Peterson Joining McDowell At Spire Motorsports In ’25

Travis Peterson (left) will continue to work with Michael McDowell next year in the NASCAR Cup Series. (Nigel Kinrade/NKP photo)

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Michael McDowell received some positive news Tuesday, as he’ll have a familiar presence atop his pit box when he moves to Spire Motorsports next year.

Travis Peterson, McDowell’s current crew chief at Front Row Motorsports, has inked a multi-year agreement with the Jeff Dickerson and T.J. Puchyr-owned team and will serve as the crew chief of the No. 71 Chevrolet team starting with the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Peterson completes Spire Motorsports’ crew chief lineup next year, with Rodney Childers (No. 7) joining the organization from Stewart-Haas Racing and Luke Lambert planned to remain with the No. 77 team and driver Carson Hocevar.

The 33-year-old Peterson has worked with McDowell since the start of 2023, with the pair earning one win, four top-five, and 14 top-10 finishes, as well as three Busch Light Pole Awards.

McDowell’s victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on Aug. 13, 2023, shocked the premier series garage area and propelled the Phoenix, Ariz., native to his second playoff appearance.

“It’s exciting to have Travis Peterson join Spire Motorsports,” said Spire Motorsports president Doug Duchardt. “The first time Travis and I worked together was when Greg Ives and Travis came to Hendrick Motorsports to be the crew chief and the engineer for the No. 88 car with Dale (Earnhardt) Jr. I got to spend time with Travis there as a young engineer and it’s exciting to see how he’s grown into a leader and a crew chief.

“He’s going to add tremendous depth to our crew chief lineup and be a great compliment to Luke (Lambert) and Rodney (Childers). I’m really excited to see what those three can do together.”

Peterson was born in Wisconsin, but moved with his family to the Charlotte area early on when his father took a position with Joe Gibbs Racing. The younger Peterson later became a race engineering intern with JGN while pursuing his degree in mechanical engineering from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

After his college graduation, Peterson joined JR Motorsports and was a part of Chase Elliott’s three-win championship season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2014. He later spent time with Hendrick Motorsports on the No. 88 team from 2015-’18, and was a lead engineer at Roush Fenway (now RFK) Racing for the five years prior to his move to Front Row Motorsports.

Peterson has called 63 races as a crew chief in the Cup Series thus far, highlighted by his win with McDowell at the IMS road course last year.

“It is a very exciting opportunity,” said Peterson of his upcoming move to Spire Motorsports. “Michael (McDowell) and I had the opportunity to meet with Doug (Duchardt) and (Jeff) Dickerson, and they really sold us on the vision of where Spire is going and how we could be big role players in building the organization. I think having that skin in the game was important to both of us.

“The chance in front of us has all the potential to be very rewarding. That was a huge part of [the decision],” Peterson continued. “I love the energy and the overall culture around Spire Motorsports right now. They’re investing in people and team ownership is highly engaged. The mindset is ‘We’re going to do what it takes to win, and this is what we want to build. Here’s the vision, where we’re going, what we’re going to do to get there, and we want you to be part of it.’ That was the biggest selling point.”

Since making his Cup Series debut in 2008, McDowell has two wins, 11 top-five, and 43 top-10 finishes at the sport’s top level. All three of his poles have come this season as his stock has continued to rise.

“There are times when you meet people and you are immediately able to naturally communicate on a real level,” said Peterson of his relationship with McDowell. “I feel like we were that way from the start. We didn’t have to work at it. Our personalities, the way we openly communicate, and our honest nature helped us click from the start. We have no problem talking about hard stuff or easy stuff. We can be happy together when we win and be sad together when we lose. There is no red tape. We just work. It’s hard to recreate that.

“Staying together is a huge part in coming to Spire Motorsports for both of us. It’s hard to put a value on a driver/crew chief pairing, but there’s an intangible there,” Peterson added. “We just know it has been working, and if we can keep it going, we’re only going to get better over time. That’s what we’re chasing. We want to continue to grow and get better together.”

Founded in 2018, Spire Motorsports owns one win, seven top fives, and 14 top 10s in 354 Cup Series starts.

Peterson looks to add to those totals starting next year, and believes that the three-pronged attack of himself, Childers, and Lambert provides the veteran Cup Series experience that will further elevate the organization.

“It’s going to be exciting,” Peterson continued. “Rodney (Childers) is a veteran of the sport. It is exciting for me to learn from a guy with that much success. Luke (Lambert) and I worked together when I was an engineer at Roush, so we’re definitely familiar with one another. We have all seen each other around and we’ve all paid attention to each other. Combining all those ideas will be exciting.

“[Teamwork] is where a lot of strength is right now in the sport, and that side of our group is going to be very valuable.”