Spire Motorsports Coke Zero Sugar 400 Race Advance - Speedway Digest

In 19 NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) starts at Daytona International Speedway (DIS), Spire Motorsports has logged one win, three top-five and seven top-10 finishes. Spire Motorsports earned its inaugural NCS victory in its first full season of competition when Justin Haley earned the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at DIS on July 7, 2019. Spire Motorsports fields the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s in the NCS with Corey LaJoie, Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar, respectively. The Coke Zero Sugar 400 from Daytona International Speedway will be televised live on NBC Saturday, August 24, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The 25th of 36 races on the 2024 NCS schedule will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Countdown to Green on NBC and Peacock will take the green flag at 7 p.m. EDT.

Corey LaJoie – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Corey LaJoie will pilot the No. 7 CELSIUS® Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Spire Motorsports in Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway.
In 15 previous NCS starts at Daytona, LaJoie has earned one top-five, five top-10, and seven top-15 finishes. The Concord, N.C., native secured a season-best fourth-place finish in February’s Daytona 500. Over those same 15 starts at the famed 2.5-mile Daytona Beach tri-oval, LaJoie has led nine laps, logged a 29.5 average start, a 17.2 average and completed 2,405 of the 2,746 laps contested
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Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 will mark the fourth time CELSIUS will be featured in a primary-sponsor capacity this season aboard LaJoie’s No. 7 Chevy. In three previous starts showcasing the CELSIUS livery in 2024, including the season-opening Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum pre-season race at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the third-generation racer has logged one top-15 and two top-20 finishes,
In the NCS most recent stop at Michigan International Speedway, LaJoie started 31st and raced his way inside the top 10 before a late-race incident during Monday’s rain-delayed Firekeepers Casino 400 left him 32nd in the final rundown.
Over 260 NCS starts, the father of three has earned four top-five and nine top-10 finishes and led 161 laps in NASCAR’s premier division.

Corey LaJoie Quotes
Daytona has always been a track where you excel and superspeedways are a sweet spot for you. After finishing fourth in this year’s Daytona 500, you must have been looking forward to this weekend since February.
“We had a top-five performance at the Daytona 500, so I’m looking forward to returning and turning our luck around this weekend. Having Celsius on board makes it more special. Their support of my career highs and lows means the world to me.”
Zane Smith – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Zane Smith returns to Daytona International Speedway this weekend for his second NCS start on the 2.5-mile tri-oval.
This Saturday marks his second NCS start at Daytona driving the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet. In February at the Daytona 500, Smith started 14th and finished 13th.
Smith finished seventh in last Sunday’s Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway, posting his second top-10 finish this season.
The rookie driver owns four NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at Daytona, including victories in 2022 and 2023.
Smith will carry the No. 71 primary sponsor, Focused Health, Saturday evening at Daytona. 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
You’ve had plenty of speed over the last several weeks and now you’re headed to Daytona where, historically, you’ve run well. You finished in the top 10 at Michigan and now you’re headed to a track where you won twice. You must feel good about this weekend.
“Michigan was a long weekend but coming home with a seventh-place finish makes it worth it. Daytona is a different beast. You never know what you are going to get out of it. I’ve won two truck races there, so it’s a place I like a lot and holds so many great memories. We have been on a huge momentum stretch ever since Nashville back in June so hoping to continue it and keep moving forward! Looking forward to an exciting weekend in Daytona.”

Carson Hocevar – Driver, No.77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Carson Hocevar will make his second NCS start at Daytona International Speedway in Saturday's Coke Zero Sugar 400, piloting the No. 77 Premier Security Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Spire Motorsports.
Last week at Michigan International Speedway, Hocevar started 11th and brought the No. 77 Camaro home 10th, earning his first back-to-back top-10 finish of the season. The solid effort marked his fourth top 10 of 2024. The Michigan native finished eighth two weeks ago at Richmond Raceway.
Earlier this season, Hocevar’s Daytona 500 debut was sidelined when the NCS rookie-of-the-year contender was collected in a Lap 5, multi-car incident. Hocevar started ninth and was racing with the leaders in the early goings, but extensive damage to his Zeigler Auto Group/Gainbridge Chevrolet forced him to make an early exit from the 66th running of the Great American Race.
Premier Security is a long-time supporter of Hocevar’s career. The Flint, Michigan- headquartered organization has been prominently featured alongside Hocevar dating to his time racing short tracks in the pavement late model ranks.
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Over the last 10 races, Hocevar has compiled an average start of 17.6 and an average finish of 14.3.  
The youngest NCS driver in the field ranks 22nd in the division's championship point standings. Over the course of the season's first 24 races, Hocevar has notched four top-10 and eight top-15 finishes.
Hocevar has competed in three NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) races at Daytona International Speedway, earning a venue-best fifth-place finish February 12, 2021. Over those three starts, Hocevar hasn’t finished worse than 12th.
Crew chief Luke Lambert was atop the box for six top-10 finishes at Daytona during his time at Richard Childress Racing and Roush Fenway Racing, highlighted by a third-place finish with Chris Buescher in the 2022 Daytona 500.

Carson Hocevar Quotes
There’s so much unpredictability at Daytona International Speedway, you learned that earlier this year. How does that change your mindset going into the weekend?
“Anybody can win at Daytona, so we’re thinking why not us? I feel like at Daytona, anybody can achieve and be a hero, but at the same time anybody can be a zero. I think it’s going to help us that we don’t really have to be a team that is hunting for points, and we can just do our own thing and try to be there at the end. The only thing we can do to make a huge difference in our season is to win, and to do that we just need to be there at the end.”

Spire Motorsports PR