Reigning ARCA Racing Series champion Andres Perez de Lara will compete full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2025.
The deal for the Mexico City native comes with Spire Motorsports, who will drive the No. 77 Chevrolet Silverado with veteran crew chief Chad Walter calling the shots. Walter worked with Rajah Caruth and the Spire No. 71 last year.
“As Spire Motorsports continues to look toward the future, it’s important that we identify who we expect to be long-term contributors to the growth of not only our organization, but to the sport as a whole,” said Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson. “Andres Perez da Lara has a very bright future. He has a huge upside and is already integrated into our processes and methods of preparation. We’re thrilled to officially add him to the Spire family.”
Parez has made a pair of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts, both coming last season. His debut at Gateway came behind the wheel of a No. 7 for Spire Motorsports and resulted in a top-10 finish.
Perez competed full-time in ARCA for REV Racing, where he accumulated 10 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes on the way to the championship.
Telcel, Infinium and Claro will provide sponsorship for the campaign.
“It’s such a great opportunity for me and one that I have been working extra hard to get,” said Perez. “It’s awesome to work with a team like Spire, and what that means for me as a driver having so many experienced and very accomplished people working with me to make the most of this opportunity. I think I’m looking forward to the competition more than anything. I’m ready to step up my game and ready to work on getting the most out of every race. Daytona can’t come soon enough. All the new tracks I’ll be racing will be another big challenge. I am really looking forward to it.”
Walter, the 2001 and 2003 Daytona 500 winning crew chief, has spearheaded numerous young racing careers and expressed optimism for the pairing.
“After two successful seasons with Rajah Caruth, I’m excited to work with Andres Perez de Lara,” said Walter. “I’ve always enjoyed the opportunity to help mold drivers into the future stars of NASCAR. Andres has proven that he can be that next ‘one’. We’ve taken the time to assemble a great race team to surround him. Our goal is always to be competitive, maximize our weekends, and race the right way with our competitors. I’m grateful to our leadership team for having the confidence in me to lead Andres and the 77 team in 2025.”
