I can’t say that I’m surprised they purchased Greenville. When you look at the names of the people involved, short of them purchasing Charlotte, Greenville is a perfect fit for them being only 100 miles from Cornelius which is consider a base of operation for much of NASCAR.
It was always rather odd to seem them involved in Rapid City so the fact they took even further ownership tells me they are using this as vehicle for advertising versus anything else.
Spire’s main source of income is driven from sponsorships which is why they are involved in racing. Spire co-founders Jeff Dickerson and TJ Puchyr own the former Furniture Row Racing. They have an alliance with Chip Ganassi Racing for engines and technology development.
Spire also owns Knoxville Raceway which hold one of the most prestigious races on dirt, the Knoxville Nationals, every year. Track Enterprises is their track management group which manages at least two dozen tracks across the Midwest.
Plus, Spire Sports and Entertainment is a talent agency representing drivers like James Hinchcliffe, Ross Chastain, and Justin Haley.
I think they have a chance to make Greenville a highly successful franchise by incorporating a lot of their NASCAR product into their promotional schedule and their branding. Would not be shocked if the team name changed to be more reflected of Spire’s racing pedigree.
If the ECHL would allow hockey jersey’s to covered like NASCAR uniforms or like jersey’s in Europe... This is the group that would do it.