Doug Duchardt has been named president of Spire Motorsports.
Duchardt most recently worked for six years with Chip Ganassi Racing as chief operating officer and then executive consultant. Previous to Ganassi, he spent 12 years with Hendrick Motorsports, where he was vice president of development before becoming executive vice president and general manager.
Of his 27 years of racing experience, Duchardt also spent time with General Motors.
“As Spire Motorsports continues to grow, it’s important to add impactful personnel at every level,” said Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson. “I’ve known and had a close personal relationship with Doug Duchardt for nearly 20 years. Doug’s resume and body of work speaks for itself. Having him on staff raises our competitive bar immediately. He brings a results-based work ethic to our team that will pay immediate dividends.
“Our expectations for the impact his presence will make across our entire organization cannot be overstated. He has a rich history with General Motors which has resulted in close and deep personal relationships at the manufacturer level and positions him firmly at the intersection of our crucial relationships with both Hendrick Motorsports and Trackhouse Racing.”
At Ganassi, Duchardt served as a liaison between the organization and General Motorsports. Duchardt also handled team strategist duties at the Indianapolis 500 in 2022 for Tony Kanaan. Other responsibilities in his tenure with Ganassi included navigating and finalizing negotiations with Ganassi’s corporate partners.
During his time with Hendrick, Duchardt oversaw seven Cup Series championships.
Duchardt will be responsible for oversight across all of Spire Motorsports. Included in those responsibilities will be competition, personnel and business operations.
“I have been impressed with Spire Motorsports’ incremental growth since its inception,” said Duchardt. “It’s an exciting opportunity to join the team as we work toward increased competitiveness in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. Walking into the facility you can feel the enthusiasm and energy. I am also looking forward to working with my previous teammates at Chevrolet, Trackhouse Racing and Hendrick Motorsports as Spire prepares for the 2024 season.”
Spire Motorsports is expanding to three full-time Cup Series teams in 2024. Corey LaJoie returns to the No. 7 Chevrolet while Zane Smith joins the fold in the No. 71 and Carson Hocevar in the No. 77 Chevrolet.
