Spire Motorsports has named a seasoned executive in the NASCAR industry Doug Duchardt as the new president.
The announcement of Doug Duchardt’s hiring as a veteran executive on Monday is a further reason to weigh Spire Motorsports’ strategies in the NASCAR Cup Series in a bid to become one of the series frontrunners.
Duchardt most recently oversaw every section of Chip Ganassi Racing’s business operations and the competition as chief operating officer.
Before joining Ganassi, Duchardt worked for 12 years at Hendrick Motorsports which is the most successful team in NASCAR, initially as vice president of development and then as executive vice president and general manager, overseeing all parts of the team.
“As Spire Motorsports continues to grow, it’s important to add impactful personnel at every level,” said Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson. “I’ve known and had a close personal relationship with Doug Duchardt for nearly 20 years.
“Doug’s resume and body of work speaks for itself. Having him on staff raises our competitive bar immediately.
“He brings a results-based work ethic to our team that will pay immediate dividends.
“Our expectations for the impact his presence will make across our entire organization cannot be overstated.
“He has a rich history with General Motors which has resulted in close and deep personal relationships at the manufacturer level and positions him firmly at the intersection of our crucial relationships with both Hendrick Motorsports and Trackhouse Racing.”
Duchardt worked for Ganassi as an a link between the organization and General Motorsports. In 2022, Duchardt assisted Tony Kanaan as the team strategist at the Indianapolis 500. During his time with Ganassi, he was also responsible for managing and holding talks with Ganassi’s business partners.
Alongside Ganassi, he guided Marcus Ericsson to win the Indianapolis 500 as well as Scott Dixon and Alex Palou to win four IndyCar Series titles. He also oversaw wins in the 12 Hours of Sebring and the Rolex 24 at Daytona for sports cars.
Duchardt will be in charge of supervision for the entire Spire Motorsports organization. These obligations will cover personnel, business operations and competition.
“I have been impressed with Spire Motorsports’ incremental growth since its inception,” said Duchardt.
“It’s an exciting opportunity to join the team as we work toward increased competitiveness in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.
“Walking into the facility you can feel the enthusiasm and energy. I am also looking forward to working with my previous teammates at Chevrolet, Trackhouse Racing and Hendrick Motorsports as Spire prepares for the 2024 season.”
Over the past year, Spire reportedly made significant investments, purchasing the truck series team and machine shop assets from Kyle Busch Motorsports for $25 million and a third charter from Live Fast Motorsports for $40 million.
The team together with Trackhouse Racing have partnered to field a car for Zane Smith with Carson Hocevar and Corey Lajoie remaining as their full-time drivers.
The team has amassed a substantial amount of capital through a partnership with Dan Towriss of Group 1001 and Gainbridge Financial, with which they have fully utilized for internal adjustments.
In 2024, Spire Motorsports plans to expand its team to three full-time Cup Series entries. Zane Smith joins the team in the No. 71 Chevrolet, Carson Hocevar in the No. 77 Chevrolet while Corey LaJoie returns to the No. 7 Chevrolet.
