What’s Happening?

A new rumor claims that a top NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team is looking to downsize its operation, meaning a former ARCA Menards Series champion could be looking for a new ride sooner rather than later.

What’s the Rumor?

In a recent post on Instagram, the nascarrumornostalgia account, a well-known NASCAR rumor mill account, claimed that they have heard rumors that Spire Motorsports is looking to downsize its NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series operation, and the team is “starting a bit early with the 77 team.”

Spire Motorsports is one of two full-time NASCAR Cup Series teams that also enter races in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The team fields four full-time trucks, including two ‘all-star’ trucks, the No. 7 and No. 07, alongside the No. 71 of Rajah Caruth and the No. 77 driven by rookie Andrés Pérez de Lara.

While this rumor would suggest the 2024 ARCA Menards Series Champion could be out of a job, the account, which has a history of both true and false rumors (including several about Spire’s Truck operation), claims, “I expect Perez to make more starts with another team.”

While this is the first mention of such a massive shift at Spire, it would be an odd move for the four-truck Chevrolet outfit.

Nonetheless, as with any rumor, it’s important to approach this cautiously, as it is equally likely that this rumor may not come to fruition. Neither the teams nor drivers involved with such a change to the Truck Series landscape have commented or confirmed this rumor.

What Are the Implications of Such a Rumor?

Since starting their Truck Series operation in 2022, Spire has grown from one entry to three and now four in 2025. This growth, including the No. 71, No. 77, and No. 07 trucks in the past two seasons, is thanks in part to their purchase of Kyle Busch Motorsports after the 2023 season.

This year, with four full-time trucks, the team has had continued success, scoring four wins. Ringers Kyle Busch and Carson Hocevar won in the No. 7, Kyle Larson in the No. 07, and Rajah Caruth in the No. 71. However, the odd man out is Pérez de Lara, who has finished no higher than 7th and sits 17th in points.

This performance is far and away better than others in the series, and Pérez de Lara has had strong support from sponsor Telcel, which could lead some to suspect that if Spire wanted to downsize, they should perhaps turn to their two ‘all-star’ trucks. But if this rumor does come true, the major question becomes where the promising rookie could end up by season’s end.

Furthermore, the post left room for some fans to suspect the team could be cutting multiple trucks, raising questions about not only the team’s future lineup but the future of the Truck Series, which has seen the departure of major teams like KBM and GMS Racing in recent years.

Cup Series Silly Season has been rather quiet, but if this rumor has any legs to it, Truck Series Silly Season could spark into a wildfire.

Let us know your thoughts on this! Join the discussion on Discord or X, and remember to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for more updates.