Michael McDowell joined Spire Motorsports ahead of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, and that move also allowed him to make the first two starts of his Craftsman Truck Series career since 2009 a year ago.
After running the season's first two races at Daytona International Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway (now EchoPark Speedway), he did not drive the No. 07 Chevrolet the rest of the season.
With the No. 07 truck no longer in the team's lineup, McDowell opened up the 2026 Truck Series season behind the wheel of the No. 7 Chevrolet at Daytona. After a 24th place finish, in which he tied for the most laps led, he will not compete this weekend at Atlanta.
Kyle Busch is set to drive the No. 7 truck this week.
Busch confirmed just before the start of the season that he plans to compete in eight Truck Series races with Spire Motorsports this year, an increase of five from previous years as a result of NASCAR's more lenient restrictions when it comes to full-time Cup Series drivers with at least three years of experience competing in lower divisions.
Busch is set to compete with sponsorship from HendrickCars.com. He is the winningest driver in the history of the Truck Series, and eight of those wins have come at Atlanta. He is two-for-two at Atlanta with Spire Motorsports since 2024. He has won 67 Truck Series races across 19 winning seasons, including 13 in a row dating back to 2013.
He is not set to make his second start of the season until the season's sixth race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Friday, April 10. McDowell doesn't have any other starts confirmed in the No. 7 truck this year. Connor Mosack is set to make his season debut next weekend on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, the first of 12 races on his 2026 schedule.
The No. 7 truck still needs a driver for four of the season's remaining 24 events. Carson Hocevar, one of McDowell's full-time Cup Series teammates, is set to be back in the team's other truck, the No. 77 Chevrolet, this week after driving it at Daytona.
Tune in to Fox Sports 1 at 1:30 p.m. ET this Saturday, February 21 for the live broadcast of the Fr8 208 from EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta). Start a free trial of FuboTV now and don't miss it!