Spire Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series Sonoma Race Report 2026

Carson Hocevar started on the front row for the second straight week, but it was Michael McDowell that led the way for Spire Motorsports in Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway. The Glendale, Ariz., native finished ninth to earn his fifth top 10 of 2026 and fourth on a road course. Hocevar drove to an 11th-place finish - his best in three starts at Sonoma - while Daniel Suárez took the checkered flag in 31st after a tire issue early in the race. Midway through the schedule, and with eight races remaining in the regular season, Hocevar is eighth in points, Suárez is ninth and McDowell sits 21st. By virtue of their finishes, McDowell and Hocevar will compete in the next round of the In Season Challenge.

McDowell started the day in fourth in the No. 71 Delaware Life Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and powered to second by the completion of Lap 1. He collected a third-place effort in Stage 1 and returned to the top 10 in the Final Stage where he maintained his position through green-flag pit stops prior to tire wear coming into play late in the race. Despite taking the lead entering Turn 2 at the start of the race, Hocevar battled a loose-handling No. 77 Classic Collision Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and dropped to tenth before crossing the line for the first time. Pit strategy kept the Portage, Mich., native on track through the end of the first stage to earn a fourth-place finish. Following green-flag stops in the Final Stage, Hocevar drove from 18th to  take the checkered flag in 11th. Just 15 laps into the 110-lap event, Suárez was forced to pit when the left-front tire on the No. 7 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 began going down. Despite the setback and handling struggles, the Monterrey, Mexico native worked his way through the field and climbed as high as 14th before a fuel stop under green in the Final Stage shuffled him back in the running order. He ultimately crossed the finish line in 31st.

After a seven-year hiatus, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., on Sunday, July 5. The eero 400 will be broadcast live on TNT beginning at 6 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The 19th 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.

“It was a frustrating day for our No. 7 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet. We had an early tire going down that put us behind, and from there we just couldn't find the right balance. The rear of the car never felt the way we needed it to, and that made it tough to make up ground. My team kept working hard and made adjustments all day, but we just couldn't get the car where it needed to be. We'll learn from this one, keep digging, and come back stronger next week.”

“We just didn’t quite have the speed that we needed in our No. 71 Delaware Life Chevrolet, especially on the long runs. We fired off pretty well, but then around 15 laps into the run, I would start losing the rears pretty quickly and fading back. We did a decent job maximizing our points with getting points in that first stage, but we just didn’t quite have enough today to really challenge for the win. It’s disappointing, but we’ll take a top-10 finish for two-straight weeks. It’s not the points we needed, but overall, we executed a good day.”

"I was really happy with the No. 77 Chevy. We had good speed. We’ve been working on the road course package little by little, and I think we’ve got it headed in the right direction. We came to a traditional road course, showed speed, got stage points, and finished 11th. We were good on the long run, which is definitely a first for me on road courses."

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.

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 .