Spire Motorsports Bolsters Ascent Program Through Partnership With CB Industries

Five months following the inception of Spire Motorsports’ Ascent Program, the effort has already cycled through its first expansion. In a joint venture between Chad Boat Industries (CBI) and Spire Motorsports, Logan Seavey climbed aboard the No. 87X Freeway Insurance winged sprint car for the first time in 2026 for the March 19 Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing Series event at Central Arizona Raceway.

When the checkered flag waved on the third night of racing, Seavey pocketed a pair of top-10 finishes. Not bad for a guy who had only made nine winged sprint car starts prior to the event.

Seavey, 28, may be relatively new to the High Limit ranks, but he’s one of the most compelling non-wing racers to strap into the ultra-light, high-horsepower machines in recent years. In 2024, the Sutter, Calif., native claimed his second consecutive Chili Bowl Nationals championship. Only four other drivers have won back-to-back Golden Drillers – Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Rico Abreu and Kevin Swindell.

Following his win at the annual Tulsa, Okla., speedfest, Seavey competed full time in the USAC National Sprint Car Series where he led the series in wins (14), laps led (364), top fives (31) and top 10s (38).

His 14 wins tied the all-time record for most wins in a season, first set by Tom Bigelow in 1977, setting Seavey on course to claim the championship by a handsome 107 points over his nearest competitor.

It was a season loaded with impressive highlights, including the highly coveted USAC Career Triple Crown Championship - a title awarded by securing a trifecta of championships across USAC’s Silver Crown, National Sprint Car and National Midget Series. It’s a season Seavey won’t soon forget and he’ll go down as only one of eight drivers since USAC’s 1956 founding to have earned the recognition. Seavey’s notable accomplishments over a six-year span (Silver Crown championship in 2023 and National Midget Series titles in 2018 and 2023) added him to a list that included some of the most recognizable names in the fabled sanctioning body’s history.

Seavey’s accolades speak volumes as he continues to adapt to winged sprint car racing, and his early performance with the No. 87X CB Industries/Spire Motorsports team is reflective of what has come to be expected in the early days of the Ascent Program.

In the meantime, Giovanni (Gio) “Hot Sauce” Scelzi has lived up to his name in High Limit competition. Through the first 10 races, Scelzi and crew chief Eric Prutzman have claimed four top-five and 10 top-10 finishes to sit fourth in points. Add another top five and two top 10s for the pair through two Roto-Rooter Midweek Series’ starts.

As if an additional sprint car entry wasn’t enough, CB Industries and Spire Motorsports will also field a part-time USAC Sprint Car entry with Steven Snyder, Jr., behind the wheel. The first race for the team will be at Eldora (Ohio) Speedway on May 15.

Snyder, Jr., got his first taste from the CB/Spire well when he filled in May 2 for Seavey at Texas Motor Speedway. The 21-year-old racer from Rising Sun, Md., made his Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing debut and finished fifth in his heat to transfer to the A-Main Saturday night.

In 2025, Snyder, Jr., ranked eighth in USAC National Midget Series points on the strength of six top fives in 23 feature starts. He matched his best finish of second during the Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway Grand Prix and Placerville (Calif.) Speedway’s Hangtown 100. Meanwhile, led six laps at Eldora’s 4-Crown Nationals and set quick time Merced (Calif.) Fairgrounds Speedway.

In just its first five months of existence, the Ascent Program drivers and teams have combined to earn two wins, 19 top fives, and 35 top 10s.

On the pavement side of the team’s developmental program, Tristan McKee, 15, went to victory in his first two ARCA Menards Series East starts of 2026 at Hickory (N.C.) Speedway and Rockingham (N.C.) Raceway. Last weekend, McKee finished third at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway to give him a uber-impressive 1.7 average finish to kick off the season. This weekend, McKee returns to Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International as the defending winner of the General Tire 100 where last year’s victory made him the second-youngest winner in series’ history.

Aside from his full-time gig on the 38-race NASCAR Cup Series tour in Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Chevy, Carson Hocevar, has contributed to the team’s success on dirt and pavement. In December 2025, the Portage, Mich., native raced his way into both features at the Gateway Dirt Nationals in St. Louis. In February he teamed with McKee at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway where both drivers turned in top-five finishes.

While the season is still young on superspeedways and short tracks alike, success is starting to feel old hat for the Ascent program.