Spire Motorsports has finalized the lineup of men who will guide its drivers throughout the 2026 NASCAR season.
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According to a Friday announcement, all of these veteran crew chiefs will return to their respective pit boxes. Luke Lambert will continue to work with the No. 77 team and Carson Hocevar. This marks their third season together.
Travis Peterson will continue to lead the No. 71 team while working with Michael McDowell. 2026 will be the fourth season that Peterson and McDowell have worked together and their second with Spire Motorsports. They previously celebrated a win together at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course while working with Front Row Motorsports.
Ryan Sparks, who has served as the director of competition, will be atop the pit box for the No. 7 team. He has guided this team at times while working with Corey LaJoie, Justin Haley, and Hocevar. Now, he will return to the role of crew chief full-time while working with Daniel Suarez for the first time.
These guys will lead the charge in 2026. pic.twitter.com/j34U579Wos
— Spire Motorsports (@SpireMotorsport) December 12, 2025
With Sparks going back to the pit box, NASCAR veteran Matt McCall will take on a leadership role. He will become the competition director while trying to get all three teams into playoff contention. Kevin "Bono" Manion will take on the same role for the Spire Motorsports Truck Series teams.
Brian Pattie will return to the No. 7 team on the Truck Series side. He has led the No. 7 team since the start of the 2024 season while working with a variety of drivers. He has celebrated three wins with Kyle Busch and one with Hocevar.
Similarly, Chad Walter will return to the No. 77 team for the second season. He worked with Andres Perez and LaJoie last season as the drivers combined for eight top-10 finishes and two top-fives.
Walter previously guided the No. 71 team in 2024 while working with Rajah Caruth. He celebrated one win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the young driver's first trip to victory lane in a national NASCAR series.
Spire Motorsports has not named the drivers who will control the Truck Series entries during the 2026 season. These announcements will happen as the Daytona opener approaches.
