NASCAR CUP SERIES
ECHOPARK SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
FEBRUARY 21, 2026
Daniel Suarez, driver of the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, met with the media onsite at EchoPark Speedway in advance of NASCAR Cup Series qualifying session.
Media Availability Quotes:
Last week was your first week with Spire Motorsports. You are former winner here at EchoPark Speedway. So, as we come into this second race of the NASCAR season, just tell us a little bit about your experiences last week in Daytona and what you’re looking forward to today.
“Honestly, I couldn’t be happier. Everyone at Spire Motorsports has been nothing but great to me. Not just this year, but really since last year, because all the work started the first week of November. We had a little bit of a busy off season, but I’m very happy that all the work and the work that really the team has been doing even before my time is showing. We have had very fast cars, really, since the first time I jumped in one of these things in the test at North Wilkesboro, and then the same thing in the Clash. And then at Daytona, it was the case again, so I’m super excited. I couldn’t be happier. I have a great group of guys, not just working very hard at the shop, but also traveling to the race weekends. It’s always fun to have a group of guys like this to go to battle every single weekend.”
Daniel, this track has been really good to you, with the exception of last year’s crashes. But is there anything in particular you like about this track? Just fits your style, or what? “You know, when they changed the configuration of the racetrack, I would say that 80 percent of the drivers were very negative about it. I would say that I was part of the 20 percent, just because I like new things. I like new challenges, and every time I see something new, for me, it’s a sign of an opportunity. So, that’s just the way that I approach it, and it just works out for us. You know, obviously, this is, for me personally, I don’t see this as a mile-and-a-half, and I don’t see this as a superspeedway. It’s like a hybrid, and just the fact that it’s completely different, I enjoy that a lot. And obviously, you know, this place has treated me well. Last year, we just didn’t do as good of a job as we have in the past for a few different reasons, but we know what the reasons are, and I’m making sure that we don’t make the same mistakes again.”
What is it about this track that you have had the success that you have because it’s been long going that you’ve done well here. Do you just find yourself suited to that style of racing? Is it whatever it is in the universe here in Atlanta? What do you say?
“Honestly, I don’t know. I mean, really, since before the configuration, I used to do pretty well here. I think, honestly, half of the battle is mental. You know, when you come into this place, and you’re already like, oh man, there is a high chance I’m going to crash, I feel like there is a good percentage that you’re going to crash.
So, I think I just try to enjoy it and have fun. I’ve been fortunate enough that I have had good race cars here, as well. It’s not just myself… it’s an entire army behind me. I’ve been fortunate enough to have good race cars here in the past, and we’ve been able to take advantage of that. But, like I said, we also made mistakes last year. We got a little bit too greedy, myself and our decisions last year, and it just didn’t pay off. So, it’s a balance, right? I believe that I’m good here, and last year, I don’t have anything to show for it.
So, it’s a combination that you have to have between driver and the car, and I believe that we’re going to have another shot at it tomorrow because based on everything I have seen from Spire Motorsports, they were also very, very sporty here. It’s been a lot of fun to do our homework preparing into this weekend.”
In a couple weeks at Phoenix, both INDYCAR and NASCAR will be there. Do you view that as any sort of opportunity to kind of help increase the NASCAR fan base among Hispanics who might be more in tune to INDYCAR?
“Yeah, Bob (Pockrass), I think that’s a great question. I think it’s an amazing opportunity, and I’m super excited to continue to explore these double duties or whatever you want to call it with INDYCAR. I think INDYCAR is an amazing series. I really, really love watching those guys. I have a couple good friends racing that series and it’s fun. I believe that the fan base that they have is actually quite different than NASCAR. I’m not saying that it’s better or worse, it’s just different. So, doing these double duties, I think it’s fun because you bring these two different fan bases together to watch NASCAR and INDYCAR. I enjoyed it when we did it back in Indianapolis. I thought it was a lot of fun, and I’m looking forward to do it again, and hopefully it can be the beginning of bringing new opportunities because I don’t see why we shouldn’t do it more often. INDYCAR, like I said, is a great series. They continue to grow, and they continue to get better. Obviously, NASCAR is the same way. We are the biggest motorsports in the country, and I don’t know who doesn’t want to be racing with NASCAR. I mean, it’s a no-brainer. So, I think it’s amazing that we get to do it with a series like INDYCAR.”
No Mic…
“Yeah, but it’s okay, you know? We are heavier, and we have more horsepower. It’s just different. It’s a different kind of racing. We are just a more physical kind of race. I mean, you know that. But yeah, I mean, INDYCAR’s, they are super-fast. They are super, super fast, especially on ovals. But yeah, they are going to make us look like we are running in bicycles (laughs), but it’s just completely different things. I mean, their race cars weigh maybe 25-30 percent of what ours weigh, so it’s just a completely different game.”
You’ve had to make several transitions through your career, going from one team to another. What have you learned over the course of your career that made the transition from Trackhouse Racing to Spire Motorsports easier than maybe it had been before?
“You know, the biggest thing that I have learned — I’ve been fortunate or unfortunate enough to make this transition a few times, as you mentioned. But the biggest thing I have learned is that everything is about the people. It doesn’t really matter what kind of banner or what name they have. If you don’t have the right people in place, it’s going to be tough, and that’s the one thing that, honestly, I truly, truly love about Spire Motorsports, is that they have amazing people from top to bottom and I really enjoy that. I really love to see their values and what is important for them. There is a reason why they have the word ‘respect’ on pretty much everything that they do, and that’s the biggest value that they have. That goes, like I said, from top to bottom.
You know, in the last couple years, and I have mentioned this several times, I have seen Spire Motorsports as the fastest growing organization out there. When you’re on the outside looking in, you always wonder, what are they doing? Now that I’ve been part of this organization for a couple months, I understand what they are doing. You know, it’s everything about the details and about people. I’m just very, very proud and fortunate to be part of the journey with them.”
You were at JGR when Chris Gabehart was there. What do you see him bringing to Spire Motorsports?
“Yeah, you know, actually, Chris (Gabehart) and I, we fought for the championship back in 2016. He was the crew chief for Erik Jones, and I was with Scott Graves. He’s extremely smart and extremely competitive. At the time, he was a crew chief. I have nothing but respect for him. Obviously, you know, I never really got to work with him… only one race, actually, in 2017. I have nothing but respect for him. He was extremely fast in 2016. He was the biggest threat for us to win the championship with Erik Jones. So, I have nothing but respect for everything that he has done in his career.”
Daniel, a few of your fellow competitors have begun to be more outspoken about how tired they are of getting beat by SVG on road courses, and they’re starting to put in even more work, if that’s possible. As we look ahead to COTA next weekend and the upcoming road courses. where do you stand on that? Are you trying to do anything different?
“Yeah… listen, SVG is very good. He’s been doing road course racing for a long time. He’s very experienced, as well. So, it’s a perfect combination, right? Like, he’s been doing this for a long time. He has probably the most experience on the entire field combined in road course racing. But guess what? He’s human. So, as far as I know, every human here is beatable. So, we’re working very, very hard to get there. I know SVG actually fairly well, and I know he has a lot of strengths. But he also has weaknesses. I know that there are ways to get there, but you have to be very good, as well. I know I can get there. I have been there actually in the past.
So, it’s going to be fun. It’s a good challenge. You know, I love challenges. I think that it’s not going to be easy because he has set the bar pretty high. But like I said, he’s human, and I believe that not just myself, but there is many organizations out there, many drivers, that are working very hard to catch up on him.
And listen, he’s been doing a good job, not just as a driver, but also he has brought a lot of new ideas from Australia about how to set up the car. It’s not just about him jumping into any race car and winning. It’s not just like that. It’s him making the car do things that he’s used to in Australia.
He has done an amazing job; credit to him. But it’s just an opportunity for us to continue to learn from that and continue to get better.”
Did you learn anything last weekend with the new Chevy body about racing on the speedways that was different from last year, maybe can help you at Talladega?
“Yeah, Chris (Knight), that’s a great question. A few weeks ago, I was talking to Michael McDowell. In superspeedway racing, honestly, I felt like I was always on the verge of crashing when I was at Trackhouse Racing, and I didn’t know why I was like that. But I was always very, very edgy. Having conversations with Michael, he said, man, our cars are extremely good. You’re going to be surprised. So, going to Spire Motorsports for the first time at a superspeedway, I mean, I had probably one of the best cars I ever had, especially in the draft and getting pushed.
So, for me, it’s a little bit tricky to understand. Is it the setup package that Spire has had for a while because Michael kind of like called it before it happened, or the body, or the combination of both. But regardless of what it is, because I don’t really care, the fact is that my car drove amazing and I’m super excited for that. and I know that part of that is going to translate to here in Atlanta, as well., and obviously to Talladega. So, I’m super excited for that.”
Speaking of Atlanta, are you still OK with just coming to Atlanta on race weekends and qualifying and not having a practice session?
“Yeah, I’m OK with that. I’m OK with that because I think that even if we’re practicing, I don’t think that we’re going to really do pack racing anyway. We’re going to try to find some raw speed. So, I’m OK with that. I think that it’s a little bit tricky that teams have to travel on Friday for tech when we have to only pretty much go qualify and race, but that’s the schedule. Some people don’t love it, but it’s part of it, I guess.”
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