Pit Stop Radio News

Chase Purdy – Driver, No.77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado

• Chase Purdy will drive Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Bama Buggies Chevrolet Silverado in Friday’s CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway.
• The Meridian, Miss., native has made four CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at Phoenix. Last November, Purdy navigated a late-race melee to claim a venue-best third-place finish.
• The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Championship Race will mark Purdy’s 98th CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start and 23rd behind the wheel of the No. 77 Bama Buggies Chevrolet Silverado for Spire Motorsports.
• While racing for Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2023, Purdy had the best statistical season of his career. He earned three top-five, 11 top-10 and 14 top-15 finishes while notching a career-best finish of second at Texas Motor Speedway (April 1) and claiming his first career Cometic Gasket Pole Award at Kansas Speedway (Sept. 8). He snagged his second career pole two races later at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (Sept. 30), a race where he led a career-high 11 laps.
• Crew chief Jason Trinchere has called the shots for six NASCAR Xfinity Series races at Phoenix Raceway, highlighted by a fifth-place finish in March of 2021 with A.J. Allmendinger. Trinchere collected four top-10 finishes over six events. 
• Purdy will race Spire Manufacturing chassis SMT-073 on Saturday. He piloted the truck to a sixth-place finish at Darlington Raceway in May.
• Purdy will sign autographs in Mobil1 Victory Lane Friday at 10:30 a.m.

Chase Purdy Quotes 
You are coming off a third-place finish at Martinsville, and heading to Phoenix where you finished third last year. What do you need to replicate that success this weekend?
“This weekend is all about finishing strong and executing all around. We’ve generated some momentum recently, and we just have to feed off that to finish the year strong. If we control the controllables and are around at the end, it will be a good night for us.”
What will you take from your first season with Spire Motorsports?
“It has been a polarizing year for sure. We’ve had great runs, but struggled at times. I’m proud of the effort Jason (Trinchere) and all the guys on this No. 77 team have given all year. When times were tough, they could have given up. We have one more chance this season to snag a checkered flag, and that is what we are setting out to do.”

Rajah Caruth – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado

• Rajah Caruth will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Silverado in Friday’s 150-mile race at Phoenix Raceway.
• Caruth and the No. 71 team qualified for the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Playoffs via their win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and ending the regular season fifth in points.
• In the third and final race in the Round of 8 at Martinsville Speedway, the Washington D.C., native started 11th, but a left front brake issue forced the team behind the wall. He ended the night two laps down and landed 31st in the final rundown.
• Caruth has made two CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at Phoenix, highlighted by a 12th-place finish last November. 
• In his only ARCA Menards Series start at Phoenix, Caruth started seventh and finished fourth.
• The 22-year-old owns a pair of NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Phoenix Raceway. He collected a 17th-place finish in 2022 and came home 17th in Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 17 Camaro last November.
• HendrickCars.com is the online home for everything Hendrick Automotive Group. Visitors can shop thousands of new or pre-owned vehicles, locate centers for service and collision repair, receive a value to sell or trade their car, chat online with customer service, discover career opportunities, learn more about vehicle protections programs, and explore how the company gives back to the community.
• The 2024 season has marked a career year for Caruth. He’s tallied one win, a pair of Cometic Gasket Pole Awards and five top-five finishes, all of which are the first of his young career. The 12 top-10 finishes on the season triples Caruth’s total of four in 2023, while his average starting position of 10.3 is nearly five positions better than last season and his 11.5 average finish is an impressive seven positions higher.
• With his first career CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win and pole position earlier this season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Caruth became the third African American driver, alongside NASCAR Hall of Famer, Wendell Scott and current NASCAR Cup Series regular Bubba Wallace, to win a NASCAR National Touring Series race.
• Caruth raced his first full CRAFTSMAN Truck Series season in 2023, earning four top-10 finishes while closing the year 16th in points.
• Crew chief Chad Walter has seen his share of success atop the box at Phoenix Raceway in Xfinity Series competition. He led Sam Hornish Jr., to a NASCAR Xfinity Series victory at the D-shaped oval in fall of 2011. He returned to the venue four months later to call Brad Keselowski’s runner-up finish in March 2012. 
• The HendrickCars.com colors will wrap Spire Manufacturing chassis SMT-007 on Friday. The truck was raced this season in Caruth’s first career victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (March 1), was featured in a strong day at Texas Motor Speedway (April 12), posted a top-five qualifying effort at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (May 24), collected a top-five finish at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway (June 28) and earned a stage win in a career-night at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (Sept. 19).
• The Winston-Salem (N.C.) State senior will sign autographs in Mobil1 Victory Lane Friday at 10:30 a.m.
• Caruth will participate in a 15-minute Q&A at the Chevrolet Display in the fan zone Friday at 11:15 a.m.
• Fans can visit Caruth at the NASCAR Classics merchandise hauler in the fan zone Friday at 11:30 a.m.
• Caruth will be on SiriusXM’s ‘The Skinner Round Up,’ live from the NASCAR Experience Stage, Friday at 12:15 p.m.

Rajah Caruth Quotes
You’ve ran nearly everything at Phoenix. What are you doing to prepare for the weekend and snag one more checkered flag before the season comes to a close?
“Phoenix is among Kansas, Charlotte and Bristol, in terms of places I have a lot of experience at. I feel as confident going there as anywhere else. It is business as usual. I’m confident in the truck we will bring to the track and I am preparing like any other week. Unfortunately, we are not a part of the Championship 4, but we have one more chance to get a checkered flag.”
As the season comes to a close, what are you going to take from this season in working with Chad (Walter) and everyone at Spire?
“I’m proud of the growth our team has made throughout the year. We’ve carried a sense of relentlessness and tenacity through all the high and low points of the year. We won a race, made the playoffs and were in contention for a Championship 4 spot. No matter how we run, the guys are at the shop at 6 a.m. on Monday morning tearing down the truck. I’m proud to call them my teammates and I’m thankful for their sacrifice. I’m proud of where I’ve come, personally, especially when I think about where I was at this time last year. I didn’t even start racing until five years ago. We were competitive all season, and can’t think of one time I felt like we showed up to the track without a chance to win.”

Connor Mosack – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado

• Connor Mosack will make his sixth and final appearance of the season aboard a Spire Motorsports entry, piloting the No. 7 Friends of Jaclyn Chevrolet Silverado in Friday’s 150-miler at Phoenix Raceway.
• In his most recent CRAFTSMAN Truck Series appearance at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the Charlotte, N.C., native started 10th, and thanks to a gutsy fuel strategy by  crew chief Brian Pattie, crossed the finish line in the third position. Mosack converted the second-highest average running position in the field (6.11) while spending all but four of the event’s 134 circuits racing in the top 15.
• The Friends of Jaclyn Foundation will adorn the hood of the No. 7 Silverado Friday night. The Foundation aims to improve the quality of life for children battling pediatric brain tumors and other childhood cancers by pairing them with local teams, clubs and community groups. For more information, please log on to Friendsofjaclyn.org.
• In his five previous starts aboard the No. 7 Chevy, Mosack has earned one top-five and three top-10 finishes, in addition to four top-five starting positions.
• Mosack has two previous ARCA Menards Series starts at the one-mile oval,highlighted by a fourth-place finish last March with Pinnacle Racing Group. He also participated in last year’s NASCAR Xfinity Series’ finale with Sam Hunt Racing.
• The 25-year-old has made 28 starts in the Xfinity Series with his best finishes coming at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International (fifth), the Chicago Street Course (sixth) and Portland (Ore.) International Raceway (eighth).
• Mosack competes part-time in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli, piloting the No. 57 Pinnacle Racing Group Chevrolet Camaro for Silver Hare Racing in the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Class. The two-time class winner has six poles and 17 top-five finishes in 38 starts, while finishing third and fourth in points in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Mosack races alongside teammates Jake Drew, Boris Said, Jr. and Connor Zilisch.
• Through the first 22 races of the 2024 season, the No. 7 has compiled two wins with an average starting position of 10.8 and an average finish of 13.4. Kyle Busch led 33 laps en route the team’s first victory of 2024 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and led a dominant 112 laps in the team’s April triumph at Texas Motor Speedway. Last weekend at Martinsville, Connor Zilisch qualified 27th and drove through the field to finish 12th in his fifth and final appearance with the team.
• In his first season at Spire Motorsports, crew chief Brian Pattie led the No. 7 team to two victories across the first seven events this season, both with Kyle Busch. The duo also won twice across five races last year with Kyle Busch Motorsports.
• The 2023 event marked Pattie’s one and only prior CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race atop the box at Phoenix. Jack Wood qualified seventh and finished 27th after he was involved in a late-race incident. Pattie visited Xfinity Series Victory Lane in 2004 with Jamie McMurray during his time at Chip Ganassi Racing.
• Mosack will pilot Spire Manufacturing chassis SMT-081 on Friday. Kyle Buch parked the truck in Victory Lane at Texas Motor Speedway in April. The chassis was last on track at the Milwaukee Mile with Sammy Smith at the controls.
• Mosack will sign autographs in Mobil1 Victory Lane Friday at 10:30 a.m.

Connor Mosack Quotes
You are running your sixth and final race aboard the No. 7 this weekend. What will you take away from the opportunity to run for the team under a veteran crew chief like Brian Pattie.
“Phoenix will be another opportunity to improve on the races we’ve run this year. I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to race with Brian (Pattie) and the whole No. 7 team. We all want to end the year as strong as we can. Homestead was our best run yet, and I think we can have an even better day on Friday.”
You have a pair of ARCA starts and an Xfinity race under your belt at Phoenix. How will that translate to your first truck race on a short, flat oval?
“Having multiple starts under my best at Phoenix definitely helps my confidence. The trucks feel a lot different compared to the ARCA and Xfinity cars, we’ve had solid speed every time I’ve been there. I think the experience will carry over well and set me up for success.”

• Spire Motorsports has three previous NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at Phoenix Raceway, all of which came in a part-time capacity. Rajah Caruth, driver of the No. 71 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Silverado, ran his fourth and final race aboard the team’s No. 7 entry in the 2022 event. Last year, both Marco Andretti and Derek Kraus participated in the season finale under the Spire banner. Spire Motorsports fields the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolets full time in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. An all-star driver lineup has rotated throughout the 2024 season in the No. 7 Chevy. Caruth drives the No. 71 entry and Chase Purdy rounds out the team’s fleet of Chevrolet Silverados in the No. 77.
• The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Championship Race from Phoenix Raceway will be televised live on FS1 Friday, Nov. 8, beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The 23rd and final CRAFTSMAN Truck Series event on the 2024 calendar will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Spire Motorsports PR