR Cup Series.

TY DILLON / #77

Ty Dillon made his NASCAR Cup Series debut August 31, 2014, for Richard Childress Racing. The Lewisville, N.C. native comes to Spire Motorsports after spending 2022 at the wheel of the No. 42 Chevrolet for Petty GMS. In 202 NASCAR Cup Series starts on his resume heading into 2023, Dillon has recorded two top-five and seven top-10 finishes. He notched a career-best third-place finish October 4, 2020, in the Yellawood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

In NASCAR Xfinity Series competition, Dillon is a veteran of 161 starts, including four poles, one win, 34 top fives and 92 top 10s. He is a veteran of 58 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts scoring five pole positions, three victories, 20 top-five and 36 top-10 finishes. Dillon is a nine-time ARCA Menards Series race winner and the division’s 2011 champion.

JEFF
DICKERSON

CO-OWNER

Jeff Dickerson is the co-owner of Spire Motorsports and CEO and co-founder of Spire Holdings. A native of Indianapolis, Dickerson has forged relationships and facilitated opportunities with some of the most prominent team owners and drivers in both NASCAR and IndyCar, making him one of the most influential figures in American motorsports.

A former USAC midget racer from Indiana, Dickerson’s professional management career began in 2001 at Motorsports Management International (MMI), a leading management company for drivers, sponsors, and race teams. At MMI, Dickerson led the company’s driver development program, directing the careers of young and prominent drivers as both an agent and client manager. In 2010, Dickerson departed MMI and co-founded Spire Sports + Entertainment (SS+E) with business partner Thaddeus “T.J.” Puchyr.

Since then, both Spire Motorsports and SS+E have become subsidiaries of parent organization Spire Holdings, where Dickerson is the face of Spire’s diverse sports portfolio which includes Spire Motorsports, SS+E, ECHL hockey teams the Rapid City (S.D.) Rush and the Greenville (S.C.) Swamp Rabbits and short track promotions company Track Enterprises.

TJ
PUCHYR

CO-OWNER

Thaddeus “T.J.” Puchyr developed his affinity for racing as a child in his native New York after his father, Ted, introduced him to future NASCAR Hall of Famers Richie Evans and Mike Stefanik. Since then, Puchyr has been pivotal in forming relationships that have produced some of the most visible partnerships on the NASCAR stage. At the same time, Puchyr has been instrumental in the careers of some of the sport’s most successful and visible drivers.

Puchyr joined the NASCAR industry in 2003 and was influential in securing partnerships with BRANDT, Dollar General, the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Great Clips, Hass Avocados, and TRIMSPA, many which continue to demonstrate marketing success both on and off the track today. Puchyr’s work also helped fuel Toyota’s first win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

In 2012, Puchyr transitioned full time to Spire Sports + Entertainment (SS+E), eventually developing Spire Holdings – the parent company of Spire Motorsports, SS+E, Spire Hockey and Track Enterprises. He continues to play a leading role in all aspects of the organization, fostering new relationships and introducing marketers to the motorsports’ platform.

RYAN
SPARKS

#7 CREW CHIEF/DIRECTOR OF COMPETITION

Ryan Sparks, a native of Winston-Salem, N.C., is the crew chief for driver Corey LaJoie and enters his third season atop the pit box for Spire Motorsports No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Last season, Sparks and LaJoie combined for one top-five, one top-10, seven top-15 and 14 top-20 finishes, including a season best fifth-place effort in the Folds of Honor Quik Trip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. In 2021, Sparks and LaJoie earned a ninth-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500 and wrapped up the year with eight top-20 finishes over 36 races. Prior to his arrival at Spire Motorsports, Sparks bolstered his resume at Go Fas Racing and Richard Childress Racing (RCR). During his 13-year tenure at RCR, Sparks celebrated the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and 2013 NASCAR Xfinity Series championships, and NASCAR Cup Series victories in the 2017 Coca-Cola 600 and the 2018 Daytona 500.

KEVIN “BONO”
MANION

Manion has been a staple atop the pit box since 2002 and boasts wins in all three of NASCAR’s elite touring series.

Some of his most recognizable accomplishments include back-to-back NASCAR Xfinity Series Championships with Martin Truex Jr., (’04 – ‘05) and NASCAR Cup Series wins including the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and Bank of America 500 with Jamie McMurray. He has collected NCWTS wins with Byron, Daniel Suarez, Kyle Busch, Tyler Ankrum and Zane Smith.

STEVE
LETARTE

EXECUTIVE CONSULTANT

Steve Letarte accumulated 15 wins during his 10 years as a crew chief in NASCAR’s premier series, including a victory in the pinnacle of stock car events, the 2014 Daytona 500. Letarte’s journey into the world of racing began at the age of 16 when he started working at Hendrick Motorsports. He worked his way up through the ranks at the team and was promoted to crew chief at the age of 25, making him one of the youngest crew chiefs in the history of the sport. As a dynamic, skillful leader, Letarte served as the NASCAR premier series crew chief for four-time championship driver Jeff Gordon, and NASCAR’s most popular driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.

After stepping down from the pit box following the 2014 NASCAR season, Letarte joined the NBC Sports team to serve as a television analyst for the network’s motorsports programming. Letarte commentates NASCAR races aired on the NBC networks, which have a total viewership of more than 80 million households annually. Viewers can also watch Letarte weekly on the television show NASCAR America. Between race weekend broadcasts and the studio shows, Letarte is on television for more than 200 hours of programming each year.