Daniel Suárez – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
START: 8TH
FINISH: 19TH
POINTS: 16TH
Daniel Suárez, driver of the No. 7 NationsGuard Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Spire Motorsports, battled communication issues for much of the race but overcame the adversity to finish 19th in Sunday’s Advent Health 400 at Kansas Speedway. He earned his seventh top-20 finish of the season through nine races.
Suárez started eighth, but reported early on that he was struggling to hear his spotter and crew chief throughout Stage 1 due to radio issues. On Lap 37, crew chief Ryan Sparks called him to pit road for a scheduled green-flag stop and the 34-year-old driver rejoined the field in 16th. Suárez went on to finish Stage 1 in 18th, and received a new radio during the stage break before lining up 20th for Stage 2.
As the second stage got underway, Suárez continued to deal with communication challenges and briefly went a lap down before returning to the lead lap as the second round of green-flag pit cycles played out. Later he again fell a lap down on Lap 157, but was the first car one lap down at the conclusion of Stage 2 and was awarded the free pass.
Suárez brought the NationsGuard Chevy to pit road for additional adjustments and rejoined the field in 20th to begin the Final Stage. With 60 laps remaining, the Monterrey, Mexico native reported a lack of overall grip and pitted on Lap 223 for fresh tires and cycled out in the 20th position, one lap down. A caution flag waved with two laps remaining, sending the race into NASCAR Overtime and allowing Suárez to take the wavearound to rejoin the lead lap. Despite the setbacks, Suárez managed his equipment and continued to fight, ultimately securing a 19th-place result following a green-white-checkered finish.
Daniel’s Post-Race Comments
“Definitely a challenging race for us. Not being able to communicate clearly for a good part of the day made things really difficult, especially with how important adjustments are here. We lost some track position because of that, but the No. 7 NationsGuard Chevy team did a great job staying focused and never giving up. Once we got the radio situation a bit better, we were able to settle in and just try to make the most of it. It’s not the finish we’re looking for, but we kept fighting, and that’s something to build on.”
Michael McDowell – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
START: 18TH
FINISH: 34TH
POINTS: 19TH
Kansas Speedway proved to be a struggle for the driver of the No. 71 Delaware Life/Triad Partners Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, Michael McDowell, who earned a result of 34th in Sunday’s AdventHealth 400.
After qualifying 18th for the 400-mile contest, McDowell settled into his race pace to find himself just outside of the top 15 early in the 80-lap opening stage. During the run, the Cup Series veteran’s balance trended loose and caused him to lose valuable track position prior to a full service pit stop on lap 39. McDowell cycled out 22nd and battled hard throughout the final laps of the stage, but lost his spot on the lead lap with three-to-go to be credited with a finish of 23rd at the conclusion of Stage 1.
Following pit stops during the stage break, the Delaware Life driver lined up 24th for the start of Stage 2, but contined to battle loose handling prior to the second round of green-flag pit stops. Crew chief Travis Peterson elected to run long to regain track position, and eventually pitted from 25th. The balance woes continued through the remainder of Stage 2, causing McDowell to lose additional laps to the leaders following a long caution-free run.. After finishing Stage 2 in 35th, the No. 71 team elected to take the wavearound, placing the team only two laps down going into the Final Stage.
The Spire Motorsports crew ran deep into the final stage before visiting pit road for a scheduled stop with just over 50 laps remaining on the day. A caution with just two laps remaining gave McDowell another lap back via the wavearound, placing him three laps behind the leaders. Unfortunately, long green-flag runs earlier in the race ultimately resulted in a finish of 34th.
Michael’s Post-Race Comments
“A tough day for us here in Kansas. We got behind early and those long green-flag runs really made the bed for us. We couldn’t get the cautions we needed to get back in the game, but showed good pace as an organization. So, we will take a look at what didn’t go our way today. Regardless, thankful for the opportunity to race and for the support of everyone at Delaware Life and Triad Partners.”
Carson Hocevar – Driver, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
START: 6TH
FINISH: 13TH
POINTS: 12TH
Carson Hocevar, driver of the No. 77 Chili’s Ride The ‘Dente Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, appeared to be destined for a top-10 result in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway until a late-race caution forced overtime. He was ultimately credited with a 13th-place finish.
Hocevar qualified sixth, a career-best at the Kansas City, Kan., facility, and quickly raced to fourth. As green-flag pit stops commenced for the first time on the day, the No. 77 team elected to run long in order to have a tire advantage over their competitors later in the run. After inheriting the lead and pacing the field for three circuits, veteran crew chief Luke Lambert called his driver to pit road on Lap 40. During the four-tire change, a broken pit gun hindered the stop, causing the Portage, Mich., native to slip to 18th. Despite the unfortunate circumstances, Hocevar drove inside the top 10 with two laps remaining in the 80-lap stage, and took the green-and-white checkered flag in eighth.
A second pit road miscue during the ensuing stage break resulted in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year starting Stage 2 in 18th. The team once again ran long during the green-flag pit-stop cycle, leading an additional three laps, and utilized the slightly fresher rubber to reach the 10th position at the conclusion of Stage 2 on Lap 165. The relentless effort throughout the day gained the team a total of four stage points to aid in their pursuit of a spot in The Chase.
The No. 77 Chili’s crew clocked a fast four-tire stop during the stage break, allowing the 23-year-old driver to restart ninth. Hocevar maintained the top-10 track position and appeared destined for an eighth-place finish, until a caution on Lap 265 forced NASCAR Overtime. The No. 77 team hit pit road for four fresh tires, restarting in 16th. Hocevar ultimately took the checkered flag in 13th.
Carson’s Post-Race Comments
“Really good effort from this No. 77 team today. We had to battle through some adversity, but the speed of our Chili’s Chevrolet really showed. We didn’t get the finish we wanted, or really deserved, but some stage points made it a decent points day, overall.”
Up Next…
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on Sunday, April 26. The Jack Link’s 500 will be televised live on FOX at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).
The 10th 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.
