Spire Motorsports will shift its partnership with UHP (Unlock Human Potential) into high gear when the veteran-focused education and leadership organization is showcased as the primary sponsor aboard Daniel Suárez’s No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for the August 15 NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway.
UHP’s central mission is transforming service members and veterans into leaders through immersive, high-impact programs centered on human performance, leadership development, and real-world skill building.
UHP recently launched the UHP Skilled Trades Institute, a veteran-focused, accelerated industrial trade school training veterans as electricians, welders, and HVAC technicians in a five-week program on UHP’s 800-acre campus in Northwest Arkansas. Graduates leave with nationally recognized credentials, hands-on experience, and the personal development to build careers as industrial technicians.
“Racing is a trade,” said UHP Founder and CEO Matt Hesse. “Every car on that track exists because somebody welded it, wired it, tuned it, and got it right under pressure with a clock running. That is exactly what we build at the UHP Skilled Trades Institute. We teach veterans to work with their hands at a professional standard, and there is no better stage for that than a NASCAR Cup Series car on a Saturday night in Richmond.”
The UHP Skilled Trades Institute program provides a pathway for veterans into high-demand careers in the skilled trades in a five-week format that delivers what traditional community colleges take six to 12 months to facilitate. It is also a subsidiary of UHP, which has helped thousands of veterans transition from military to civilian life, since its founding in 2021, through health and human-performance programming.
UHP’s long-term vision for the UHP Skilled Trades Institute is to train thousands of veterans per year and connect them to high-demand, skilled trade careers.
Before the 2026 season, a contingent of Spire Motorsports team members, including drivers, crew chiefs, select competition and front office personnel, spent three days at UHP’s vast Gentry, Ark., facility. The group was put through a set of rigorous physical trials while also focusing on nutrition, team building and mental health.
“I’m really happy to have UHP on the car,” explained Suárez. “What they do for veterans and service members is incredibly meaningful, and it’s an honor to carry their mission into a race weekend. I can’t wait to showcase them on our car at Richmond. Back in January, our team spent three days at the UHP facility in Arkansas. I was there with my teammates Carson Hocevar, Michael McDowell, our crew chiefs, engineers, the competition team, and a group from our business office, and it was a really valuable start to the season. We pushed each other through some intense workouts, stayed on a clean diet all week, and spent a lot of time just getting to know each other away from the racetrack. Being in that kind of environment helps you understand how your teammates think and communicate, and that builds real trust. By the end of those three days, it felt like we’d already built a stronger connection that we could carry into the season.”
The Monterrey, Mexico native and 2026 Coca-Cola 600 winner is having a breakout season on the strength of one win, two top-five and six top-10 finishes and currently sits 11th in points with 15 races remaining to determine this year’s champion. Meanwhile, Suárez has averaged a 14.6 finish across 21 races so far and has only finished outside the top 20 four times.
In 16 previous Cup Series starts at the iconic 0.75-mile Richmond oval, Suárez has logged five top 10s including a pair of venue/series best seventh-place finishes, the most recent of which came last August. He’s recorded a 16.6 average finish and completed 99.8 percent of the laps at Richmond Raceway since his 2017 rookie season.
“Daniel Suárez is the right person to represent the skilled trades and the determination of our military veterans,” added Hesse. “He outworked the doubt, and our students recognize that immediately. ‘Ignite America’ is not a slogan to us. It is what happens when you put in the hard work it takes to win, and when we put veterans back to work doing something that matters for our great nation.”
The NASCAR Cup Series 400-lap race from Richmond Raceway will be televised live on USA, Saturday, August 15 beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The 24th of 36 points-paying races on the 2026 calendar will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
— Spire Motorsports —