Jeff Dickerson is slowly turning a $6 million charter that nobody wanted, into a NASCAR powerhouse. They have already purchased a new charter, hired two new crew chiefs, and ruthlessly let go of Corey LaJoie, who had been a part of Spire Motorsports since 2021. In between all this, Dickerson also took over Kyle Busch Motorsports and its assets. And it was during the press release announcing the purchase of KBM, that Dickerson went all in on those who questioned the team’s ambitions.

The outburst occurred at Talladega Media Center when Spire Motorsports officially announced that it had purchased Kyle Busch Motorsports and Rowdy Manufacturing for an undisclosed amount. After almost a year, the Spire Motorsports team owner reflected on the true reasons behind his outburst in a candid conversation with NASCAR.com’s Kim Coon.

Jeff Dickerson recounts Kyle Busch conversation before Talladega announcement

Spire Motorsports made several changes approaching the 2024 season. They purchased their third charter from Live Fast Motorsports on September 16, 2023, for a reported $40 million, to field a third car and less than two weeks later bought the assets of KBM Truck Series operations, chassis building operation, and CNC machine shop, known as Rowdy Manufacturing for a ‘seven-figure’ fee.

The expanded team also moved into the 77,000-square-foot shop that Rowdy previously called home, showcasing their intention to become a serious NASCAR player. However, despite the landmark achievement in the team’s history, Jeff Dickerson wasn’t in the friendliest mood when the announcement was made at Talladega.

Speaking about the reasons that led to his media outburst after purchasing Kyle Busch Motorsports, Jeff Dickerson told NASCAR’s Kim Coon, “Listen, something that’s very funny is I’ve been in the media center plenty of times with Kyle through the years. And that was the first time we were like walking out of there and he was like, ‘Well man, this might the first time I had to tell you to kind of chill out for a second.’ You know how like a manager in a baseball game just kind of like gets thrown out to kind of like protect his players?”

“I just thought it was kind of like minimizing, not necessarily just like what we have done right, but like what these guys back here have done. I think I was more than just trying to protect our group.”

During the press conference with Kyle Busch by his side, Dickerson had some strong words to share with the media, who had been questioning Spire Motorsports’ ambition. The team owner said, “Here’s what I hear: it’s not about the transaction or the structure,” Dickerson began. “I think what you’re asking is, are you guys for real? Or, something must be going on behind the scenes.”

Dickerson also added, “I want to get this right. I’m all for skepticism, I think some of it is healthy, but I don’t know how many more of these deals we have to do before people know we’re for real.” In his words, he was clear that Spire wants to be a serious playoff contender and emphasized that they are trying to break the mold.

If anyone was questioning the team’s ambition back then, it’s fair to say that they aren’t anymore. In July this year, they made the move to sign Rodney Childers as crew chief for the No. 7 Chevrolet in a multi-year deal. Childers who served at the soon-to-be-defunct Stewart Haas Racing, brings a wealth of experience to the team.

Then more recently on August 6, they announced the arrival of Travis Peterson as crew chief for the No. 71 team with driver Michael McDowell. Peterson was with McDowell at Front Row Motorsports for the last two seasons and delivered promising results, including a win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2023.

In a show of ambition and the fact they won’t rest on their laurels, they also parted ways with Corey LaJoie on July 25, after unsatisfactory results.

Starting next season Carson Hocevar and Michael McDowell will take up the duties for the three-car operation, with LaJoie’s replacement yet to be named. Spire will be one of the six teams that will field three or more cars in NASCAR next season, with Front Row Motorsports having joined the fray. This is a significant achievement for a team who until 2018, had no representation in the Cup Series.

Back in 2018, as Furniture Row Racing owner Barney Visser was looking to sell the charter for $6 million, motorsports agency executives Jeff Dickerson and T.J. Puchyr were tasked with brokering a deal. However, after they found no takers for the charter, Dickerson and Puchyr decided to take a gamble and it can be safely that it has paid off.

So what’s next for Dickerson and Spire after all these big changes in the last year or so?

Dickerson highlights his vision for Spire Motorsports

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As any team owner would want, Jeff Dickerson is eager to see a return on his investment. After all, a significant amount of money has gone into making Spire Motorsports the team that it is in the NASCAR Cup Series.

When asked if this was the vision he had in mind when he purchased Furniture Row Racing’s charter in 2018, Jeff Dickerson replied, “This was the hope. We still don’t have that Hendrick, JGR level. We’re on our way. We’re certainly on the front row. They might be miles ahead of us but we’re on our way. The vision for the next couple of years will be, how do we say ‘playtime’s over’? How do we take what we’ve got and turn it into something real?” The team owner went on to say, “We’re at the adult table”.

As things stand, none of Spire Motorsports’ drivers have qualified for the playoffs this season. However, with two races remaining at Daytona and Darlington, Jeff Dickerson will hope that one of them can get a surprise result and sneak their way into the postseason. Given how the ongoing season has played out for the team, it’s easy to understand why Dickerson is looking for on-track improvement.

If Spire Motorsports is aiming to become a force to be reckoned with, playoffs should be the minimum expectation they should be aiming for. In that regard, they have a long way to go.

What are your thoughts about Jeff Dickerson’s vision for Spire Motorsports? Let us know in the comments!