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Andres Perez de Lara, a contender for NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Rookie of the Year honors, left Spire Motorsports to compete for Niece Motorsports for the rest of the season.

Perez de Lara, 20, signed a deal Monday to drive for Niece beginning at Richmond Raceway this weekend. He'd driven in 17 races for Spire before the move.

'Andres has made meaningful progress this season, and we remain confident in his future,' Spire president Bill Anthony said in a statement. 'While we haven't finalized our 2026 plans for the No. 77 team, we wanted to give him the opportunity to look ahead and pursue other options for the remainder of this season and beyond. He's a hard worker, carries himself with humility and brings a consistently positive attitude to the garage.

'We're proud to have been part of his journey and will continue cheering him on.'

Perez de Lara is from Mexico and graduated from the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program. He won the ARCA Menards Series championship in 2024 before moving up to the NASCAR level.

He sits 17th in the Truck Series driver standings, has two top-10 finishes and is third in points among rookies.

'Overall, I'm really excited about the upcoming races with Niece Motorsports,' Perez de Lara said, per NASCAR.com 'Making a change mid-season always has its challenges, but the team and I are working hard to be 100 percent by the time Richmond comes. I'm really focusing on having a good race there and feel very motivated with how the team has treated me. I feel the team is also motivated with having me there as well.'

--Field Level Media