• by Teresa Buyikian , 7 hours ago

A year after initially coming together on the track, Chili’s is continuing to bring its trademark red pepper to NASCAR with a multiyear extension of its partnership with Spire Motorsports.

Over the past year Chili’s and Spire Motorsports have encouraged fans to “Ride the ‘Dente,” a nod to the brand’s Presidente Margarita, through driver’s custom fire suits, a country music video (seen here) and a mechanical margarita shaker ride onsite at races.

Chili’s kicks off its 2026 sponsorship in Texas at the March 1 NASCAR race weekend at Circuit of the Americas. The race is the first of many that feature the Chili’s branded No. 77 Chevrolet ZL1 driven by NASCAR Cup Series star Carson Hocevar.

“Our partnership with Spire Motorsports continues to grow as we see excitement build at the track and with race fans across the country,” says Chili's Director of Media Tim Forman in a press release. “We both take our business seriously but are eager to embrace opportunities to have fun and show up in unexpected ways together. Last season, Carson took it to a new level, giving fans an authentic reason to connect with Ride the 'Dente, and we can't wait to continue that push this year.”

Chili’s has also expanded its branding on the cars themselves, taking primary placement  on Hocevar's dirt late model and on the High Limit Racing sprint car driven by Gio Scelzi. The brand also sponsors Scelzi's midget car and is the pre- and post-race show title sponsor for FloRacing's coverage throughout the Chili Bowl Nationals.

Chili’s and Spire will reveal its new car designs ahead of the March 1 race.

“From what started as a one- or two-race opportunity, to where we find ourselves in 2026 is a true testament to Chili's commitment to this platform,” says Spire Motorsports Co-Owner Jeff Dickerson. “We've built a solid NASCAR Cup Series program with Carson (Hocevar) and our No. 77 team and expanded the relationship to connect with our High Limit sprint car team and dirt late model project.”