Spire Motorsports, which is expanding from one to two NASCAR Cup Series teams for 2021, has named Ryan Sparks and Kevin Bellicourt as its two crew chiefs. Sparks will be Corey LaJoie’s crew chief on the new #7 team, while Bellicourt assumes duties as crew chief on the #77. The race team has yet to announce a driver or multiple driver lineup for the #77.
“Ryan Sparks and Kevin Bellicourt are talented young crew chiefs with the ability to innovate and lead by example,” Spire Motorsports co-owner T.J. Puchyr said. “Both Ryan and Kevin will play key roles in building Spire Motorsports and helping our organization reach its full potential. We don’t expect Rome to be built in a day, but we know those guys are going to surround themselves with people who can elevate our program and take the performance factor to the next level. Jeff [Dickerson] and I have a very high degree of confidence in both of these individuals, their work ethic and ability to lead.”
Sparks was LaJoie’s crew chief at Go FAS Racing in 2020, his first season as a crew chief in a NASCAR national series. Last season, Sparks led LaJoie to one top-10 race finish and a 30th-place finish in the season points standings.
“Ryan Sparks is the right guy to build this program,” LaJoie said. “We had some great cars last year, so I’m excited to see what he can do at Spire Motorsports with even more tools at his fingertips.”
Before becoming LaJoie’s crew chief at Go FAS, Sparks was a race engineer on the #3 team of driver Austin Dillon at Richard Childress Racing.
“I’m ready for the challenge of building a new team with Spire Motorsports,” Sparks said. “The leadership team is giving us all the tools we need to be successful. I’m also excited to continue working with Corey and build on the foundation we created last season. We all have the same goal of positioning ourselves to compete for wins. I believe we’re headed in the right direction.”
Bellicourt has yet to serve as a crew chief at the Cup level, but he’s an experienced crew chief at the NASCAR Truck Series level. He has 95 races of experience in that series, including three wins with driver Justin Haley at GMS Racing in 2018. The last two seasons, he was crew chief for Derek Kraus at Bill McAnally Racing, including the full 2020 season. He guided Kraus to three top-fives and 13 top-10 finishes in 23 races last season and an 11th-place finish in the season-ending points standings.
Bellicourt also was crew chief for Haley in two NASCAR Xfinity Series races in 2018.
“I’m extremely thankful for the opportunity to lead the #77 team here at Spire Motorsports,” Bellicourt said. “We are building something exciting, and to be part of it from the very beginning is going to be really rewarding. NASCAR Cup Series racing is some of the most difficult competition in the world, but I’m confident in my abilities and ready for the challenge of competing at this level.”
