Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott is adding another race to his 2027 NASCAR schedule, returning to the Truck Series to drive the No. 7 for Spire Motorsports later this month.
Elliott’s start with Spire will come next weekend at North Wilkesboro Speedway, ahead of the Cup Series’ first points-paying race at the track since 1996, which will be this Sunday.
Though the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Champion, who has not raced in the Truck Series since 2023, was not originally slated to drive the No. 7 this weekend.
Initially, NASCAR legend Kyle Busch was going to be part of his eight-race schedule for the team, prior to his tragic passing from an abrupt illness in May.
Since then, Spire has found a rotation of drivers to fill in for Busch, with HMS prospect Corey Day driving the Truck at Charlotte that weekend, JR Motorsports driver Rajah Caruth at Nashville Superspeedway, and now Elliott at Wilkesboro.
After next weekend’s race, Spire will have just one more race to sort out, needing a driver for the race at Richmond.
Elliott will also drive the No. 8 for JR Motorsports’ Late Model program in the CARS Tour after the Truck race Friday night, a ride many suspect was originally intended for Busch as well.
So far this season, the No. 7 truck has featured Caruth, Day, Busch, Michael McDowell, Connor Mosack, and Sammy Smith behind the wheel, and has gone to victory lane twice with Busch.
While Elliott has not raced in the Truck Series in several years, his resume speaks for itself, with the Georgia native scoring three wins and a 7.7 average finish in just 18 career starts.
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