Daniel Suárez – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
START: 11TH
FINISH: 7TH
POINTS: 14TH
Daniel Suárez, driver of the No. 7 NationsGuard Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Spire Motorsports, ran inside the top 10 for the majority of Sunday’s Goodyear 400. He finished in the seventh position — his best finish in 17 starts at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway — to earn his second top-10 finish of the season.
Suárez started 11th and ran inside the top 10 for much of Stage 1 before the No. 7 team made a green-flag stop for an adjustment to improve grip for the black-and-green machine. The 34-year-old driver cycled back into 10th place and put his fresh tires to the test to power through to a ninth-place finish, securing two bonus points as the green-and-white checkered flag waved.
Suárez gained four positions following the pit cycle at the break to start Stage 2 in fifth. A caution at Lap 112 brought him to pit road, where crew chief Ryan Sparks called for air pressure adjustments, fuel, and four fresh Goodyear tires. Suárez returned to the track in seventh with 69 laps remaining in the stage. On Lap 145, he received an additional adjustment and maintained top-10 pace to secure an additional bonus point at the stage end.
The final segment went green with 104 laps remaining in the 293-lap race and Suárez sitting in the 15th position. A caution flag waved shortly after the green flag waved and the driver reported that the car’s fire-off feels better than on the previous run, but still not as strong as it was at the start of the race. Sparks directed Suárez to stay out on the track for prime track position and the No. 7 restarted fourth with 91 laps to go in the event. Suárez made his final stop under green with 51 laps remaining and eventually crossed the finish line in seventh to advance to the 14th position in the driver championship point standings.
Daniel’s Post-Race Comments
“So proud of this No. 7 NationsGuard Chevrolet team. They did an incredible job all day long. I feel like every single week, if we look at our numbers and we can get a little bit better, that’s all I can ask for. We’re not trying to hit home runs right now, we’re just putting one step in front of the other, and that’s how progress happens. The culture of the team is pretty incredible. There are great people here; the structure’s solid, and I’m just really happy and proud to be a part of this organization. And the best part is that Spire Motorsports just continues to grow. We’re not even close to our full potential, so we just have to keep doing our thing; keep building, and get better and better.”
Michael McDowell – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
START: 20TH
FINISH: 20TH
POINTS: 17TH
Michael McDowell finished 20th in Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway to earn his fourth top 20 of the 2026 season to go along with a famed “Darlington Stripe”.
McDowell qualified 20th, but took the green flag from the 18th position after two entries were sent to the rear. Tire wear was a concern throughout the garage, but the Travis Peterson-led team ran until lap 43 before heading to pit road under green for full service, exiting 25th. The veteran driver’s long-run pace kept him competitive, but he continued to battle a loose-handling Delaware Life Chevrolet in Stage 1. A bold three-wide move with four laps to go, earned the 41-year-old driver the free pass after crossing the line 21st after at the conclusion of the 90-lap opening stage.
A lap-112 caution brought the lead lap cars to pit road where the Glendale, Ariz., native was called for a speeding penalty that pushed him to the rear of the field for the ensuing restart. He took the green flag from 33rd on fresher rubber than the second half of the field and gained 12 positions in just four green-flag laps. During the green-flag cycle, McDowell found himself in the top 10 following a trip to pit road. Despite a net gain of 20 positions since the start of the stage, the Delaware Life driver fought handling woes later in the run, resulting in a finish of 19th at the green-and-white checkered flag ending Stage 2.
A loose right-rear tire at the stage break forced the team to head back to pit road for four fresh Goodyear Eagles, restarting 25th for the 100-lap marathon of the Final Stage. A quick caution just four laps later sent most of his competitors to pit road and moved McDowell up to fifth after staying out on slightly older tires. The No. 71 Chevy ran seven laps longer than competitors to pit from the top five for green-flag stops, gaining a tire advantage with 45 laps to the checkered flag. Following the cycle, the veteran moved foward from a running position of 23rd to gain position late in the run for a finish of 20th after 400 miles.
Michael’s Post-Race Comments
“it was a tough day for the Delaware Life Chevrolet, but Spire Motorsports as a whole showed good speed. Carson (Hocevar) and Daniel (Suárez) both brought home good and complete days in the top five and top 10, so we will have a good notebook when we come back for the Southern 500. Not the day we wanted, but we will make it up at Martinsville next week.”
Carson Hocevar – Driver, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
START: 16TH
FINISH: 4TH
POINTS: 13TH
Carson Hocevar, driver of Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Chili’s Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, earned his second top-five finish of the season in Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. He crossed the finish line in fourth place to secure his best result in six NASCAR Cup Series starts at “The Track Too Tough to Tame.”
The No. 77 team endured an eventful practice and qualifying session Saturday afternoon that led the team to replace the right-rear upper control arm Sunday morning during final checks, and was forced to start at the rear of the field for the unapproved adjustment. Despite the setback, the Portage, Mich., native had his eyes set forward from the drop of the green flag, reaching the 29th position in just 10 laps despite experiencing a severe lack of grip in the rear. The team fell one-lap down after the opening round of green-flag pit stops, and completed Stage 1 in 24th.
During the ensuing stage break, veteran crew chief Luke Lambert made the call for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment to take a swing at the rear insecurity his driver had fought throughout the opening segment. The 2024 Cup Series Rookie of the Year restarted 27th on Lap 101 and advanced to 23rd when a caution flag was waved 11 laps later. Unfortunately, the team was one position out of contention for the free pass, but elected to take the wave around during the caution period to return to the lead lap. Hocevar restarted 21st on Lap 117, and after another round of green-flag pit stops, advanced to 16th at the conclusion of Stage 2.
The 23-year-old driver restarted 19th for the 100-lap run to the finish, embarking on a spirited drive to the checkered flag. Hocevar surpassed seven drivers in the final 25 laps to take the checkered flag in fourth. He gained 32 positions from the drop of the green flag to be the “hard charger” of the day at a facility known to be tough to advance position and earned the best result for the Chevrolet camp.
Carson’s Post-Race Comments
“Super proud of this No. 77 Chili’s Marg Machine Chevrolet team. It hasn’t been a lack of effort, but just a lack of luck that takes us out of finishes, so it’s nice to finally get one today. Chili’s put a lot of effort into this throwback scheme, so it’s great to give it a good run.”
Up Next…
The NASCAR Cup Series takes on Martinsville (Va.) Speedway on Sunday, March 29. The 400-lap race at the half-mile paperclip-shaped oval will be televised live on FS1 at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).
The seventh of 36 points-paying races on the Cup Series calendar will be broadcast live on the Motor 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 Feb. 21, 2026, when Kyle Busch took the checkered flag in the Fr8 Racing 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
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.
