CONCORD, N.C. – For the first time since 2014, Steve Letarte will return atop the pit box for a NASCAR Cup Series race this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Letarte, now an NBC Sports analyst and the team consultant for Spire Motorsports, will serve as crew chief during Sunday’s Dixie Vodka 400 for driver Corey LaJoie in the absence of Ryan Sparks, the regular crew chief for the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE team.
Due to COVID-19 protocols, Sparks will not participate in Sunday’s Dixie Vodka 400 and will not travel to Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Additionally, two other members of the No. 7 team will be inactive this weekend in adherence with the same directives.
Letarte earned 15 Cup Series victories during a 10-year tenure as a crew chief at Hendrick Motorsports, including six with NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon during a 2007 season where Gordon finished second in points to teammate Jimmie Johnson.
The 41-year-old native of Cornish, Maine, won the 2014 Daytona 500 with Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2021.
The Dixie Vodka 400 from Homestead-Miami Speedway will take the green flag Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET, with live coverage on FOX, the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.