Spire Motorsports Iowa Corn 350 Race Report 2026

Sunday's Iowa Corn 350 powered by Ethanol at Iowa Speedway was a race of attrition for the Spire Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series trio. Daniel Suárez led the team with a 23rd-place result while Michael McDowell was close behind in 25th. Carson Hocevar battled with mechanical troubles throughout the day, ultimately finishing 31st. Hocevar fell to eighth in the driver championship point standings with three races remaining before The Chase field is set. Suárez is 12th with McDowell in 21th.

After qualifying 33rd in the No. 7 Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Suárez struggled to find grip throughout the race, but worked his way into the top 20 ahead of the final stage. He was able to race into the top 10 prior to the final green-flag pit stop of the day, but a continued lack of grip resulted in Suárez falling the 23rd in the final laps. McDowell was the top qualifier for Spire Motorsports, starting 11th for the 350-lap race. He reported early in the running that his No. 71 Delaware Life Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was too free and lacked grip as he dropped to 26th by the end of the first stage. The Glendale, Ariz., native worked his way back into the top 15, but a pit road penalty at the conclusion of Stage 2 hindered the team's progress. A lengthy green-flag run prevented the team from being able to advance their position after beginning the final stint at the back of the pack. Hocevar started 18th in the No. 77 Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and quickly moved into the 11th position before a Lap-5 caution. On the ensuing run, the Portage, Mich., native reported an engine issue. The team made multiple efforts throughout the race to diagnose the problem, with Hocevar losing several laps to the leaders before things were resolved.

Next, up the NASCAR Cup Series will race under the lights at Richmond Raceway on Saturday, August 15. The 400-lap race at the .75-mile short track will be broadcast live on USA beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The 24th of 36 points-paying races on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t have what we needed to get the best finish this weekend, we just didn’t have enough speed. I think we did a good job Saturday to Sunday, so we will take what we learned today and move forward to Richmond.”

"We had some bright spots today in our Delaware Life Camaro, but a penalty set us back after we had made up a lot of track position. This one is tough, just a weekend that didn't go our way here in Iowa. We needed a good day today, but it wasn't meant to be."

“It’s unfortunate we didn’t get a chance to race much today. We had a really fast car. Thanks to everyone at Spire Motorsports and the No. 77 team for their hard work. We will look on to Richmond next week.”

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 July 7, 2019. Less than three years later, William Byron drove Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado its first NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win April 7, 2022, at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The team’s most recent win came on May 24, 2026, when Daniel Suárez took the checkered flag in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

In 2026, Spire Motorsports campaigns 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.

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