Spire Motorsports NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Talladega Race Report 2026
By PGORDON
Sammy Smith earned his first-career NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Race win in the No. 7 Spectrum Chevrolet Silverado RST at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Austin Green drove the No. 77 GUNK Chevrolet Silverado RST to a third-place effort in his first CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start. The No. 77 team is sixth in The Chase owner standings while the No. 7 team sits seventh.
Smith started on the front row for Friday's race and took the lead for the first time on Lap 2. The Johnston, Iowa native led six times for a total of 21 laps and took the lead for the final time coming through the tri-oval in NASCAR Overtime. The victory marked the third win of 2026 for the Brian Pattie-led No. 7 team. Green started sixth in his first CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start and led three times for 14 laps. The GUNK driver ran inside the top 10 for majority of the race, but following a series of cautions beginning on Lap 50, Green fell back to 17th. When the field lined up for Overtime, Green restarted in the fifth position and quickly found his Spire Motorsports teammate to charge to the front. The Concord, N.C., native made a three-wide pass coming to the line to finish third in his series debut.
The CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Chase continues next Friday, Oct. 30 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The Black's Tire 200 presented by Down East Heating & Air Conditioning will be televised live on FS1 at 6 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The 23rd of 25 races on the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series calendar, and sixth of seven Chase races, will also be broadcast live on the NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
“The Spectrum Chevrolet was fast. The whole crew did a great job today. We put ourselves in position at the end to come out on top. Thanks to Spectrum for coming on board and Spire Motorsports for the opportunity. I'm really looking forward to getting back in the truck next week and racing for a Martinsville clock."
“We had a really fast No. 77 Gunk Chevrolet, and I can't thank everybody enough at Spire Motorsports for the opportunity. It's fun when you have the speed that allows you to make moves and all that, so hopefully we can do some more races in the future. Thank you to Mr. Hendrick for helping make this happen as well. It was a lot of fun, and I was waiting for the big one there at the end, but I gave Sammy a good push and hopefully that was what helped him to the win. Overall, it was a good day, and I can’t thank everybody enough.”
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 victory came May 24, 2026, when Daniel Suárez won the NASCAR Cup Series’ 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 also fields the No. 77 410 sprint car in Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing competition.
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