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Spire Motorsports announces crew chief lineup, leaves major question up in the air

JHby: Jonathan Howard12/12/25Jondean25

The crew chief and competition lineup have been announced for Spire Motorsports, and have a few fans wondering about a missing name. With the departure of Chris Gabehart at Joe Gibbs Racing, Spire was seen as the landing spot for the coveted NASCAR crew chief and competition director.

Spire Motorsports can go out and grab whoever they want. We know that they have the money to afford talent from drivers, crew chiefs, and other important pieces. So, Chris Gabehart was expected to have made his move to Spire after departing JGR.

Many expected Gabehart to be the new competition director at Spire. That was his role at Joe Gibbs. So, with today’s announcement not mentioning Gabehart, fans are wondering, what’s up?

Matt McCall is now the Cup Series Competition Director. Ryan Sparks (No. 7), Travis Peterson (No. 71), and Luke Lambert (No. 77) will serve as the Cup Series crew chiefs. Meanwhile, Kevin “Bono” Manion is taking over as Truck Series Competition Director. Brian Pattie (No. 7) and Chad Walter (No. 77) are crew chiefs for the Truck Series. Truck drivers have not been announced yet for Spire.

Does this mean that Chris Gabehart isn’t going to Spire Motorsports? Maybe. It could also mean he was hired for an even greater role in the organization than Competition Director. Then again, it is starting to look like the rumors of a move to Spire were simply incorrect.

We have yet to hear where Gabehart is going, but we know a lot about Spire for next season. It is likely shocking to many fans that Ryan Sparks will return as a crew chief in 2026.

Spire Motorsports pairing Sparks with Suárez

Spire Motorsports has had a lot of turnover in the last few years. Corey LaJoie, Justin Haley – two drivers who were seen as servicable and valuable to building a team. Haley is still very young, and there was a rumor that he had a Hendrick contract at one point last season.

Ryan Sparks has crew chiefed for both LaJoie and Haley. Now, he’s going to set up the cars for Daniel Suárez in the 2026 season. For many Spire fans, that move is going to be frustrating on its face. Results will be needed before anyone believes that Sparks can improve the No. 7 team.

Having Suárez in the 7 car is an improvement. Don’t make a mistake about that. Haley might have a lot of potential, but we’ve seen Suárez actually go out and do it in the Cup Series. Multiple times.

Spire Motorsports is closely aligned with Hendrick Motorsports. Trackhouse Racing has seen speed decrease over the last few years with ECR engines. Kaulig and RCR drivers even complained about ECR engines last season. While it might not seem like an upgrade, there will be data and advantages for Suárez that he hasn’t had for the last few years.