It was the summer of 2018, and Spire Sports + Entertainment founders Jeff Dickerson and T.J. Puchyr were in the middle of a dilemma. Responsible for the sale of Furniture Row Racing’s charter, the agency had already seen two potential deals fall through. And that’s when it hit them: why couldn’t they just buy the charter for themselves and start their racing team? That’s what led to the creation of the Spire Motorsports team.

Fast forward to the present day, and the journey has been far from smooth sailing. However, Jeff Dickerson wouldn’t have it any other way, as he reflects on the agency’s early beginnings and the transition that led to the creation of Spire Motorsports.

An insight into Spire Motorsports’ origin

Before 2018, Spire Sports + Entertainment was a successful agency that was responsible for acting as a broker for sponsorship and driver deals in NASCAR. Representing some of the biggest names in the sport, sports agency executives Jeff Dickerson and T.J. Puchyr had built quite a reputation for themselves. So much so that they were eventually tasked with brokering a sale for Furniture Row Racing’s charter for an estimated $6 million, a deal that changed the course of their history forever.

Kim Coon visited Spire HQ in Mooresville, North Carolina, and she had a 1-on-1 with the team co-owner Jeff Dickerson. That is when the latter, remembering Spire Sports + Entertainment’s early days and the state of the agency at that point, said, “Man, we were nuts. It was like controlled chaos, right?

“It was a fraternity, and you know, that was our fifth year. We are representing a lot of great guys at that moment. I mean, you have Larson in the Cup stuff; I think we were working with Christopher Bell and Stenhouse. It was amazing how many guys we were working with and they were all kind of making it, right? We felt we were really doing a good job. I mean, we’re taking a lot of sponsorships to other race teams, our guys are making it, and we’ve made it kind of past it,” Dickerson told Kim Coon.

When Spire Motorsports shifted from an agency to a racing team, co-owners Dickerson and Puchyr took a significant risk, and borrowed money from United Community Bank and former team owner Todd Braun to buy a charter from Furniture Row Racing, which has since appreciated fivefold.

In six years, Spire has completed 14 charter transactions and expanded to a three-car Cup Series team. Their commitment is highlighted by their $14.5 million purchase of Kyle Busch Motorsports and its race shop. Although not yet a powerhouse like Hendrick Motorsports or Joe Gibbs Racing, Spire has made notable progress from its early struggles.

Jeff Dickerson talks about Spire Motorsports’ growth

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Spire Motorsports has grown tremendously since it purchased its first charter in 2018. They have been compared to 23XI Racing and Trackhouse, as all three teams became a part of the Cup Series at roughly the same time. While the team has come a long way since its inception, expanding to three cars at the highest level, owner Jeff Dickerson believes that comparisons with other teams are unfair, given the resources they have at their disposal.

Speaking to Kim Coon to discuss Spire Motorsports’ growth and its ambition to become a top contender, Dickerson said, “Justin (Marks) did really good coming out of the blocks. Like just firing! We didn’t have that luxury, that opportunity. Nobody is going to confuse us with Denny or with Michael Jordan, right? I would say, in the last couple of years, no. We ain’t that stupid. I would say now, or like next year, yeah. We’ve talked about growing this thing for so long, I think it’s time to be like, ‘Hey guys, we’re here’. You don’t do a deal with Rodney and bring some of the guys that we’ve brought in to just keep saying we’re growing, we’re growing, we’re growing. Obviously, everyone is growing, but nobody is waiting for us. We’ve got to get rocking.”

Corey LaJoie’s departure from Spire Motorsports is a real signal of intent from the racing team. They want to qualify for the playoffs consistently, and in a results-oriented industry such as NASCAR, underperformance will lead to a dismissal. LaJoie had been the face of the team right from the start, but Dickerson has proved that there is no room for sentimentality in a cut-throat and fast growing environment like NASCAR. As the team continues to make strides off-track, it’s only a matter of time before results on track reflect the effort that is being put in.