NASCAR Cup Series
Chase Media Day
Team Chevy Driver Quotes
September 2, 2026
Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet – 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase Media Day Quotes
Inaudible…
“I’m always looking forward to the next one. I think, overall at Spire Motorsports, we have shown a lot of speed in on the high downforce racetracks. We still have a little bit of work to do on the low downforce racetracks. I mean, with that being said, we also race very well in Darlington and that’s a low downforce track. Hopefully we can get our package a little bit better for low downforce tracks.”
How do you feel about the performance of the No. 7 team during the regular season?
“You know, I try not to think about it too much. I’m so focused on the next 10 races that, honestly, I haven’t really sat down and thought about how good of a job we did as a team in the regular season. The only reason why I’m thinking about it right now is because several people have asked me that today. I’m very proud of the effort. With that being said, I still don’t want to think about it too much because, in my mind, the job is not done yet. We still have a quarter of the season left and that’s the most important one. Hopefully we can continue to grow, continue to learn and continue to improve on this No. 7 team.”
On his mindset heading into the postseason:
“I think that the main thing is that you have to control what you can control. Sometimes, as a driver, we want to do too much and there’s only so much that is under our control. You know, the only car I can control out there is the No. 7 car and the No. 7 team. I don’t care about what the other guys are doing or not doing. We have to just control what we can control, and if we can focus on that and maximize that, I feel that we’re going to be in a pretty good spot.”
On being on baby watch to start the Chase:
“That’s an important question, man. Listen, obviously this is the first time that we’re going through this, right? But right now, Julia is extremely normal. It’s extremely normal. Yesterday, we had a meeting with our doula and I asked her — I said, hey, what are the chances that the baby comes this weekend? And she said, obviously you never know, but I think that’s pretty low, just because she’s not having a lot of issues yet. So, yes, we’re on baby watch, but I will be surprised if it happens in the next few days. I think for the next handful of days, I think we’re okay. And then after that, getting into Gateway, I think things are going to start getting a little more serious.”
Inaudible…
“Yeah, obviously every racetrack is quite different, right? Every racetrack is very unique. But like I said earlier, you know, it’s going to be very important just to maximize your potential. If you have an amazing start in Darlington, great, continue that momentum. But if you don’t, you have to flip the page. You know, I always tell people this all the time — regardless of what happens on Sunday in the race, on Monday, you have to start the journey all over again. It’s very important to recognize that because if you win or you lose, you have to start all over again. So it’s going to be very important to recognize that and work towards that for 10 weeks.”
On his first season with Spire Motorsports:
“Yeah, I mean, obviously we work very hard as a team to build fast racecars. We have a lot of men and women that work very, very hard at Spire Motorsports. I feel very privileged to be able to have fast cars. I know how important that is. Last year was difficult. And if you think about it, I’m the same driver, it’s just a different team, different people, different structure, different culture. And now, here we are in the Chase. We almost finished in the top-10 of the regular season, so it’s pretty remarkable. I’m very proud of that. I think I just told you how important it is to be in the right place with the right people around you. That’s with everything in life. Not just in racing, but with everything in life. You have to find the right people around you to be able to be successful. I feel very proud to be an important piece for Spire Motorsports.”
On working with his teammates:
“You know, Carson (Hocevar) is a very talented driver. He can make a lot of speed out of the cars. But he still has to learn that to be able to win races and championships, it’s not just about one lap. It’s not just about one pit stop. It’s not just about going fast. You have to be a good team leader. You have to be able to put the entire team together. That’s something that he’s learning with time. You know, this is only his third season, I think, in the Cup Series. He’s still learning all these things. I believe that he has tremendous potential, but he has to continue to be humble, continue to grow and continue to get better and better. I believe that’s something that — I don’t know if he sees these things this way, but I believe that the No. 7 team has made the No. 77 team way better this year because now he has another strong team that are pushing each other. The No. 77 team has obviously made the No. 71 team better, as well. That healthy competition is something that’s extremely important. Michael (McDowell), I believe that he’s a very, very good driver, and hopefully, we can bring Michael into this group, as well, so we can have three strong teams pushing each other every single week.”
What do you credit towards Spire Motorsports recent success?
“Honestly, I think the Hendrick Motorsports alliance is an important piece of this puzzle for Spire Motorsports to be successful, but that’s not everything. That’s one of the things that I have been the most impressed about Spire, how much speed is actually made in-house. You know, this team does a great job with that. I don’t think Spire actually sometimes gets enough credit with the kind of speed and people that we have in-house.
I’m very proud of Spire Motorsports with the growth and how things are getting better. But we have to stay humble. We have to stay moving forward and stay hungry. You know, that’s very important. My goal is not to just make the Chase. My goal is to be strong in the Chase. I have made the postseason several times. I think that’s very cool, but we want to be real contenders. I would be lying to you if I told you that, right now, we’re the favorites to win the championship. But I think that we have to have that mentality to always continue to get better and better.”
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