Spire Motorsports Jack Link's 500 Race Report 2026

Race Notes:

• Carson Hocevar earned his first NASCAR Cup Series victory in 91 races during Sunday's Jack Link's 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.
• Hocevar led a total of 19 laps and finished 0.114 seconds ahead of runner-up Chris Buescher.

Daniel Suárez - Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Daniel Suárez, driver of the No. 7 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Spire Motorsports, earned his eighth top-20 finish of the season through 10 races after overcoming Stage 2 damage and multiple pit stops for repairs, ultimately rebounding to finish 12th in the Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Inclement weather canceled Saturday’s qualifying, which placed Suárez 16th in the starting lineup per the NASCAR Rulebook. Suárez focused on fuel conservation while running mid-pack in Stage 1. He made his first scheduled stop under green on Lap 48 for four fresh Goodyear Eagles and Sunoco Racing fuel, but left his stall before the refueling was complete and dropped to 27th. As the field progressed through long green-flag runs and a second round of green-flag pit stops, Suárez worked his way forward to ultimately complete Stage 1 in 15th.

Suárez restarted 14th for a 45-lap run in Stage 2 and worked the third lane with a line of Chevrolets tucked in behind him. He was collected in an incident on Lap 115 while running eighth and came to his pit stall under the red flag while the team assessed the damage. Crew chief Ryan Sparks put together a repair plan, and once the red flag was lifted, the No. 7 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet took four tires before rejoining the field. Suárez then made additional stops for splitter and bodywork repairs before returning to the race in 19th. When the green flag waved again on Lap 131, Suárez started 20th with all other cars a lap down; he went on to finish 20th in Stage 2.

The Monterey, Mexico native restarted 16th in the final segment. Following two additional cautions and additional repairs, the field was set for a three-lap shootout. Despite the setback, Suárez finished 12th and earned his eighth top-20 finish of the season through 10 races.

Daniel’s Post-Race Comments
“Overall, it was a solid day for the No. 7 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet. It wasn’t perfect, but we stayed in the mix and got through it. The last adjustment freed it up a bit, but it was still pretty tight. At that point, I felt like it was the only move we had to help it, so it was worth the shot, but on to Texas next week. I’m super happy for Carson (Hocevar) and the whole Spire Motorsports team—it means a lot to this organization. Congrats to him!”

Michael McDowell - Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Michael McDowell was credited with a finish of 32nd in Sunday’s Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway following contact with a competitor in Stage 2 that led to lengthy repair work by the No. 71 GUNK team.

A rained out qualifying session on Saturday set the Cup Series field by the rule book, positioning the No. 71 GUNK Chevrolet in the 31st position for Sunday’s 500-mile contest at Talladega. The 98-lap opening frame allowed the No. 71 crew to save significant fuel by maintaining their position in the back-half of the draft. The Glendale, Ariz., native visited pit road for a fresh set of Goodyear Eagles and Sunoco Racing fuel, but a miscommunication during the full-service stop sent the GUNK machine back on track without drafting help. Following a second scheduled green-flag pit stop, the 41-year-old driver raced to a 19th-place finish in Stage 1.

The start of Stage 2 saw the two-time Cup Series winner take the green flag from the 18th position on Lap 105. A caution just 10 laps later sent McDowell into the outside safer barrier, causing minimal damage to his Chevrolet. Despite escaping the carnage of the earlier multi-vehicle incident, contact with a competitor on Lap 124 sent McDowell to the garage with front and rear toe-link paired with control arm damage. After extensive repairs and teamwork, the No. 71 Chevrolet rejoined the field on Lap 162 in the 33rd position, 38 laps behind the leaders. McDowell was able to salvage an additional position to ultimately cross the finish line in 32nd.

Michael's Post-Race Comments
"I mean, rough day for our No. 71 GUNK Chevrolet. It felt like we made it through the big one, then got taken out individually, but so happy for Carson. So happy for Spire Motorsports to get a big win here at Talladega and a career-first win for Carson in a tough series. It’s awesome. So, proud of everybody, it’s been an awesome moment."

Carson Hocevar - Driver, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Carson Hocevar drove the No. 77 Chili’s Ride The ‘Dente Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to Victory Lane in Sunday’s Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. It was the first NASCAR Cup Series victory for the 23-year-old driver and second for Spire Motorsports. Hocevar led 19 laps and crossed the finish line 0.114 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Chris Buescher.

Hocevar started 12th after inclement weather cancelled Saturday morning’s qualifying session, meaning the starting lineup was set by the NASCAR Cup Series rulebook. The No. 77 team made the decision to remain near the back of the pack in order to maximize fuel-saving efforts throughout the first stage. The Portage, Mich., native closed the 98-lap opening segment 16th.

The 2024 Cup Series Rookie of the Year started Stage 2 in the 23rd position but was quickly shuffled out of the pack. By a turn of luck, in a matter of laps, a 26-car pileup occurred at the front of the field. Despite avoiding the wreck, Hocevar locked up the left-front tire to slow down, causing the tire to blow. He nursed his Chevrolet to pit road unscathed for four fresh tires, restarting 16th for the final 21 laps of Stage 2. In the wake of the major incident, the field played it safe and Hocevar took the green-and-white checkered flag in 12th.

A speedy fuel-only stop during the ensuing stage break allowed the 23-year-old driver to exit pit road third, lining up on the outside of the second row for the Lap-151 restart. Hocevar surged forward, taking the lead for the first time on Lap 151, and managed the top spot until a Lap-162 caution slowed the field. He restarted second on Lap 167, trading the lead with Buescher over the final 21 laps to win his first NASCAR Cup Series race in his sixth start at Talladega.
 

Carson’s Post-Race Comments
“I am just so thankful. This is the biggest dream I have ever thought of. Thank you to everybody at Spire Motorsports, Jeff Dickerson, Chevrolet, the Hendrick engine shop and all of the partners that stand behind us. I couldn't have done it a better way. We rode the 'Dente today, that’s for sure. I mean just unbelievable… it’s a dream. It just means a lot. Just to see how excited everybody was on my team, all of the Chili's guests. It just takes a lot to race at this level and everything. It really does mean the world. I've dreamt about this. It feels like I'm really living the dream that I dreamt and thought of and daydreamed, everything in between.
 
“The cliché is you got to lose some to win some. There were a lot of times where I felt like we got taken out leading or up front and I didn't even know if we were going to make the right move or not. I felt like there were a lot of days last year that were good enough to win. I didn't get to the end to see if I was going to lose or win.”

Up Next...
The NASCAR Cup Series takes on Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 3. The Würth 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY will be televised live on FS1 at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

The 11th of 36 points-paying races on the Cup Series calendar will be broadcast live on the Performance 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 fields full-time entries in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing.

The team, co-owned by longtime NASCAR industry executive Jeff Dickerson and TWG Motorsports CEO Dan Towriss, 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 Apr. 26, 2026, when Carson Hocevar took the checkered flag in the Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

In 2026, Spire Motorsports will campaign the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s in the NASCAR Cup Series and the Nos. 7 and 77 Chevrolet Silverado RSTs in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The Mooresville, N.C., organization will also field the No. 77 410 sprint car in Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing competition.