In 15 NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) races at Richmond (Va.) Raceway, Spire Motorsports has logged two top-25 finishes with six different drivers. Corey LaJoie, driver of Spire Motorsports' No. 7 Gainbridge Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has finished 21st twice (spring 2021, spring 2023) at the famed three-quarter mile Richmond oval. The Mooresville, N.C., team fields the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s in the NCS with LaJoie, and fellow drivers Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar, respectively.
The Toyota Owners 400 from Richmond Raceway will be televised live on FOX Sunday, March 31, beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The seventh of 36 races on the 2024 NCS schedule will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. NASCAR RaceDay’s pre-race coverage on FS1 will take the green flag at 5:30 p.m. EDT and shift to FOX at 6 p.m.Corey LaJoie – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Corey LaJoie heads to Richmond Raceway 23rd in the NCS championship point standings and is coming off his best qualifying effort of the season. LaJoie started fifth at Circuit of the Americas and left with a 24th-place finish.
Round 7 of the 2024 NCS tour will mark LaJoie’s 13th start at Richmond Raceway.
Sunday’s 400-lap Easter Sunday contest will mark LaJoie’s 243rd NCS start.
In his previous 12 Richmond starts, LaJoie has an average start of 29.3, an average finish of 28.1 and has completed 4,755 of 4,804 laps contested (99 percent). The third-generation racer has yet to record a DNF in NCS competition at Richmond Raceway.
LaJoie’s best NCS start at Richmond came last spring when he qualified 16th behind the wheel of the No. 7 BlueGreen Vacations Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
LaJoie finished 21st in the NCS’ annual spring trip to Richmond Raceway in 2022 and 2023.Corey LaJoie Quotes
Last week’s finish wasn’t ideal and Richmond has been a tough place for Spire Motorsports to put together a good finish. What are your thoughts as we head into the seventh race of the rear?
“I’ve been really encouraged with our overall pace to start the season, unfortunately the results haven’t always told the whole story. We look to put a solid race together with our Gainbridge Camaro at the worn out Richmond Raceway. Richmond has been a tough venue for us the past couple trips but we’ll be heading into the weekend as prepared as ever.”
Zane Smith – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Sunday will mark Zane Smith’s first NCS start at Richmond Raceway driving the No. 71 Focused Health Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports. The event marks his seventh Cup Series start for Spire Motorsports and 16th of his career.
Last year at Richmond, Smith started 15th and finished third in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) race. Smith has raced at the .75-mile oval six times (four NCTS and two NASCAR Xfinity Series) in his career.
Smith finished 19th in last Sunday’s NCS race at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. After qualifying 34th on Saturday, Smith drove to 14th by Stage 2 and ultimately came away with his second top-20 finish of the season.
Smith’s finish at COTA was his second top 20 in the 2024 season, coming behind a 13th-place finish in the Daytona 500.
Smith will carry the No. 71 primary sponsor, Focused Health, Sunday at Richmond Raceway. The blue and orange paint scheme represents a health insurance agency that assists consumers and employers in navigating the myriad of health insurance options in the government programs space.
Focused Health is a National Health Insurance agency founded by industry veterans with over 60 years combined industry experience. Primarily focused on the government programs space, Focused Health partners with payors and employers to deliver health insurance solutions for individuals and families. For more information visit AtFocusedHealth.com.Zane Smith Quotes
A top 20 finish at COTA last weekend, how do you feel?
“I’m happy with the progress we made at COTA. We had a solid day and my team brought me a fast Focused Health Chevy Camaro. It gives our team great momentum heading into Richmond this weekend. Still have things to learn and get better at but headed in the right direction.”
Carson Hocevar – Driver, No.77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Carson Hocevar will make his first NCS start at Richmond Raceway in Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400 driving the No. 77 Delaware Life Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports.
Hocevar is no stranger to Richmond Raceway where he logged an NCTS victory in the fall of 2023.
In four previous NCTS starts at Richmond, Hocevar has earned one win, two top 10s, completed 997 of 1000 laps (99.7 percent) and logged an 11.3 average finish.
Delaware Life Insurance Company (“Delaware Life”) has made its mission to deliver pure value to its network of financial professionals with a set of tools and products that help them empower their clients to plan for retirement with confidence. Delaware Life’s focus is delivering a seamless experience that gives clients exactly what they’re looking for: the comfort of understanding, the confidence of transparency, and streamlined products without needless features. Learn more at www.delawarelife.com.
Hocevar qualified 18th and finished 22nd in Sunday’s NCS race at Circuit of the Americas, marking his fourth top-25 finish of the 2024 season.
Hocevar leads the NCS Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings and is currently 25th in the division’s championship points. The 21-year-old driver of the Delaware Life Chevy Camaro earned a season-best 15th-place finish at both Las Vegas Motor Speedway (3/3) and Phoenix Raceway (3/10).
In the past five races, Hocevar has earned an average finish of 19.6 and completed 1,404 of 1,407 laps (99.8 percent).
The Portage, Mich., driver logged four NCTS wins in 2023 and finished fourth in the series’ championship point standings.Carson Hocevar Quotes
You won at Richmond in the NCTS last fall. How you feel going into this weekend with that win under your belt in the truck series.
“I feel okay. It’s a totally different level obviously, from trucks to Cup, but knowing at least what it takes to win and be solid at Richmond still applies so I am hoping that is what makes it helpful for us to have a good car on race day.”
In the last five races, you have an average finish of 19. Is this where you expected to be in your rookie season and how do you keep the momentum high to keep it up for the rest of the long season?
“I feel comfortable with it. We haven’t had a clean smooth day without issues yet so to still put together a result in the end is what we are most proud of. I think it shows the potential of this group. Once we figure it all out and get the details right I expect to be even better.”
From the Top of the Box
Ryan Sparks – Crew Chief, No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Ryan Sparks serves in a dual role as both Spire Motorsports competition director and crew chief for driver Corey LaJoie and the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro in the NCS.
Sparks, a Winston-Salem, N.C., native, has been paired with LaJoie since 2020.
Combined, Sparks and LaJoie have earned four top-five and seven top-10 finishes, including a pair of top four in the 2024 Daytona 500.Stephen Doran – Crew Chief, No. 71 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Stephen Doran begins his first full season as a Cup Series crew chief leading Zane Smith and the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet team during the 2024 season.
In 2006, Doran got his start in NASCAR at Petty Enterprises.
Prior to his arrival at Spire Motorsports, Doran worked at Stewart-Haas Racing as an engineer, most recently on the No. 4 car driven by Kevin Harvick.Luke Lambert – Crew Chief, No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Luke Lambert is the crew chief for Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 team with 2024 NCS Rookie of the Year candidate Carson Hocevar
The 2005 North Carolina State graduate has led the competition efforts for some of the sport’s most notable names including Jeff Burton, Ryan Newman, Elliott Sadler and Chris Buescher.
In 2014, Lambert led Newman to a berth in the Championship 4, and ultimately a runner-up finish in the NCS championship point standings
Spire Motorsports PR
- Ford Performance – NCS Dover Qualifying - April 27, 2024
- Würth 400 starting lineup at Dover Motor Speedway - April 27, 2024
- Saturday’s Kokomo GP Opener Rained Out, Sunday is a Go - April 27, 2024