NASCAR team confirms mid-season driver release

The Andrés Pérez de Lara NASCAR Truck Series experiment at Spire Motorsports is over after the team released its 20-year-old Mexican driver following the weekend action at Watkins Glen.

Pérez de Lara was let go with eight races remaining of the 2025 campaign after a season which has so far netted just two two top-10 finishes with a best of seventh at Martinsville.

He was not out of work for long though, swiftly inking a deal with Niece Motorsports within hours to drive its No. 44 Chevrolet for the remainder of the Truck Series campaign.

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Spire release Pérez de Lara

Spire explained its decision with President Bill Anthony claiming: “Andrés has made meaningful progress this season, and we remain confident in his future.

“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 this year and beyond.

"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.”

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Mexican star on new opportunity

Pérez de Lara, 2024 ARCA champion and currently third in this year’s rookie standings, says he’s excited by the opportunity Niece has given him.

Speaking in a team statement, he said: "Overall, I'm really excited about the upcoming races with Niece Motorsports.

“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 with how the team has treated me. I feel the team is also motivated with having me there as well."

"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. "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."

Telcel, Claro, and Infinitum, who each backed Pérez de Lara during his spell at Spire, will continue to serve as his primary partners at Niece.

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