SPIRE MOTORSPORTS DRIVERS AND 2024 NASCAR CUP SERIES CHAMPION HEADLINE 3rd ANNUAL “NASCAR NIGHT”

(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, announced the first confirmed guests for “NASCAR Night”, presented by Arthrex, on January 25^th against the Reading Royals.

Joey Logano, 2024 NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Champion, Bubba Wallace, Kyle Busch, and Spire Motorsports drivers Justin Haley, Michael McDowell, Carson Hocevar, and Rajah Caruth, headline a confirmed guest list of 15 drivers and four crew chiefs for the annual fan-favorite night where the rubber meets the ice.

Logano recently captured his third NCS title, second in the last three seasons, in 2024, piloting the No. 22 Team Penske Ford. The Middletown, Conn., native won four races last season, his 18^th in the NCS, with three coming in the 2024 NCS Playoffs, including the Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway. The 34-year-old driver and 2009 Sunoco Rookie of the Year is a 36-time winner in the NCS, supplemented with 30 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS), and two in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS). Logano may be attending his first “NASCAR Night” with the Swamp Rabbits, but is no stranger to hockey: his father, Tom, helped build the Xtreme Ice Center in Indian Trail, N.C., which is the practice facility of the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers.

Wallace recently concluded his eighth season in the NCS level, and his third straight finishing in the top-20 of the driver’s standings. Last year, the wheelman of the No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota finished 18^th on the leaderboard, earning a pole, in addition to six top-five and 14 top-10 finishes. Hailing from Mobile, Ala., Wallace’s best NCS season was in the 2023 campaign, qualifying for the 2023 NCS Playoffs with a 10^th place finish in the driver’s standings, complimented by a Round of 12 finish in the postseason. In the fall of 2021, he became the second black driver to win an NCS race, claiming the checkered flag at the famed Talladega Superspeedway.

Entering his 24^th season of racing amongst all national series, Busch directs the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. In the 2024 NCS campaign, Busch claimed a pole, five top-fives, and 10 top-10 finishes, ending the season in 20^th in the driver’s standings. The native of Las Vegas, Nev., also drove for Spire Motorsports in the NCTS, and led the team’s No. 7 Chevrolet to victory lane twice: first, in February in Atlanta as part of back-to-back-to-back wins for Spire to begin the NCTS season, and a second time in April at Texas Motor Speedway, leading a commanding 112 laps in the victory. A perennial contender in the NCS, Busch leads active NCS drivers with 63 wins, which is ninth all-time, and is the all-time record holder with both 102 NXS victories and 66 NCTS checkered flags. The 231-time winner across all three national series was also crowned 2009 NXS Champion and made the Championship Four in the NCS for five consecutive seasons (2015-19). Joining Busch will be his son, Brexton Busch, a third generation driver and winner of the Junior Sprint-A Main Tulsa Shootout earlier this month. 

Haley returned to Spire Motorsports late in the 2024 NCS season in a trade with Rick Ware Racing and will pilot the team’s NCS No. 7 Chevrolet in 2025. The 25-year-old wheelman was the pilot of the Spire Motorsports No. 77 Chevrolet for the team’s monumental upset win at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 in Daytona on July 7, 2019, the first NCS victory in Spire Motorsports history. Along with that checkered flag, the Winamac, Ind. native has five top-five and 16 top-10 finishes in his NCS career. 

McDowell joins Spire Motorsports to pilot the team’s No. 71 Chevrolet for the 2025 NCS season following six seasons with Front Row Motorsports. A veteran of 17 seasons in the NCS ranks, the Glendale, Ariz. has scored two victories, 11 top-fives, and 46 top-10 finishes. His two checkered flags came in the 2021 season-opening Daytona 500, his 358^th career start, and most recently at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course in August of 2023.

Hocevar recently completed his rookie NCS season with Spire Motorsports, operating the team’s No. 77 Chevrolet. The Portage, Mich., native put together an unforgettable rookie year, scoring one top-five finish, in addition to six inside the top 10. The 21-year-old finished 21^st in the driver standings and garnered 2024 Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors. Prior to making the leap to the NCS, Hocevar competed in the Championship Four in the 2023 NCTS while racking up four wins, and in 2020, he earned the checkered flag in the famed Winchester 400, a very popular late model event.

Caruth comes back to drive the Spire Motorsports NCTS No. 71 Chevrolet after completing a career campaign in the NCTS. Last season, the Washington, D.C., native earned his first NCTS win at the Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 at Las Vegas, and added another five top-five’s, 12 top-10’s, and two poles, finishing seventh in the NCTS driver standings. Caruth’s first career checkered flag was part of a hot start for the Spire Motorsports NCTS team, as it anchored back-to-back-to-back wins to start the 2024 season. The 22-year-old ended his career year by earning the National Motorsports Press Association’s Most Popular Driver award in the NCTS.

The following guests are confirmed for “NASCAR Night”, presented by Arthrex:

• Joey Logano (Driver, No. 22 NCS Team Penske Ford)
• Bubba Wallace (Driver, No. 23 NCS 23XI Toyota)
• Kyle Busch (Driver, No. 8 NCS Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet)
• Justin Haley (Driver, No. 7 NCS Spire Motorsports Chevrolet)
• Michael McDowell (Driver, No. 71 NCS Spire Motorsports Chevrolet)
• Carson Hocevar (Driver, No. 77 NCS Spire Motorsports Chevrolet)
• Rajah Caruth (Driver, No. 71 NCTS Spire Motorsports Chevrolet)
• Cole Custer (Driver, No. 41 NCS Haas Factory Team Ford)
• Harrison Burton (Driver, NXS AM Racing Ford)
• Todd Gilliland (Driver, No. 34 NCS Front Row Motorsports Ford)
• Christian Eckes (Driver, No. 16 NXS Kaulig Racing Chevrolet)
• Nick Sanchez (Driver, No. 48 NXS Big Machine Racing Chevrolet)
• Parker Retzlaff (Driver, No. 4 NXS Alpha Prime Chevrolet)
• Brexton Busch (Driver, son of Kyle Busch)
• Tristan McKee (Driver, CARS Tour)
• Travis Peterson (Crew Chief, No. 71 Spire Motorsports NCS Chevrolet)
• Luke Lambert (Crew Chief, No. 77 Spire Motorsports NCS Chevrolet)
• Brian Pattie (Crew Chief, Spire Motorsports NCTS)
• Chad Walter (Crew Chief, Spire Motorsports NCTS)

Please note that the guest list is subject to change
Guests in bold italics are returners from 2024

Additionally, the pace car and race trophy from Darlington Raceway come for another lap in this event for our pregame festivities, in addition to the No. 45 Monster Beast 23XI Racing Toyota of Tyler Reddick. Making its first appearance at our annual event is the No. 1 Busch Light Trackhouse Racing Ford of Ross Chastain.

Get your tickets HERE and be sure to follow all of our platforms and swamprabbits.com as we announce other exciting experiences during this annual event. 

###

About the Greenville Swamp Rabbits …
Acquired by Spire Sports + Entertainment (SS+E) in 2020, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits hockey team have been providing family friendly, live entertainment at Bon Secours Wellness Arena since 2010. Formerly the Greenville Road Warriors, the Swamp Rabbits are the highest-level professional minor league franchise in South Carolina. The Swamp Rabbits are the proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's LA Kings and the AHL's Ontario Reign. Greenville is a member of the ECHL, Premier ‘AA’ Hockey League.