Daniel Suárez has pushed back on the idea that he was racing to save his NASCAR career and that he did not care for his former team. The Mexican driver had one of the strongest starts of his Cup Series tenure with Spire Motorsports.
Suárez left Trackhouse Racing, where he had spent five years. The 33-year-old was part of the team’s debut Cup Series season in 2021 and scored both of his Cup wins with Trackhouse, including a breakthrough victory at Sonoma in 2022. He was replaced by Connor Zilisch in the No. 88 Chevrolet.
Thanks for the submission!
Suárez, who has improved his average finish compared to the past seasons with Trackhouse, denied that he was trying to outperform his former team.
“A lot of people don’t believe it, but it’s me vs. me. I’m not trying to beat Trackhouse or anyone else. I don’t care about them. It’s me vs. me. Right now, l’m at a point in my career where I have experience, I still have the youth, and I have to take advantage of that,” Daniel Suárez told The Atheletic.
Suárez sits 16th in the drivers’ standings with 167 points ahead of this weekend’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway. The No. 7 Chevrolet driver believes he has benefited from improved speed and execution with superior Spire equipment.
“I’m not doing anything different..we’re just faster” – Daniel Suárez on improved performance with Spire Motorsports
Daniel Suárez started the year with a fourth-place finish in the Clash at Bowman Gray. He followed the exhibition race up with a 13th-place finish in the season-opening 2026 Daytona 500 and a fifth-place run at Atlanta the following week. Suárez added another top-10 finish at Darlington last month.
Suárez’s average finish stands at 16.9, about four positions better than at the same point last season.
“A few close people have asked me what changed, what I’m doing differently, and I swear, man, I’m not doing anything different. My process and work ethic are the same. A few things in the process changed, but not because of me, because of the team, so I had to adjust. Some things I like better, some things I’ve told them I liked better before,” Daniel Suárez said during the same interview.
“In reality, we’re just faster. The team is doing an amazing job, and we’re executing the weekend right.”
Suárez is right on the playoff edge, nine points ahead of Michael McDowell and 20 points behind teammate Carson Hocevar in 15th. The Cup Series will head to Bristol Motor Speedway this Sunday, April 12, with the Food City 500 set for 3 pm ET on FS1.
Edited by Hitesh Nigam
