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Stephen Doran is heading back to Spire Motorsports to be Michael McDowell‘s crew chief in 2027, after two seasons leading Shane van Gisbergen‘s No. 97 at Trackhouse Racing.
The move came the same day Trackhouse made it official that Blake Harris will take over as van Gisbergen’s crew chief next season.
https://x.com/TeamTrackhouse/status/2119807266945974445
Trackhouse Confirms Harris for the No. 97
Harris comes over from Hendrick Motorsports, where he has been Alex Bowman‘s crew chief on the No. 48 since the start of the 2023 season. The pair won once, on the Chicago Street Course in 2024. RACER first reported the move last week, as Pit This Time reported.
Hendrick has not announced who will replace Harris on Bowman’s No. 48.
Doran’s Run With van Gisbergen
Doran and van Gisbergen won seven races together over the past two seasons, all on road or street courses. Van Gisbergen finished 12th in the 2025 standings. This year he missed the Chase but was still the top Trackhouse driver in points, finishing 17th.
“I’m incredibly thankful to Justin (Marks) for giving me the opportunity to be a crew chief at Trackhouse,” Doran said, referring to Trackhouse owner Justin Marks. “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.”
Back to the No. 71
Doran worked at Spire before, and was Zane Smith‘s crew chief there for the 2024 Cup season. He will replace Travis Peterson as McDowell’s crew chief. Peterson has been offered an engineering role with the team.
“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,” Doran said. “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.”
Spire co-owner Jeff Dickerson said the team wasted no time starting on 2027.
“Our 2027 season starts today so we’re eager to bring Stephen back to Spire Motorsports,” Dickerson said. “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 (Sparks), Luke (Lambert) and Dax (Garringer) gives me a lot of confidence that our best days as an organization are still in front of us.”
McDowell finished 10th at Homestead on Sunday and 20th in the final standings.
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