What’s Happening?

Corey LaJoie is out at Spire Motorsports, freeing up an extra vacant seat in the NASCAR Cup Series for 2025. Which drives could take over this No. 7 car for 2025?

• The No. 7 Spire Motorsports car is quite a coveted seat because of one man: Rodney Childers. He will take over as the team’s crew chief for 2025 and is considered one of the best crew chiefs in NASCAR.
• Spire has made major investments in the race team over the past year. After gaining a major sponsorship from Gainbridge, the team bought out Kyle Busch Motorsports to free up shop space, signed Carson Hocevar and bought a third charter. This year, Michael McDowell signed on to drive the No. 71 car alongside Hocevar and the No. 7 for 2025.
• Spire has a few in-house options, particularly looking at their Truck Series lineup. However, there are some outside options as well. Which one provides what Spire is looking for?

Christian Eckes

Christian Eckes is currently leading the Truck Series points standings, and he has the regular season Championship all but wrapped up. He’s finally broken out the last two seasons with McAnally-Hilgemann, and Spire Motorsports might be the perfect place for him.

Eckes’s biggest issue is funding, as McAnally’s sponsor, Napa Auto Parts, primarily sponsors Eckes. Gainbridge may help, but Eckes still might not have enough funding.

Rajah Caruth

Rajah Caruth has enjoyed a solid season with Spire Motorsports in the Truck Series, winning a win at Las Vegas and a top-five points position 15 races into the season. Support from HendrickCars.com has also helped Caruth, which may give him a fast track to the sport’s top level. Is he ready to jump up to the Cup Series right now?

We might be a year or two too soon for Caruth. He’s only in his second full-time Truck Series season, and he’s only won one race. There’s no need to rush him up the ladder for no reason, and another year in the Truck Series could be beneficial.

Ryan Preece

Ryan Preece is the only SHR driver without a ride for 2025. This Spire ride opening up could be his last gasp at a Cup Series opportunity. However, his resume might hold him back.

In 173 starts, he has never won a Cup Series race, and he is still the lowest-ranked SHR driver in points. Even if he brings funding, is going from LaJoie to Preece really an upgrade for Spire? That’s very debatable.

Nick Sanchez

Like Rajah Caruth, Nick Sanchez has enjoyed a breakout year in the Truck Series with Rev Racing, a Spire-affiliated team. Sanchez has two victories and sits third in the points 15 races into the season. He is performing better than Caruth, but is Sanchez Cup-ready?

Again, is there really a need to push Sanchez to the Cup this early? He could benefit from another Truck Series season, and plenty of Cup-ready drivers are interested in this Spire outfit.

Sam Mayer

Bob Pockrass reports that Sam Mayer is a candidate for a Cup Series opportunity at Front Row Motorsports, but could Spire be a better opportunity? With Gainbridge sponsoring the team, Mayer may not need to bring as much funding to Spire.

However, Front Row is a “Tier One” Ford team, while Spire is not a “Tier One” Chevy team. FRM could set Mayer up better in the long term, whereas Spire is more of a mystery. We will have to see if Mayer attracts the interest of both teams.

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