(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings and AHL’s Ontario Reign, announced the initial driver lineup for their 4^th Annual “NASCAR Night”.

Kyle Busch, Spire Motorsports drivers Daniel Suarez, Michael McDowell, and Carson Hocevar, and former Spire Motorsports driver Rajah Caruth headline 10 drivers on the “starting grid” for the annual fan favorite night where rubber meets the ice. Of the 10 drivers announced, six are returners from last season’s festivities.

Entering his 25^th season of racing amongst all national series, Busch directs the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS). In the 2025 NCS campaign, Busch claimed three top-fives and 10 top-10 finishes, ending the season in 21^st in the driver’s standings. A perennial contender in the NCS, the native of Las Vegas, Nev., leads active NCS drivers with 63 wins, which is ninth all-time, and is the all-time record holder with both 102 victories in the newly named NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (NOAPS) and 66 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) checkered flags. The 231-time winner across all three national series was also crowned 2009 NOAPS 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 last year, capturing the coveted “Golden Driller” as a result of his performance.

Suarez joins Spire Motorsports after spending the last five seasons piloting the Trackhouse Racing No. 99 Chevrolet. In the 2025 NCS season, Suarez finished twice in the top five and seven times in the top 10, ending the year 29^th in the driver’s standings. He also raced in the NOAPS with JR Motorsports, and piloted their No. 9 Chevrolet entry to a checkered flag in his home country at Mexico City last June. Entering his 10^th season in the NCS, The Monterrey, Mexico, Native has two wins, 24 top-five’s, and 75 top-10 finishes, complimented by three poles over the course of 323 career starts. Among his many career accomplishments, his 2016 NOAPS season sits at the top: he wheeled the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to the championship, becoming the first foreign-born driver to win a major NASCAR National Series title. 

McDowell joined Spire Motorsports last season to pilot the team’s No. 71 Chevrolet for the 2025 NSC campaign following six seasons with Front Row Motorsports. In his first Spire season, the 18-year NCS veteran finished 22^nd in the driver’s standings, claiming three top-five finishes and six inside the top 10, coupled with two poles. His final pole came in October at Talladega with Swamp Rabbits pillar partner Carolina Handling adorned on his car. The Glendale, Ariz., native has scored two victories, 14 top-fives, and 50 top-10 finishes across 537 career NCS starts. His two checkered flags came in the 2021 season-opening Daytona 500, his 358th career start, and most recently at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course in August of 2023.

Hocevar completed his second NCS season with Spire Motorsports, operating the team’s No. 77 Chevrolet. The Portage, Mich., native built off his 2024 Sunoco Rookie of the Year campaign from a year ago with an additional pair of top-five finishes and nine top-10’s, while claiming the pole for the Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway this past May. 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 returned last season to pilot the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet in the NCTS. The Washington, D.C., native earned his second career NCTS win at Nashville this past May and compounded that victory with five top-five’s and a career-high 13 top-10 finishes. Caruth finished his season with an appearance in the Round of 8 in the NCTS Playoffs and concluded the campaign in sixth in the driver’s standings. As a member of Spire’s NCTS team over two seasons, the 23-year-old wheelman won twice, earned 10 top-five’s, 29 top-10’s, and a pair of poles, and was presented with the 2024 Most Popular Driver Award in the NCTS by the National Motorsports Press Association. In 2026, he will split time in the NOAPS in the No. 88 JR Motorsports and No. 32 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolets.

The following guests are confirmed for “NASCAR Night”. Bold indicates returners from last season:

• Kyle Busch (Driver, No. 8 NCS Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet)
• Daniel Suarez (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)
• Cole Custer (Driver, No. 41 NCS Haas Factory Team Ford)
• Zane Smith (Driver, No. 38 NCS Front Row Motorsports Ford)
• Rajah Caruth (Driver, No. 88 NOS JR Motorsports Chevrolet and No. 32 NOAPS Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet)
• Tyler Reif (Co-Driver, No. 42 Niece Motorsports NCTS Chevrolet)
• Connor Jones (Co-Driver, No. 42 Niece Motorsports NCTS Chevrolet)
• Brexton Busch (Driver, son of Kyle Busch)

The Swamp Rabbits now head back home for a one-off against the in-state rival South Carolina Stingrays on Saturday, January 10^th. Puck drop for “Conservation Night”, presented by TrueTimber, is slated for 7:05 p.m. EST. 

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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.