Spire Motorsports inks Andres Perez de Lara for 2025 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series effort
Today at 10:03 AM
Spire Motorsports has signed 2024 ARCA Menards Series Champion Andres Perez de Lara to pilot the No. 77 Chevrolet Silverado full time in pursuit of 2025 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Rookie of the Year honors.
Perez de Lara made his CRAFTSMAN Truck Series debut with Spire Motorsports last June at World Wide Technology Raceway where he qualified 16th and finished ninth. Veteran crew chief Chad Walter will lead the team from pit road and call the No. 77 team‘s efforts in 2025.
"As Spire Motorsports continues to look toward the future, it‘s important that we identify who we expect to be long-term contributors to the growth of not only our organization, but to the sport as a whole," said Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson. "Andres Perez da Lara has a very bright future. He has a huge upside and is already integrated into our processes and methods of preparation. We‘re thrilled to officially add him to the Spire family."
The 19-year-old drove the No. 2 Chevrolet to the 2024 ARCA Menards Series title, racking up 10 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes. He is the first Mexican-born driver to win the ARCA national title in its 72-year history. In his first season of ARCA competition in 2023, he earned 10 top fives and 15 top 10s. He was the series‘ championship runner-up in his first attempt at an American national touring series.
In just two season‘s on ARCA‘s national tour, Perez de Lara scored three poles, 20 top-five and 33 top-10 finishes, logged a 6.4 average start, a 7.5 average finish while pacing the field for 108 laps.
The Mexico City, Mexico native started racing karts when he was 11-years-old before transitioning to L-A Formula 4 and NASCAR Mexico Trucks competition. Perez de Lara is the 2022 NASCAR Mexico Challenge Series champion — the Mexican equivalent to the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He earned his first NASCAR Mexico Series victory at Ovalo Aguascalientes Mexico.
Telcel, infintium and Claro will all be featured aboard Perez de Lara‘s No. 77 Chevy Silverado and showcased throughout the season. Primary sponsorship for his rookie campaign will be announced at a later date.
"It’s such a great opportunity for me and one that I have been working extra hard to get," said Perez de Lara. "It‘s awesome to work with a team like Spire, and what that means for me as a driver having so many experienced and very accomplished people working with me to make the most of this opportunity. I think I‘m looking forward to the competition more than anything. I‘m ready to step up my game and ready to work on getting the most out of every race. Daytona can‘t come soon enough. All the new tracks I‘ll be racing will be another big challenge. I am really looking forward to it."
Walter has over two decades of experience and called the shots for Spire Motorsports‘ No. 71 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series team last season with driver Rajah Caruth. In total, the potent Walter/Caruth pairing accounted for two Cometic Gasket Pole Awards, one win, five top fives, 12 top 10s and a Round of 8 berth in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series playoffs.
He began his career with NEMCO Motorsports in 1993. The Albion, New York native has also served in engineering and crew chief roles for some of NASCAR‘s most distinguished teams including Hendrick Motorsports, Dale Earnhardt Inc., Penske Racing, Richard Childress Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing.
Some of his most notable accomplishments include a pair of Daytona 500 victories (2001 & 2003) with Michael Waltrip, along with Cup Series wins with Steve Park and Terry Labonte.
"After two successful seasons with Rajah Caruth, I‘m excited to work with Andres Perez de Lara," said Walter. "I‘ve always enjoyed the opportunity to help mold drivers into the future stars of NASCAR. Andres has proven that he can be that next 'one‘. We‘ve taken the time to assemble a great race team to surround him. Our goal is always to be competitive, maximize our weekends, and race the right way with our competitors. I‘m grateful to our leadership team for having the confidence in me to lead Andres and the 77 team in 2025."
The season opening Fresh From Florida 250 from Daytona International Speedway will be televised live on FS1 Friday, Feb. 14 beginning at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The first of 25 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races on the 2025 schedule will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
— Spire Motorsports —
