Daniel Suárez – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet ZL1
START: 15TH
FINISH: 13TH
POINTS: 12TH
Daniel Suárez, driver of the No. 7 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Spire Motorsports, qualified 15th for the 68th Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. After his primary car was heavily damaged in Thursday’s America 250 Florida Duel 1, the team switched to a backup car and Suárez was required to start at the tail of the field per the NASCAR Rulebook. An early caution on Lap 6 allowed the 34-year-old driver to bring his Chevy to pit road to top off on Sunoco fuel and he rejoined the field in 18th. Suárez reported a lack of front grip while battling a strong headwind as the field approached the end of Stage 1 and took the green-and-white checkered flag in the fifth position to earn six bonus points.
Suárez began Stage 2 inside the top 20 and began saving fuel to minimize time that would later need to be spent on pit road. A multi-car pileup occurred with five laps remaining in Stage 2, as drivers were midway through green-flag stops for fuel. The Monterrey, Mexico native was able to keep his Freeway Chevy unscathed as he maneuvered through the chaos and was scored 10th when the yellow flag was shown. Stage 2 ended under caution and Suárez was credited with an additional bonus point for finishing in 10th. When pit road opened, Suárez made a stop for fresh Goodyear tires and fuel, and made an adjustment to free up the balance of the No. 71.
As the Final Stage began, Crew Chief Ryan Sparks called Suárez to pit road to top off on fuel ahead of the final the 70-lap run. Sparks advised his driver to conserve fuel for as long as possible, to give the team a chance to make it to the end of the race without stopping. However, while running in the top 10, Suárez radioed that his Chevy was handling tight prompting a late splash of fuel with 12 laps to go. Following a yellow-flag period for incident, Suárez restarted 23rd with just four laps left and safely cross the finish line in 13th while avoiding a last-lap wreck.
Daniel’s Post-Race Comments
“Our Freeway Insurance Chevrolet had a solid day. A couple things could’ve been sharper, but overall it was a strong way to finish and a good foundation to build on for Atlanta next week.”
Michael McDowell – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet ZL1
START: 10TH
FINISH: 22ND
POINTS: 17TH
Michael McDowell, driver of the No. 71 Modo Casino Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Spire Motorsports, started 10th for Sunday’s 68th running of the “Great American Race” following a fourth-place finish in Thursday night’s second Duel. McDowell made a visit to pit road to top off on fuel during the first caution of the race on Lap 6. He returned to the track in the 19th position, and by the Lap-40 mark the team had settled into maximum fuel-saving mode. The Modo Casino driver was given the green light to run hard with 10 to go in the stage as most of the field took to pit road to refuel. The team crossed the line seventh at the conclusion of Stage 1 to collect four bonus points before pitting for tires and fuel at the break.
The No. 71 Chevrolet lined up ninth for the start of the second stage. The caution flag was displayed on Lap 86 for incident, allowing teams to top off on fuel. Crew Chief Travis Peterson elected to bring his driver to pit road a second time for fuel and fresh Goodyear Eagles, allowing McDowell to push hard when racing returned to green. As McDowell was riding in 11th, the “Big One” occurred at the front of the field, dealing damage to a total of 20 vehicles including the No. 71. McDowell visited his crew on pit road multiple times to assess the state of his Chevy while staying on the lead lap, and was scored 30th when Stage 2 ended under yellow-flag conditions.
The Glendale, Ariz., native began the Final Stage back in fuel-saving mode allowing McDowell to stay on track as his competitor’s began to make green-flag pit stops on Lap 182. The 2021 Daytona 500 Champion moved into the lead on Lap 189, but came just two laps shy of repeating the feat as he was caught up in a wreck involving the top-10 drivers. McDowell was ultimately scored with a 22nd-place finish in the season-opener.
Michael’s Post-Race Comments
“I’m not really sure what happened. We had two Spire Motorsports Chevrolets out front there, and I thought we would have a great shot to have everyone covered there. It just didn’t work out. It’s unfortunate. I feel like we put ourselves in a position to win and we just didn’t get there.”
Carson Hocevar – Driver, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet ZL1
START: 6TH
FINISH: 18TH
POINTS: 9TH
Carson Hocevar, driver of Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Spectrum Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, was less than 2.5-miles away from earning his first NASCAR Cup Series victory in Sunday afternoon’s Daytona 500 before chaos ensued. Hocevar led the field to the white flag in Sunday’s Daytona 500, but contact initiated by a competitor heading into Turn 1 sent him spinning in front of the field and he would eventually cross the finish line in the 18th position.
To start the 200-lap race, Hocevar lined up sixth via a runner-up result in Thursday evening’s America 250 Florida Duel 2 qualifying race. An early caution on Lap 6 allowed Hocevar to hit pit road to maximize the fuel load in hopes of seeing the Stage 1 green-and-white checkered flag without refueling. The strategy paid off as an overwhelming majority of the field were forced to receive service, while the Portage, Mich., native remained on the racetrack to close out the opening stage in fourth to net the team seven stage points. During the break, the 23-year-old brought his Chevy down pit road for four tires and a full load of Sunoco fuel. Despite winning the race off pit road and cycling out second, the team elected to return to make an additional stop in order to top off on fuel. Once the race returned to green on Lap 92, Hocevar continued with fuel saving efforts at the rear of the field, which helped him avoid a 20-car pileup on Lap 124. The incident resulted in Stage 2 ending under yellow-flag conditions without an opportunity for Hocevar to advance his position past 24th.
The No. 77 crew bolted four fresh tires on the Spectrum Camaro during the second stage break, and returned a second time under the yellow to top off on fuel. Hocevar resumed fuel conservation efforts until the leaders began to hit pit road for the final time on the day on Lap 182. The team gave him the green light to press the attack, and he reached the second position before entering pit road on Lap 188. Hocevar returned to the track in the third position before the caution flag waved for the final time on Lap 193. Hocevar lined up behind the race leader, Spire Motorsports teammate Michael McDowell, for the Lap-197 restart. The duo linked up and pulled ahead of the pack, but unfortunately, the pairing was split up with two laps remaining and each took sole control of one of three lanes. Despite leading at the white flag, Hocevar was turned into the outside wall by a competitor and drifted across the front of the pack before regaining control to push the wounded machine across the line in 18th.
Carson’s Post-Race Comments
“I was trying to pick which lane to cover, and it looked like the top had a huge run. We ended up being offset a little to the right, and I don’t know if I didn’t commit all the way up or he hit me off center. Either way, it just hooked me into the wall and obviously I bounced off it and across the track. Up until that point I felt like we had really executed well all day.
Our goal is to be leading at the white [flag] and I feel like I was a really, really good pusher. I thought I did a good job pushing the No. 45 after we pitted, and obviously Michael (McDowell) when I lined up behind him on the final restart. I feel like sometimes we were getting a little too far out, but I think that worked really well in the Duels on Thursday night. I was just trying to get us going and we ultimately got separated. It’s a tough pill to swallow knowing that the car in my mirror at the white flag won the race.
Thank you to Jeff Dickerson and Dan Towriss for believing in me. My No. 77 guys did an awesome job all weekend. Thank you to them and the Hendrick Engine Shop for all their hard work. Was super cool to have Spectrum aboard this weekend. Hopefully we can get them to Victory Lane very soon.”
Up Next…
The NASCAR Cup Series season rolls on as the tour’s cars and stars take to the 1.5-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 22. The 260-lap NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta will be televised live on FOX at 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST).
The second of 36 points-paying races on the Cup Series calendar will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
To stay up-to-date on all the latest news and exclusive content, follow Spire Motorsports on Facebook, X and Instagram, and visit Spire-Motorsports.com.
About Spire Motorsports …
Spire Motorsports fields full-time entries in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and Interstate Batteries 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.
