Andres Perez de Lara has been released from Spire Motorsports, effective immediately, the team confirmed on Monday.
The defending champion of the ARCA Menards Series has been permitted to “explore other opportunities for the final eight races of 2025 and beyond” and will not pilot the No. 77 Chevrolet Silverado RST for the remainder of the season.
“Andres [Perez de Lara] has made meaningful progress this season, and we remain confident in his future,” said Bill Anthony, President of Spire Motorsports. “While we haven’t finalized our 2026 plans for the No. 77 team, we wanted to give him the opportunity to look ahead and pursue other options for the remainder of the year and beyond.”
?: https://t.co/7MDMw817dD pic.twitter.com/KC6hzFZN8u
— Spire Motorsports (@SpireMotorsport) August 11, 2025
Perez has spent the first 17 events of the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series campaign working with Spire, in which the Mexican-born driver has recorded a pair of top-10s, including a season-best seventh-place result at Martinsville Speedway.
“He’s a hard worker, carries himself with humility, and brings a consistently positive attitude to the garage. He comes from a great family, and we fully expect him to continue making strides as part of Chevrolet’s driver development program. We’re proud to have been part of his journey and will continue cheering him on.”
Spire Motorsports, in consultation with NASCAR, will shift the owner’s points from the No. 07 Chevrolet to the No. 77 Chevrolet, with veteran driver Corey LaJoie piloting the truck for the final eight races of 2025.
For the remainder of the season, Spire Motorsports will only operate three NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series entries.
Andres Perez de Lara, a champion of the NASCAR Mexico Challenge Series, will run the remainder of the season in the No. 44 Chevrolet Silverado for Niece Motorsports.
¡Hola, @andresplg2! Welcome to the No. 44 ?
Find all the details here: https://t.co/OHzTKjO0iq#PressTheAttack | #TeamChevy pic.twitter.com/UQ1mIfMxO0
— Niece Motorsports (@NieceMotorsport) August 11, 2025
“Overall, I’m really excited about the upcoming races with Niece Motorsports,” said Perez de Lara. “Making a change mid-season always has its challenges, but the team and I are working hard to be 100% by the time Richmond comes. I’m really focusing on having a good race there and feel very motivated by how the team has treated me. I feel the team is also motivated with having me there as well.”
The change also allows Niece Motorsports to make changes within its stable for the final eight races of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series campaign. Wally Rogers will work with Perez de Lara for the remainder of the season.
“It feels like things are working well, and I’m ready to start a good foundation and build from there for the last eight races,” Pérez de Lara continued. “I want to go out there and show what we’ve got. I’m expecting some good results starting in Richmond, which is a track that I don’t know, but I’m putting a lot of emphasis in the pre-race work to go out there and start getting some good results with the team, which is what we’re all here for.”
Landon Polinski, a veteran race engineer in the NASCAR Truck Series, has been promoted from within to serve as the new crew chief for Matt Mills and the No. 42 Chevrolet Silverado RST.
Mike Shiplett, a veteran crew chief, will oversee the part-time effort for Niece Motorsports in the No. 41 Chevrolet Silverado RST, which will also make its debut at Richmond Raceway. Josh Bilicki and Conner Jones will continue to drive for the organization in their scheduled events.
“We are preparing for a bright future ahead of us at Niece Motorsports,” said Cody Efaw, CEO of the organization. “Adding Andrés to our talent arsenal is an enticing addition as we look to finish out the year strong. While it is difficult to hear of another team scaling back their program, we saw this as an opportunity for our team to grow our footprint in the Truck Series. We have more exciting news coming out in the near future, and I look forward to seeing our team unload four fast Chevrolet Silverados in Richmond.”
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will compete in the regular-season finale at Richmond Raceway on Friday, August 15. Coverage of the event will be on FOX Sports 1, NASCAR Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio at 7:30 pm ET.
