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NASCAR Cup Series

Spire Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series Martinsville II Race Advance 2026

By PGORDON

  • In 31 previous NASCAR Cup Series starts at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, Spire Motorsports has seven top-20 results and a best finish of 12th earned by Michael McDowell in March 2025. Spire Motorsports fields the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s in NASCAR's premier division with Daniel Suárez, McDowell and Carson Hocevar, respectively.
  • The NASCAR Cup Series will contest the ninth race of The Chase Sunday at Martinsville. Hocevar and Suárez sit 10th and 14th, respectively, in the championship standings. McDowell is 20th in points following last week's race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.
  • The 500-lap NASCAR Cup Series race from Martinsville Speedway will be televised live on NBC Sunday, Nov. 1 beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The 35th of 36 points-paying races on the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series calendar will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

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

  • Daniel Suárez will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Gainbridge℠ Assists Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway.
  • Gainbridge℠, Parity, and the Women's Sports Foundation (WSF®) today named the 2026 grant recipients of Gainbridge Assists Powered by Parity, awarding $250,000 across 32 organizations expanding access to sports and education for girls and women nationwide. The 2026 cohort spans 20 states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico – with six states represented for the first time –and pushes the program's cumulative investment to almost $700,000 across 87 organizations. Gainbridge Assists has become a force in advancing equity in sports, directly supporting grassroots leaders and community-based programs that use sport and education as a platform to build confidence, opportunity, and leadership.
  • The Monterrey, Mexico native has made 19 starts at Martinsville, , opens in a new tab earning two top-10 and seven top-20 results with 20 laps led at the 0.526-mile layout.
  • Suárez finished 20th in this year's spring race at Martinsville where he battled handling issues and sustained front-end damage late in the day.
  • In Sunday’s Cup Series race at Talladega, Suárez overcame a speeding penalty and Lap 131 crash damage to finish 18th, earning his 27th top-20 finish this season.
  • Suárez sits 14th in points, 240 behind the leader. Through 34 races, Suárez has recorded one win, three top fives, eight top 10s and 27 top-20 finishes. He’s logged an average starting position of 14.3 and a 15.0 average finish.
  • The 34-year-old driver has made 357 Cup Series starts, highlighted by victories at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway (June 2022), Atlanta Motor Speedway (February 2024) and Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (May 2026). A 10-season veteran of NASCAR’s premier division, he has earned 27 top-five and 83 top-10 finishes since making his Cup Series debut in 2017. Suárez has also led 949 laps and collected three career poles over that span.

 

Daniel Suárez Quote

What makes Martinsville such a challenging track, and what have you and your team been working on to be prepared for this fall’s race?

“We’re looking to have a stronger weekend with our No. 7 Gainbridge Assists Chevrolet this time around. Martinsville is a tough place, and getting the handling right is what we need to have a good race. We’ve learned a lot since the spring, and hopefully, we can put together a fast-qualifying lap and be in position to compete for a solid finish. We want to keep improving and give our team something to build on heading into the final two races of the season.”

Ryan Sparks - Crew Chief, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

  • Ryan Sparks is the Crew Chief of Spire Motorsports' No. 7 Gainbridge Assists Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 with driver Daniel Suárez in the NASCAR Cup Series.
  • Sparks has called 236 Cup Series races, earning one victory, seven top-five and 18 top-10 finishes since keying the mic for the first time in NASCAR’s premier division in 2020.
  • The Winston-Salem, N.C., native has called 11 races at Martinsville, earning three top-20 finishes with his best result coming with driver Corey LaJoie who took the checkered flag 18th in June 2020.
  • Sparks joined Spire Motorsports in 2021, where he served as both Crew Chief and Competition Director, leading the organization’s competitive and technical efforts. In 2026, Sparks serves in a singular role as crew chief for Daniel Suárez. He brings more than a decade of experience across all three of NASCAR’s national touring series, highlighted by 13 seasons at Richard Childress Racing and contributions to title-winning campaigns in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (2011) and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (2013).

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

  • Michael McDowell will pilot the No. 71 Delaware Life Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Sunday’s 500-lap NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway.
  • McDowell has made 31 starts at the Ridgeway, Va., oval , opens in a new tab, highlighted by a 12th-place finish in spring 2025.
  • Across those same starts at the famed half-mile, the veteran racer has earned two top-15 and seven top-20 finishes in NASCAR’s premier division.
  • In the Cup Series' most recent visit to Martinsville, McDowell qualified 20th and finished 18th.
  • McDowell made his first NASCAR Cup Series start at a snowy Martinsville Speedway on March 30, 2008, over 6,800 days ago, for the now defunct Michael Waltrip Racing.
  • Not only did he make his Cup Series debut at Martinsville, but McDowell also made his NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series debut at the iconic venue in October 2007. He qualified 29th and ran 181 of the possible 200 laps before being collected in a late-race incident, leaving him 31st in the final rundown.
  • Last weekend, the 2021 Daytona 500 Champion qualified 23rd and finished 10th in the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. He survived a host of on-track incidents to bring home his seventh top-10 finish of the season, his most since being named the driver of the No. 71 machine.
  • Over the first 34 races of the season, the Glendale, Ariz., native, has led 24 laps, logging three top-five and seven top-10 finishes. McDowell is currently 20th in points with two races remaining.
  • The Spire Motorsports trio of McDowell, Carson Hocevar and Daniel Suarez will head to “jail” tonight for this year’s Jail and Bail charity fundraiser. The Jail and Bail fundraiser raises funds for the Brienne Davis Memorial Scholarship to help more women succeed in the technical workforce. Fans can learn more about the Brienne Davis Memorial Scholarship and help "bail" McDowell out by logging on here. , opens in a new tab

Michael McDowell Quote

What makes Martinsville so special, and what have you learned since your first start there?

“Martinsville is one of those tracks where I feel like if I can win there, I’ve truly arrived as a Cup Series driver. It’s such a unique and technical place. Short-track racing isn’t something I grew up doing like a lot of these guys. The racing is so aggressive compared to intermediate tracks and superspeedway racing. Martinsville is a place with constant action and somewhere you need to manage your track position while still being aggressive. It’s also a track with a lot of history for me, since that’s where I made my first Cup and Truck Series starts. Martinsville is a tough place to get around. You don’t have much time to catch your breath and reset if something doesn't go your way. We’ve been able to find a good groove in practice and qualifying, but the smallest mistake can ruin your day. Hopefully, we can have a clean weekend and put together back-to-back top-10 weekends.”

Travis Peterson - Crew Chief, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

  • Travis Peterson serves as the Crew Chief for driver Michael McDowell and Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the NASCAR Cup Series.
  • In seven Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway serving in the crew chief role, Peterson is still looking to log his first top-10 finish. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte graduate, who earned his degree in 2012, has called three top-20 efforts, including a 12th-place showing secured in March 2025.  
  • Peterson served as race engineer for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s fourth-place Martinsville finish in November 2015 for Hendrick Motorsports and was part of the No. 88 team's three-win season.
  • Across 147 starts serving in the crew chief role , opens in a new tab, Peterson has called eight poles, one win, 10 top-five and 30 top-10 finishes.
  • The 35-year-old recorded his 30th career top-10 result last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.

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

  • Carson Hocevar will drive Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Sunday’s 500-lap Martinsville race, the penultimate event on the 2026 Cup Series calendar and the ninth of 10 races in The Chase.
  • Zeigler Automotive Group is one of the largest privately-owned dealer groups in the U.S. with 88 franchises across 41 locations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. Vehicle brands represented include all the domestic and majority of the imported manufacturers. Besides its extensive automotive portfolio, the organization owns and operates Zeigler Motorsports, an 85,000-square-foot motorsports dealership and action park, offering 19 different powersports brands, plus its own onsite restaurant: Trak Houz Bar & Grill. Additionally, Zeigler Motorsports houses the Elevate Leadership & Team Building Academy, an executive training company. The Kalamazoo-based dealer group also owns three Byrider franchises, three finance companies, several insurance firms, and a leasing firm.
  • Hocevar and the No. 77 team, alongside teammate Daniel Suarez and Spire Motorsports' No. 7 team, are competing for 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Championship honors. The opportunity marks the first appearance in The Chase for Hocevar and the first time Spire Motorsports will compete for a Cup Series title. Through seven of 10 races in The Chase – NASCAR’s playoff-style format – the No. 77 team sits 10th in points, 15 markers outside eighth.
  • Through 34 races, the Portage, Mich., native has already set career-highs in multiple categories:
    • Season-to-date results - one win, six top fives, 12 top 10s
    • 198 laps led
    • 868 points scored
    • 13.0 average start
    • 15.7 average finish
  • The 23-year-old driver has been one of the most improved on the circuit throughout the 2026 campaign with average starting and finishing positions that have improved by over five spots compared to this point in 2025. Hocevar is on pace to best his average finish by 5.9 positions by season’s end – the largest improvement in the field – and his 10th position in points is a 13-position increase compared to the end of 2025, bested only by Spire Motorsports teammate Daniel Suarez’s 15-position rise.
  • The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year owns six career NASCAR Cup Series starts at “The Paperclip” , opens in a new tab where he’s registered a pair of venue-best 17th-place finishes (April 2024, March 2026).
  • In CRAFTSMAN Truck Series competition, the five-time series race winner owns four previous starts at Martinsville, earning a venue-best 12th-place finish in October 2021. He won at another Virginia short track, Richmond Raceway, in 2023 while competing full time in the series for Niece Motorsports.
  • Hocevar was one of the most consistent drivers throughout the month of October, tallying one top 10 and four top 15s at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Phoenix Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway, respectively. His average finish of 11th throughout the month ranks third among all drivers and highest without a victory in that span.
  • Last Sunday at Talladega, a pit-road speeding penalty during green-flag stops in Stage 1 pinned Hocevar one lap down until the conclusion of Stage 2 when he was awarded the free pass back onto the lead lap. He restarted 23rd on Lap 147 and reached the top five on Lap 155. A multi-vehicle incident on Lap 184 sent Hocevar to the garage area for repairs but returned to the track, on the lead lap, in 14th position for NASCAR Overtime where he was able to race his way to an impressive sixth-place finish.
  • Hocevar registered his first-career victory earlier this season at Talladega. He survived a late-race restart with three laps remaining and brought home the checkered flag to register Spire Motorsports’ second Cup Series win and first since the 2019 Coke Zero Sugar 400.

Carson Hocevar Quote

What are your thoughts heading into this weekend?

“Martinsville has always been tough. I think we had our best day going there this Spring, but then we got run over and that ruined our day. We were super-fast at Bowman Gray to open the year, so I know we can run well on these types of tracks.”

Luke Lambert - Crew Chief, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

  • Luke Lambert is the Crew Chief of Spire Motorsports' No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the NASCAR Cup Series with driver Carson Hocevar.
  • Lambert is in his third season at Spire Motorsports and fourth with Hocevar. The duo has logged two pole awards, one win, nine top-five and 27 top-10 finishes in 114 races.
  • The 16-year veteran crew chief has called 26 NASCAR Cup Series events at Martinsville, earning one top five and six top 10s, highlighted by a third-place finish in November 2014 with Ryan Newman. He tacks on another third-place result at the historic half-mile in March 2008 as a race engineer for Jeff Burton.

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 October 23, 2026, when Sammy Smith won the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

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.