NASCAR team confirm Cup Series promotion ahead of 2026

NASCAR News News Sunday, December 21, 2025 at 2:30 PM ET •By Simmey Hannifin Donaldson

With it being NASCAR silly season, official announcements from teams regarding their lineups for 2026 have been plentiful of late.

Now, Spire Motorsports has become the latest team to make an official lineup reveal, but this time, it isn't regarding their drivers.

Instead, crew chiefs and the leadership within their NASCAR Cup and Truck Series teams are the focus, with some key positions having now been filled ahead of next season.

Currently, Spire runs three cars in the Cup Series with the Nos. 7, 71, and 77, whilst they also run the Nos. 7 and 77 in the Truck Series.

Spire Motorsports announcement confirms promotion

First and foremost, Spire has confirmed movement when it comes to their Competition Directors for both the Cup and Truck Series.

The team has confirmed that for 2026, Matt McCall has been promoted to this role for the Cup Series, having previously worked as Director of Vehicle Performance.

Meanwhile, in the Truck Series, Kevin 'Bono' Manion will serve as the Competition Director, having previously served as the crew chief on the No. 71 truck.

Talking of crew chiefs, it has been confirmed who will be calling the shots and strategy for all of the team's cars next year.

In the Cup Series, Ryan Sparks will crew chief Daniel Suarez after he recently joined the team to drive the No. 7 Chevrolet following Justin Haley's exit. Elsewhere, Travis Peterson and Luke Lambert will crew chief Michael McDowell and Carson Hocevar in the Nos. 71 and 77, respectively.

In the Truck Series, Brian Pattie will crew chief for the No. 7, and Chad Walter for the No. 77. It is not yet confirmed who will drive these trucks in 2026.

The 2026 NASCAR schedule gets underway with the Cup Series' 'The Clash' exhibition on February 1, whilst a couple of weeks later, all three national NASCAR series get their points-paying seasons underway at Daytona.