Spire Motorsports is gearing up for the 2025 season in a big way, and it’s not just about the new team lineup. With legendary crew chief Rodney Childers coming on board, along with Matt McCall as Director of Vehicle Performance and Dax Gerringern as Technical Director, there’s plenty of buzz surrounding this squad.

And when you throw in a three-driver lineup that includes young Justin Haley, rookie sensation Carson Hocevar, and the experienced Michael McDowell, it’s clear Spire is ready to make some noise. But here’s the twist: the team recently made headlines not just for their racing chops, but for a wild crossover with the NBA!

Spire Motorsports meets the Indiana Pacers

The Spire trio recently hit up a Pacers vs. Golden State Warriors game, and it was more than just a night of basketball. The game was neck-and-neck for a while, but it looks like the NASCAR drivers’ cheers helped the Pacers pull off a 108-98 victory.

And of course, no good crossover happens without a little something special, right? The NASCAR drivers didn’t leave empty-handed. They swapped jerseys with some of the Pacers players! Justin Haley traded jerseys with Pacers guard Johnny Furphy, Carson Hocevar went shirt-for-shirt with fellow guard Ben Sheppard, and Michael McDowell, the newest member of Spire’s lineup, swapped jerseys with forward Jarace Walker.

The best part? The Pacers took to X to show it off, posting pics of the swap and captioning it: “Ben Sheppard, Jarace Walker & Johnny Furphy swapped jerseys with @NASCAR drivers Justin Haley, Carson Hocevar & Michael McDowell ahead of tonight’s game.”

Now, when you see these photos, one thing immediately stands out: the height difference. I mean, how on earth are these massive NBA players going to fit into NASCAR drivers’ suits? Don’t worry—they were probably custom-made for the NBA guys because let’s be real. No way 6’7″ Furphy was fitting into 5’1″ Haley’s fire suit.

The one who made this composition of the photo probably played it as a joke. Speaking of height. How is Hocevar fitting in a stock car? While the NASCAR and NBA crossover is the big news, fans could not help but make those cheeky height comparisons.

Fans are loving this match-up!

One fan spoke about what we all are thinking. It could perhaps be a bit cruel but can’t help it. He wrote, “Did you have to put Justin Haley next to the tallest dude in the pic?” Well, in NASCAR, you don’t need to be the biggest guy. In fact, the smaller the better as weight plays a crucial role in racing. Still, we can’t deny that it’s pretty funny. Furphy’s #12 jersey is a whole dress for Haley.

Another fan could not help but think if this is the tallest and shortest jersey swap ever. The fan wrote, “The tallest and the smallest switched jersey/ firesuit” Well, it’s possible. There’s no denying this swap is one of its kind. First, the jersey swap is between players of the same sport and often happens after a game concludes.

And while Haley is a 5-footer, Mcdowell is 6’2 and Carson Hocevar is 6’4. Fans couldn’t help but notice how tall Hocevar was. He and Shepard are literally the same height. In fact, a fan has labeled Hocevar a beast, drawing comparisons. The fan wrote, “Carson is a beast (expletive). Jarace is like 6’7.” Well, Jarace is actually 6’6″ so that actually makes him only a few inches taller. Hocevar’s height reminds me of a fun video Spire Motorsports did – Literally stretching the car for Hocevar to fit in it.

And on this, one fan had a bold suggestion for the Indiana Pacers, “hey pacers y’all need a guard I think Carson could do well.” Well, can’t disagree. But no, we want to see how the Rookie of the Year does next season in the Cup.

Overall, this was a heartfelt crossover. As a fan wrote, “That’s a pretty cool exchange! A fun crossover between basketball and NASCAR.” Let’s hope we get to see more such collaborations in the future. Who knows, we might see a 3v3 match, or the NBA stars might actually choose to put the new firesuits to the test!

What did you think of this crossover? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.