Spire Motorsports is set to rejoin the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the series’ 21st visit to Loudon, New Hampshire, and its first since 2017, as the team targets further playoff success. With notable drivers including Patrick Emerling, Rajah Caruth, and Corey LaJoie representing the team, Spire Motorsports CRAFTSMAN Truck Series campaign continues building momentum, aiming to advance deeper in the championship playoffs.
Spire Motorsports Returns for the New Hampshire Challenge
Representing Mooresville, North Carolina, Spire Motorsports is fielding the Nos. 7, 71, and 77 Chevrolets for the full CRAFTSMAN Truck Series season. The organization, known for deploying a roster of all-star drivers in the No. 7 entry, brings a competitive spirit to every race, especially with the stakes of the playoffs intensifying. Rajah Caruth and NASCAR Cup Series veteran Corey LaJoie lead the charge in the Nos. 71 and 77, respectively, as the team enters the pivotal Team EJP 175, airing live on FS1 on Saturday, September 20, at noon Eastern Daylight Time.
This 175-lap race at the iconic “Magic Mile” serves as the third and final contest of the Round of 10 in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series playoffs, and the 21st event in a schedule that spans 25 dates in 2025. Broadcasts will also be available on the NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Channel 90. For the team, this event marks a return to a track where previous efforts from Derek Kraus and Connor Mosack produced the best results among Spire competitors at flat, one-mile ovals—both scoring eighth-place finishes at the Milwaukee Mile in 2023 and Phoenix Raceway in 2024, respectively.
Spotlight on Patrick Emerling’s Double Duty at The Magic Mile
Patrick Emerling will take the wheel of the No. 7 SciAps Chevrolet Silverado, returning to New Hampshire for both the Truck Series and the Whelen Modified Tour on the same day. After making his Truck Series debut at New Hampshire in 2017 with D.J. Copp’s team, where he finished 23rd, Emerling returns with momentum from a career-best 15th in June at Pocono. Saturday’s back-to-back challenge begins with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Mohegan Sun 100, followed by his primary focus on the Team EJP 175.
A seasoned contender on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, Emerling boasts nine series wins, 55 top-five and 98 top-10 finishes in 172 starts, currently sitting third in championship points, 22 markers off the lead. He opened the season victoriously at New Smyrna, added another win at Thompson in August, and collected a third-place, eighth top-five of the year at Oswego. At New Hampshire, Emerling has 24 Modified Tour appearances, highlighted by two runner-up results and nine top-five finishes. He has also claimed victory in the 2019 All-Star Shootout event at the “Magic Mile.”
Emerling’s experience extends beyond the Modified ranks, having raced in 63 NASCAR National Touring Series events, including a top-10 in this year’s Daytona Xfinity contest. Four Xfinity Series races at New Hampshire have produced a personal best 14th-place finish last year.
SciAps, known for crafting portable elemental analyzers deployed across critical industries such as oil and gas, aerospace, military, and law enforcement, acts as Emerling’s primary sponsor. The Silverado also receives backing from Granite State De-Icing, USNE, GOAT Power Bikes, and Black Rhino Aluminum Trailers.
Emerling Reflects on Double Duty and Recent Experiences
Facing the challenge of running two races in one day, Emerling calls on his prior experience to prepare for the packed schedule. He shared his insights on managing fatigue and expectations:
I have run back-to-back races at New Hampshire before. It’s not too bad. I think the last time I did it, the Xfinity race came first and then the modified race. It was pretty hot and my cool suit had failed, so I was pretty tired when it came time to run the modified race. Once we got going, I have other things to distract me from any hint of fatigue. I am really excited to run double duty again.
— Patrick Emerling, Driver
Emerling continues to build on knowledge gained earlier this season, adapting lessons from Pocono to the weekend’s challenge at New Hampshire. He explained how those experiences will be applied on the flat, fast track:
Pocono and New Hampshire are obviously very different places, but I did get to learn a few things like nuances about the truck and how they drive. What to do and what not to do. With the few mistakes I made at Pocono, I feel a little bit better knowing what to expect Saturday.
— Patrick Emerling, Driver
Emerling’s race truck, chassis SMT-089, is a proven machine, previously piloted to victory at Kansas Speedway by Carson Hocevar, who led a dominating 75 laps during last May’s event.
Crew Chief Brian Pattie Guides No. 7 in Owner’s Playoff Push
Brian Pattie, leading the No. 7 team, has overseen a rotating cast of top-tier drivers throughout the year. The team has already clinched a spot in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series owner’s playoffs and heads into the final race of the Round of 10 in seventh place, 12 points above the cutline for the Round of 8. Through 20 starts, Pattie’s squad collected two wins, seven top-five results, and 10 top-10s, demonstrating consistent speed and teamwork under pressure.
Although Pattie has not previously called a Truck Series race at New Hampshire, his Cup Series credentials are substantial, with 25 races and five top-10s at the “Magic Mile,” including podiums with Juan Pablo Montoya (2009) and Clint Bowyer (2012). Most recently, Carson Hocevar piloted Spire’s Chevy to win the Heart of Health Care 200 at Kansas in May, while earlier in the year, Kyle Busch brought home a victory at Atlanta, leading a race-high 80 laps and maintaining an elite running position throughout.
With a resume that includes 24 years atop NASCAR pit boxes and victories across all three national series—six in Cup, 11 in Xfinity, and seven in the Truck Series—Pattie ranks among an exclusive group of versatile crew chiefs and aims to keep No. 7’s title hopes alive as the stakes rise at Loudon.
Rajah Caruth Chases Playoff Breakthrough in No. 71
Rajah Caruth takes on the “Magic Mile” in Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Silverado, fresh off his second playoff campaign in the Truck Series, secured by a breakthrough victory at Nashville Superspeedway in May. Heading into the final race of the Round of 10, Caruth sits eighth in the playoff standings, with a 14-point cushion above the cutoff for the next round.
The 23-year-old hailing from Washington, D.C., is contesting his first Truck Series race at New Hampshire but has previous Xfinity Series experience at this venue, albeit cut short by a mechanical issue. Over 20 races this season, Caruth has scored a win, three finishes among the top five, and nine top-10s, building on a year of growth that saw him lead 189 laps—three times his previous career total. Last year, he became only the third African-American driver to win a NASCAR National Touring Series event with his triumph at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Caruth joins an exclusive company that includes Hall of Famer Wendell Scott and Cup Series star Bubba Wallace.
HendrickCars.com, the comprehensive portal for Hendrick Automotive Group, supports Caruth’s campaign, and his No. 71 will feature the SMT-087 chassis. This truck previously powered Kyle Larson to victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway in March and a runner-up finish at Bristol two races after.
Rajah Caruth Prepares for a Critical Playoff Race
Approaching the race with determination, Caruth reflects on how his prior experiences at New Hampshire play into the team’s preparations:
I think my Xfinity start at New Hampshire will be great for some of the small things, like knowing where the tunnel is, the garage flow and the overall setting. It was great to get a little experience, and even though I had some mechanical issues, I was able to get a full practice and qualifying session and all of Stage 1. It was good to get the experience and to have that under my belt to validate things we have worked on in the simulator. At the same time, I am taking my experience with a grain of salt. The trucks will drive differently.
— Rajah Caruth, Driver
On what it will take to secure a spot in the Round of 8, Caruth identified execution as key:
We just have to execute our best race, even if we’re not the fastest, a clean day will help you capitalize on other’s misfortunes. Ultimately, the goal is to be competitive to where you don’t have to bet on guys having issues. Unfortunately, we haven’t been the fastest in the opening two races, but we have executed, and put ourselves in a position to advance. I expect for that to be the case this weekend and secure our spot in the Round of 8 to continue our fight for a championship.
— Rajah Caruth, Driver
Crew Chief Kevin “Bono” Manion’s Depth Guides the 71 Team
Veteran chief Kevin “Bono” Manion brings decades of experience to Caruth’s playoff drive, having called two Truck Series races at New Hampshire before, highlighted by Todd Gilliland’s third place in 2017 with Kyle Busch Motorsports. The Boylston, Massachusetts, native also led Martin Truex, Jr. to a dramatic Xfinity Series win at the “Magic Mile” in 2004, a season that ended with six victories and a second consecutive series title. Over a 31-year career, Manion has compiled an impressive 12 Truck Series wins, 17 Xfinity triumphs, and six Cup Series victories, including the iconic 2010 Daytona 500.
Manion’s leadership kicked off Spire Motorsports’ CRAFTSMAN Truck Series operation in 2022 with co-founder Mike Greci. Rare among crew chiefs, he owns wins across all three major NASCAR divisions and in 2023, led teams in all three series within the same season under the Spire banner, guiding efforts ranging from the No. 7 Truck Series Silverado to limited Xfinity duties and Cup campaigns.
Corey LaJoie Brings Experience and Legacy in No. 77
Corey LaJoie, a steadfast competitor and third-generation racer, lines up in Spire’s No. 77 Gainbridge Chevrolet Silverado at New Hampshire, marking his 10th career Truck Series start and fifth of the current season. In 2025, LaJoie has posted two top-five and three top-10 finishes, maintaining a strong average finish of 9.8. Last time out at Bristol, he rebounded from a mid-field starting spot to finish ninth, overcoming early handling challenges through strategic adjustments.
LaJoie’s history at the “Magic Mile” is rich—he made his Cup Series debut at Loudon in 2014 and captured an ARCA Menards Series East victory here in 2016 after seizing the lead just past mid-race and holding off a field of future Cup talents, including Justin Haley, the year’s ARCA East champion. Across seven ARCA Menards Series East starts at New Hampshire, LaJoie scored three top-five and five top-10 results, with a career average of 9.1 at the venue. In the Whelen Modified Tour, he logged two top-10s, with his best run being seventh in 2023.
His lineage in racing includes father Randy LaJoie, a two-time Xfinity Series champion and New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame inductee, and grandfather Don LaJoie, also a Hall of Fame member. Corey continues to uphold the family legacy each time he competes at Loudon.
The No. 77 Silverado features support from Gainbridge®, an insurtech subsidiary of Group 1001, which provides consumer-accessible financial products through innovative digital solutions. LaJoie’s race truck, chassis SMT-091, already owns three consecutive top-five Truck Series finishes, including back-to-back fifth-place results at Michigan and Richmond, and a runner-up effort at Kansas with William Byron driving. The average finish for the chassis stands at a remarkable 4.0.
LaJoie’s Perspective on Racing at New Hampshire
Corey LaJoie embraces the unique challenge offered by the “Magic Mile”, drawing on both familiarity and determination:
New Hampshire is always a fun challenge. It’s tricky, flat and fast, where you really have to be precise and hit your marks. It feels like a home race for me with my family’s ties to the area and that’s also where I made my Cup debut so it’s always special to go back.
— Corey LaJoie, Driver
Significance of Spire Motorsports’ Playoff Push and the Road Ahead
As the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series returns to New Hampshire for the first time since 2017, Spire Motorsports enters the Team EJP 175 with momentum, ambition, and a deep roster of talented drivers and crew chiefs. The team’s multifaceted approach—combining the experience of veterans like Brian Pattie and Kevin Manion with drivers such as Patrick Emerling, Rajah Caruth, and Corey LaJoie—positions Spire as formidable contenders not only for immediate playoff advancement but also as emerging frontrunners in the series’ wider landscape.
The Loudon event stands as a decisive moment in the playoff campaign. With both the owner’s and driver’s playoffs in play, each Spire entry will be aiming to secure advancement to the next round, relying on consistency, adaptability, and strategic poise. The broader impact reaches beyond the weekend: each performance consolidates the organization’s reputation in the NASCAR community, energizes fan support, and shapes the trajectory for the remainder of the 2025 season.
The Spire Motorsports CRAFTSMAN Truck Series journey continues at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, with the outcome at the Team EJP 175 poised to influence the team’s path toward playoff glory and its future ambitions in the sport’s national touring ranks.
