NASCAR silly season is on! Amid this, Spire Motorsports has gone on a rigorous revamp journey. The first to face the brunt of this was Spire’s #7 driver, Corey LaJoie, who parted ways with the team in July. It came as a shock to many, since LaJoie played a key role in shaping up the young team since its beginning. However, Spire had no choice as LaJoie’s stats showed no signs of improvement. He has only one top-5 and top-10 finishes this year!

Apart from LaJoie’s exit, the team has made many changes to gain a strong entry in the 2025 season. Like bringing in veteran crew chief Rodney Childers in a multiyear deal starting in 2025 on July 9. While the revamp is underway, it has been rumored that part-time Cup Series driver for Kaulig, Derek Kraus, might come to Spire Motorsports. We’ll have some history there!

Derek Kraus to Spire Motorsports in 2025?

The big changes are coming, as since its debut in 2019, the team hasn’t seen much success in the Cup. Their only win came in the first season when Justin Haley unexpectedly won the Daytona race running Spire’s No. 77, much like Harrison Burton did this time. Apart from that, things have been disappointing. However, they are now determined to change their fates, as the team owner Jeff Dickerson previously said,

“We have to win. Like, you don’t do these moves and not win. You don’t do Rodney. You don’t try to move on from Corey. You don’t bring in some of the guys that we’ve been bringing on behind the scenes, you know, without, you know what I mean?” 

To make a championship-ready team, they need a strong lineup. Now, a familiar name is making the rounds as an option to join Spire. Derek Kraus was probably seen in the Spire Motorsports shop. However, nothing is confirmed, and it cannot be said if he comes in, where he would be placed. If it goes through, this won’t be his first partnership with the team. In 2023, he ran a few Truck races for them in the #77 truck.

Kraus only recently made his debut in the Cup Series in the 2024 season and is currently driving part-time for Kaulig Racing. He pilots the #16 Camaro. So far he’s made 5 race starts in the Cup Series, his best finish being 28th on the Las Vegas track. Although only 5 races are tough to judge the potential of the 22-year-old in the Cup Series but retired Kevin Harvick’s prediction does put an interesting spin on the rumor that could be understood as going in favor of Kraus’s contention for the Spire camp. Here’s what he said,

“With the hiring of Rodney Childers going over to Spire, they’ve obviously got a vision in their mind that I guess we’re gonna see play out as you see and hear how many different people that they’ve hired to go to Spire. So, the driver of the 7 car is going to be an interesting one because it appears that it’s going to come from a seat. Some seat, somewhere on the Cup side is probably gonna fill that 7 seat.”

However, per The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi, Justin Haley, currently piloting Rick Ware Racing’s No. 51 Ford with 25 races under the belt, two top-10s, and a better average finish of 23.16 than Kraus in the 2024 season, has the upper hand to seal a Spire seat. He predicted,

“There’s a lot of things intertwined behind the scenes that are kind of just unfolding but I would say Justin Haley’s the leading contender over there. There’s also another driver and I wouldn’t feel comfortable saying his name right now, but he is in the Cup Series and that’s also someone else to keep an eye on.”

Speaking of the changes Spire Motorsports is making around the garage is bringing in 2021 Daytona 500 winner and Front Row Motorsports’ Michael McDowell for the 2025 Cup season. Although the #34 has not had a great season so far, he brings in the veteran energy in an otherwise young team. He will drive Spire’s number 71 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 of Zane Smith, who is currently on the hot seat. Other than LaJoie’s #7 and Smith’s #71, the team has a third ride in the Cup Series piloted by Carson Hocevar, who has had the best performance out of the three and is currently at the 21st position in points ahead of LaJoie in 32nd and Smith in 33rd.

Derek Kraus has the potential to shine

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Kraus has not yet proven if he is championship-winning material. How can he with a part-time schedule? In 2016, Derek came into the ARCA Midwest Tour and had a successful season. He not only finished fourth overall but also became the youngest driver to win a race in the series, breaking a record previously held by NASCAR legend Matt Kenseth.

Derek Kraus continued his upward trajectory in racing in 2017, securing a full-time seat with Bill McAnally Racing in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West. His early success translated well to the Pro Series, where he clinched the K&N West Rookie of the Year title in 2017.

He continued to compete in the Pro Series throughout 2018 and 2019, culminating in a championship victory in 2019. His performance in ARCA is what opened the doors of the NASCAR Truck series for him. And, he debuted in 2018, driving the #19 for Bill McAnally Racing at ISM Raceway, Kraus not only qualified for the race but also secured an impressive eighth-place finish, a remarkable feat as he was only 17 years old back then. He completed three full seasons (2020-2022) in the Truck Series, where his best finish was 8th, and boasts four top fives and 26 top 10s.

In 2023, he was signed by Kaulig Racing as a part-time driver in the Xfinity Series and ran 7 races and managed a top 10 in three of them. Post this, he was brought to the Cup Series by Kaulig as a part-time. Derek Kraus hasn’t gotten a stable chance so far to prove his talents. Maybe Spire can give him the chance, as he has impressed them in the past!