Chili's® Grill & Bar and Spire Motorsports Ride the 'Dente™ Again-te

Chili's (NYSE:EAT) returns to the track March 1, 2026 at Circuit of the Americas in Austin with driver Carson Hocevar and the No. 77 Ride the 'Dente Chevrolet.

Rhea-AI Summary

Chili's (NYSE:EAT) returns to the track March 1, 2026 at Circuit of the Americas in Austin with driver Carson Hocevar and the No. 77 Ride the 'Dente Chevrolet. The brand extended a multi-year sponsorship with Spire Motorsports and highlights its Presidente Margarita, selling nearly 30 million margaritas in 2025.

The campaign features a new black-and-white car and firesuit design, pepper-vine art, and the names of nearly 1,100 corporate general managers integrated into the pepper logos.

Argus Feb 24 session

+0.27% close to close Open Argus

Details

News Market Reaction – EAT

On Feb 24, the day this news came out, EAT closed 0.27% above the previous close.

Data tracked by StockTitan Argus for the Feb 24 session.

Market Context

This announcement deepens Chili’s partnership with Spire Motorsports and showcases the Presidente Ma...

Analysis

This announcement deepens Chili’s partnership with Spire Motorsports and showcases the Presidente Margarita, which saw nearly 30 million sold in 2025. It extends brand visibility at Circuit of the Americas and emphasizes Chili’s 50-year heritage and nearly 1,100 general managers. In context with recent strong earnings and guidance, investors may track how such marketing efforts tie into traffic, comparable sales, and future revenue updates rather than treating this as a standalone financial catalyst.

Key Figures

Margaritas sold 2025: nearly 30 million Menu tenure: since 1994 General managers honored: nearly 1,100 +5 more

Margaritas sold 2025

nearly 30 million

Chili's margarita sales in 2025

Menu tenure

since 1994

Presidente Margarita on Chili's menu

General managers honored

nearly 1,100

Names used in pepper logos on car doors

Brand age

50 years

Age of Chili's restaurant brand

Race date

March 1

COTA NASCAR race featuring Ride the 'Dente car

Race start time

3:30 p.m. ET

COTA race broadcast on FOX

Race laps

95 laps

COTA race distance

Track turns

17-turn road course

Circuit of the Americas layout

Historical Context

5 past events · Latest: Feb 11

5 events

1. Feb 11

   Marketing promotion

   24h Move

   +2.0%

   Launch of free Margarita of the Month Club after strong 2025 margarita sales.

2. Jan 28

   Earnings and guidance

   24h Move

   -0.4%

   Q2 fiscal 2026 beat metrics and raised full-year revenue and EPS guidance.

3. Jan 14

   Earnings call notice

   24h Move

   +0.7%

   Announcement of timing and access details for upcoming Q2 earnings call.

4. Jan 13

   Sponsorship renewal

   24h Move

   -0.8%

   Multi-year renewal of Chili’s primary sponsorship of No. 77 with Spire Motorsports.

5. Oct 29

   Earnings report

   24h Move

   -7.5%

   Strong Q1 fiscal 2026 comps, especially Chili’s +21.4% comp growth, with guidance reiterated.

24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.

Key Terms

nascar

1 terms

nascar technical

"through its standout NASCAR presenceDALLAS, Feb. 24, 2026 -- Chili's"

NASCAR is the organization that runs professional stock‑car racing events and manages the series, rules, venues and television/broadcast agreements. Investors pay attention because NASCAR drives ticket sales, advertising, sponsorship deals, media rights and merchandise sales—similar to how a major sports league creates recurring revenue and brand exposure that can affect the value of teams, tracks, broadcasters and sponsors.

AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

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The restaurant brand continues to shine a spotlight on its iconic Presidente Margarita® through its standout NASCAR presence

DALLAS, Feb. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Chili's® Grill & Bar returns to the track March 1 in Austin, Texas, and it's bringing Ride the 'Dente™ along for more high-speed circuits with Spire Motorsports and driver Carson Hocevar.

Chili's sells more margaritas than any restaurant brand in the U.S., nearly 30 million in 2025 alone, and the iconic Presidente, or 'Dente, is one of the most popular. A menu staple since 1994, the 'Dente features reposado tequila, brandy, orange liqueur and is served alongside its famous blue shaker, giving guests the opportunity to pour seemingly endless margaritas.

And the 'Dente isn't just a delicious margarita; it's now become the rallying cry for Hocevar's fans.

Appearing on Hocevar's No. 77 Chevrolet ZL1 in 2025, "Ride the 'Dente" is how Chili's re-introduced the Presidente to the racing crowd, launching the brand's first country music video before bringing its mechanical marg shaker ride to the Boulevard in the infield at Talladega Superspeedway. The off-track pieces accompanied one of the season's fan-favorite car and firesuit designs. The car featured western flourishes and a custom Ride the 'Dente logo, while the firesuit turned heads with a personalized Texas-sized belt buckle detail, faux denim jeans and a western, button-down motif.

"We love how fans have taken the campaign and made it a rallying cry for hard racing or a way to say they're headed to Chili's for margs and Triple Dippers," said Chili's Director of Media, Tim Forman. "This year, we're making a few updates, starting with an intimidating black-and-white design and black suit, to reflect the mentality Carson brings to the track and give fans another reason to yell or post 'Ride the Dente'."

This newest 'Dente car design is a classic black, white and red with the return of the recognizable Ride the 'Dente logo and the addition of pepper vines crawling across the top and sides, a homage to Chili's founder Larry Lavine and the fashion sense he displayed in the early days of the 50-year-old restaurant brand. The Chili's firesuit gets an outlaw edit to its western-theme with a black faux button-down, jeans, and boot design, pepper vine flourishes, a Spire bolo tie and an updated version of the Texas-sized Ride the 'Dente belt buckle detail. And as always, Chili's is honoring the hardworking teams that bring the Chili's experience to life every day, using the names of the nearly 1,100 general managers at corporate-owned Chili's restaurants to make up the pepper logos on the doors.

"Chili's set the bar last year with the Ride the 'Dente scheme and firesuit," said Hocevar. "This year they've outdone themselves with the full look. I don't think you'll find another car or campaign in the garage that is as detailed and unique as this one. Every little thing has been thought out and it's really cool to be able to represent a brand I love in the sport I love. I hope everyone enjoys seeing the black-and-white Chili's Ride the 'Dente Chevy on track, and when we take it to Victory Lane, they can join us at the nearest Chili's for some margs and Triple Dippers."

The race weekend at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) kickstarts a multi-year partnership extension for Chili's to stay on the No. 77 with Hocevar. The Ride the 'Dente No. 77 Chevy will be on track throughout the COTA race weekend, culminating Sunday, March 1 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX with 95 laps on the 17-turn road course.

Race fans in the Austin area have a chance to see Hocevar and the No. 77 Ride the 'Dente Chevy on track both Saturday and Sunday of race weekend. For Chili's guests who aren't in Austin, the opportunity to Ride the 'Dente always exists on the menu at their local Chili's.

About Chili's® Grill & Bar
Hi, welcome to Chili's! A proud leader in the casual dining industry and the flagship brand of Dallas-based Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE: EAT), Chili's was named Ad Age's 2025 Brand of the Year. Founded in 1975, Chili's is known for serving Big Mouth Burgers®, Crispy Chicken Crispers®, and sizzling fajitas, while hand-shaking more margaritas than any other restaurant brand in the United States. Chili's operates 1,600 restaurants in 29 countries and two territories with over 70,000 team members. With a purpose to make everyone feel special, Chiliheads take food, drink and service seriously – but not themselves. Chili's was a proud winner at the 2025 MenuMasters Awards for Best New Menu Item for Nashville Hot Mozz, the breakout addition to the social media-famous Triple Dipper. For more than 20 years, Chili's has been a proud supporter of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and has raised more than $120 million for the organization through generous guest and team member donations. Find more information at chilis.com, follow on X or Instagram, like on Facebook, or join Chili's on TikTok.  

About Spire Motorsports
Spire Motorsports fields full-time entries in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and High Limit Racing. 

The team, co-owned by longtime NASCAR industry executive Jeff Dickerson and TWG Motorsports CEO Dan Towriss, earned its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series victory in its first full season of competition when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway on July 7, 2019. Less than three years later, William Byron drove Spire Motorsports' No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado to its inaugural NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win on April 7, 2022, at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The team's most recent win came on May 30, 2025, when Rajah Caruth took the checkered flag in the Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway. 

In 2026, Spire Motorsports will campaign the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s in the NASCAR Cup Series and the Nos. 7 and 77 Chevrolet Silverado RSTs in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The Mooresville, N.C., organization will also field the No. 77 410 sprint car in Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing competition.

 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/chilis-grill--bar-and-spire-motorsports-ride-the-dente-again-te-302695632.html

SOURCE Chili's Grill & Bar

FAQ

AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

What is Chili's (EAT) announcing for the March 1, 2026 COTA race?

Chili's will appear on Carson Hocevar's No. 77 Chevy at COTA on March 1, 2026. According to Chili's, the Ride the 'Dente car and firesuit feature a new black-and-white design, pepper-vine art and names of nearly 1,100 corporate general managers.

Does the Chili's partnership with Spire Motorsports continue beyond 2026 for EAT?

Yes, Chili's announced a multi-year extension to remain on the No. 77 with Hocevar. According to Chili's, the COTA weekend kickstarts that multi-year partnership extension with Spire Motorsports.

How prominent is the Presidente Margarita in Chili's (EAT) marketing for 2026?

The Presidente Margarita is central to the campaign, branded as Ride the 'Dente across on- and off-track activations. According to Chili's, the brand sold nearly 30 million margaritas in 2025, and the 'Dente is a long-standing menu staple.

When and where can fans see the No. 77 Ride the 'Dente Chevy on track in Austin?

Fans can see the No. 77 Ride the 'Dente Chevy on both Saturday and Sunday of the COTA race weekend, with the main event Sunday, March 1 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX. According to Chili's, the car will run all race-day laps.

What visual updates did Chili's (EAT) make to the Ride the 'Dente car and firesuit for 2026?

Chili's updated the scheme to black, white and red with pepper vines and a Texas-sized belt-buckle motif on the firesuit. According to Chili's, the design honors founder Larry Lavine and amplifies the campaign's western-theme with an outlaw edit.