McDowell gets new crew chief as Doran returns to Spire

Stephen Doran will return to Spire Motorsports next season as crew chief for Michael McDowell.

Doran moves to the No. 71 team after spending the last two seasons working with Shane van Gisbergen on the No. 97 team at Trackhouse Racing. He and van Gisbergen won five poles and seven races, with a postseason appearance in 2025.

However, Doran was with Spire Motorsports during the 2024 season, when he was paired with Zane Smith. In his return, he will work alongside fellow crew chiefs Ryan Sparks (Daniel Suarez) and Luke Lambert (Carson Hocevar).

“I'm incredibly thankful to Justin (Marks) for giving me the opportunity to be a crew chief at Trackhouse,” said Doran. “I'm equally grateful for the opportunity to work alongside SVG. He's a world-class driver on the track and an even better person away from it. I'll truly miss the people and relationships I've built within the Trackhouse family.

“The timing felt right to return to Spire Motorsports. Coming back to the No. 71 team is something I've thought about since leaving at the end of 2024. What Jeff, Dan (Towriss), and the entire organization have built in such a short time is impressive, and I'm excited to be part of what's ahead. I can't wait to get to work with Michael and the entire team as we push to become a consistent race-winning organization for years to come.”

McDowell finished 20th in the championship standings this season as the only Spire Motorsports driver not to win a race or make the Chase. Travis Peterson, who has worked with McDowell since 2023, including winning the Daytona 500 while they were at Front Row Motorsports, has been offered a lead engineering role.

“Our 2027 season starts today, so we’re eager to bring Stephen back to Spire Motorsports,” said co-owner Jeff Dickerson. “He’s an exceptionally talented individual, a winning crew chief, and someone who fits in with our group seamlessly. Spire had a great 2026 season, so we have a lot to be proud of. Adding Stephen to the mix with Matt McCall and reuniting him with Ryan Luke and Dax (Garringer) gives me a lot of confidence that our best days as an organization are still in front of us.”