Spire Motorsports Bass Pro Shops Night Race Report 2026

Carson Hocevar competed for the top spot late in Saturday evening's Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, but ultimately was scored with a third-place finish. The solid outing propelled the Spire Motorsports driver to eighth in The Chase standings with seven races remaining in the 2026 season. Daniel Suárez's 14th-place finish marked his 15th top 15 of the season, while Michael McDowell took the checkered flag in 21st. Three weeks into The Chase, Suárez sits 16th in the standings, while McDowell is 20th.

Hocevar, driver of the No. 77 Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet, started fifth after inclement weather forced the cancellation of Friday's practice and qualifying sessions. The Portage, Mich., native spent the majority of the evening in the top 10, claiming eighth- and seventh-place finishes in Stage 1 and Stage 2, respectively. Crew Chief Luke Lambert made the call to run long during the green-flag cycle in the Final Stage, allowing nearly all competitors to hit pit road before them. A timely caution meant Hocevar was one of two drivers on the lead lap, and inherited the race lead for the Lap-405 restart. Despite leading 39 laps and restarting second for multiple late-race restarts, Hocevar and the No. 77 team brought home a third-place finish. Suárez, driver of the No. 7 Cal Ripken, Sr., Foundation Chevrolet, started 28th and fought balance issues throughout Stage 1. The team fell off the lead lap in Stage 2, lining up 18th for the Final Stage. With 51 laps remaining, the Monterrey, Mexico, native restarted 17th, two laps down and ultimately finished 14th, two laps down. McDowell, driver of the No. 71 RCA Camaro, began the race in 21st while battling a loose-handling Chevrolet. The Glendale, Ariz., native reached the 16th position before closing the stage in 26th. The team flipped the stage break, starting Stage 2 in 11th. The team fell off the lead lap before the end of Stage 2, and ultimately finished 21st, three laps down.

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Kansas Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 27 for the Hollywood Casino 400. The 267-lap race from Kansas Speedway will be broadcast live on USA beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The 30th of 36 points-paying races on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, and the fourth race of The Chase, will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

“Not having practice definitely put us behind a little bit. We were trying to understand the car as the race went on, and we struggled with the balance early. The guys kept working on it and making changes, but once we lost a lap and then another, it became really hard to get back in the fight. We never gave up and kept pushing to get everything we could out of the car and got a top-15 place car.”

“A long night here in Bristol, we felt like we had some good balance there early in the run, but we flipped the stages at the end of Stage 1 and fell behind quickly at the start of Stage 2. Track position is critical here, and once we lost it, it felt like we never had the chance to regain that track position. Regardless, we made the most of what we had, but not what we needed by any means. I appreciate RCA and K9 for Warriors putting together another successful weekend off the track, but we want more for our No. 71 Spire Motorsports group. Kansas is next, so hopefully we can make up for what we lost at Bristol this weekend.”

"It was really fun to be up front. The No, 54 and I were racing really hard. It was a good battle. We were really close. Aaron Zeigler and the Zeigler Auto Group was going to give away a car if we won, so unfortunately that bet will have to play out another week. Really proud of our No. 77 guys. It would have been really nice to close that one out, but I know it was a good points night for us."

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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