ZEIGLER AUTO GROUP ANNOUNCES 2025 NASCAR CUP SERIES CAMPAIGN WITH SPIRE MOTORSPORTS AT PRESS CONFERENCE

Rookie of the Year Carson Hocevar to Carry Zeigler Livery for Multi-Race Program

KALAMAZOO, Mich., Dec. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Zeigler Automotive Group, one of the largest privately-owned automotive dealer groups in the United States, will return to Spire Motorsports to partner with Michigan native and reigning NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year Carson Hocevar for multiple races in 2025. The announcement was made today during a press conference hosted at Zeigler Motorsports in Kalamazoo. The event also included a fan meet and greet with Hocevar.

“We are very excited for the 2025 season with Carson and the Spire team,” said Aaron J. Zeigler, president and CEO of Zeigler Auto Group and Zeigler Racing. “This past year has been nothing short of incredible, with Carson earning the well-deserved Rookie of the Year award. His performance on the track has exceeded all expectations, and if this past year is any indication of what’s to come, we’re in for an exciting ride. Carson’s commitment to excellence, both on and off the track, has made a tremendous impact, and we are honored to continue to support our hometown hero. His dedication to the community has been inspiring, and we can’t wait to see what’s next for Carson, Zeigler, and the entire Spire team.”

Zeigler.com and Zeigler Auto Group will be showcased as the team’s primary sponsor in eight Cup Series races in 2025 beginning with the first points-paying race of the season Feb. 16 at Daytona International Speedway.

The distinct yellow and black Zeigler paint scheme will be featured aboard Hocevar’s No. 77 Chevy Camaro at the following races in 2025:

Daytona International Speedway – February 16
Homestead-Miami Speedway – March 23
Darlington Raceway – April 6
Nashville Superspeedway – June 1
Michigan International Speedway – June 8
Chicago Street Course – July 6
Indianapolis Motor Speedway – July 27
World Wide Technology Raceway – September 7

Zeigler Automotive Group is one of the largest privately-owned dealer groups in the U.S. with 84 franchises across 41 locations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. Vehicle brands represented include all the domestic and majority of the imported manufacturers. The family-owned and -operated organization has been a regular on the Cup Series tour since 2019.

Hocevar, 21, earned top 2024 rookie honors on the strength of one top-five, six top-10 and 13 top-15 finishes. In his first full-season at the controls of the No. 77 Chevrolet, Hocevar brought home a career-best third-place finish in the Cup Series’ September visit to Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International.

“I’m excited to continue our partnership with Zeigler Automotive Group after a successful rookie season,” said Hocevar. “They’ve been such a great support group since day one for me and the No. 77 team. I’m looking forward to continuing to build our partnership on and off the track and can’t wait to take the Zeigler Chevrolet to Victory Lane.”

The Portage, Mich., native impressed throughout his rookie campaign, accumulating 686 points and being the top-finishing rookie in 15 races on NASCAR’s senior circuit. He out-distanced his next closest competitor by a handsome 107-point advantage when the checkered flag fell on the 2024 season finale at Phoenix Raceway.

The 21-year-old made his NCS debut for Spire Motorsports on June 4, 2023 at World Wide Technology Raceway. In addition to his NCS debut, Hocevar made four NASCAR Xfinity Series starts for Spire Motorsports in 2023, earning top-10 finishes at Darlington Raceway (sixth) and Charlotte Motor Speedway (eighth).

Hocevar is the third Michigan-born driver to win Cup Series Rookie of the Year honors, following in the footsteps of Johnny Benson (1996) and Erik Jones (2017).

The 67th running of the Daytona 500 will be televised live on FOX, Sunday, Feb. 16 beginning at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and will also be the first NASCAR event streamed live on Amazon Prime. The first of 36 points-paying races on the 2025 NCS schedule will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

About Zeigler Auto Group

Zeigler Automotive Group is one of the largest privately-owned dealer groups in the U.S. with 84 franchises across 41 locations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. Vehicle brands represented include all of the domestic and the majority of the imported manufacturers.

Besides its extensive automotive portfolio, the organization owns and operates Zeigler Motorsports, an 85,000-square-foot motorsports dealership and action park, offering 19 different powersports brands, plus its own onsite restaurant: Trak Houz Bar & Grill. Additionally, Zeigler Motorsports houses the Elevate Leadership & Team Building Academy, an executive training company.

The Kalamazoo-based dealer group also owns and operates Zeigler Pre-Owned of Chicago, three Byrider franchises, three finance companies, several insurance firms, and a leasing firm.

Founded in 1975, the organization employs over 2,500 people, ranking among the top one percent of automotive dealers in the nation with estimated annual sales of $2.2 billion for 2023.

The family-owned and operated company is well known for its commitment to both customer service and employee satisfaction. Zeigler is regularly recognized as one of the Best and Brightest Companies to Work for in the Nation, also earning similar accolades in Wisconsin, Chicago, and Michigan. Besides these prestigious accolades, Zeigler is also one of Glassdoor’s 100 Best Places to Work in the U.S. for 2024, and among Glassdoor’s top 10 U.S. companies for work-life balance.

For more information, please visit zeiglerracing.com or follow us on @zeigler_racing on Facebook, X, Instagram, and Linkedin.

About Spire Motorsports

Spire Motorsports is a NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race team co-owned by long-time NASCAR industry executives Jeff Dickerson and Thaddeus “T.J.” Puchyr. In 2024, Spire Motorsports campaigned the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolets in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team also fielded the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Silverados full time in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.

Spire Motorsports earned its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series victory in its first full season of competition when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway on July 7, 2019. Less than three years later, William Byron drove Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado to its inaugural NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win on April 7, 2022 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The team’s most recent win came on April 12, 2024, when Kyle Busch took the checkered flag in the SpeedyCash.com 250 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Francis Mariela (Zeigler PR) – (239) 273-6976

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