It was announced today that Team Chevy driver, Daniel Suarez, will join Spire Motorsports for the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, taking over the driving duties for the organization’s No. 7 Chevrolet entry.
Press Conference Quotes:
Moderator: Moving into 2026, we continue to bolster our competition efforts with fresh talent and dedicated partnerships. Joining us today are Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson; CEO of Freeway Insurance, Cesar Soriano; and multi-time NASCAR Cup Series winner and 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, Daniel Suarez. As the first foreign-born NASCAR National Series champion, Daniel has set the standard for young drivers looking to advance through NASCAR’s international ladder system. He brings 9 years of Cup Series experience at the highest level of our sport and a devoted fan base that surpasses borders. Freeway Insurance has been a partner of Daniel since 2021. They continue to build their brand within NASCAR over the last 5 seasons and will continue to do so moving forward.
We are excited to have both Daniel and Freeway Insurance join the Spire Motorsports family for the 2026 season, and we can now officially announce that Daniel Suarez is the new driver of the No. 7 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series.
We’ll start with Jeff. Jeff, if you could just tell us about the decision to bring Daniel to Spire Motorsports for next season.
Jeff Dickerson: “Yeah, I think his resume obviously speaks for itself. He’s been a mainstay in the garage for several years. I think when it came down to it, it’s just a thing where I think we need each other. I think all of us love a good story of redemption and giving people a platform to prove doubters wrong, so I think in this case, I think Daniel wants to show everybody that this year was an outlier and we wanted to show everybody that the No. 7 car’s performance this year is an outlier, as well.”
Daniel, Freeway Insurance has been with you for several seasons. What does it mean to continue representing a brand that’s grown alongside your career?
Daniel Suarez: “It’s been a huge privilege to be able to not just represent Freeway Insurance, but also to take it to the next level and be able to connect with my community. I believe that my relationship with Freeway Insurance goes further than just a sponsorship. We have very similar goals. For me, it’s something very personal to be able to connect with my community and to give back to my community; to represent my community and to inspire my community.
Freeway Insurance, as we all know, that’s one of their goals, as well. They have a large percentage of Hispanic customers and employees, so for me, that’s a very big deal. It’s very, very personal. They’ve been a huge support of myself for a handful of years now.
We were talking about this last night. For me, it’s like a Cinderella story with how we started together in a one-specimen deal, and then it just continued to grow. And right now, here we are making this move to Spire Motorsports with Freeway Insurance as a primary sponsor. I’m sure that we’re going to continue to work together. I can’t thank Cesar Soriano and Rose enough for all the love and support, and I can’t wait to continue to write this story together.”
Cesar, we know that Daniel has a very loyal fan base, and I know Freeway’s fan base has also grown over the years. We’ve emphasized hard work and perseverance as big goals of your company and your values, and those are also values that Daniel shares with you. He’s become a role model for so many in the Latino communities, which also represents your brand, as well. How do those shared values strengthen the partnership as you move forward?
Cesar Soriano: “You know, in addition to the hard work and perseverance that you mentioned, for us, we were looking for somebody that would represent and, more importantly, take a personal approach to be our brand ambassador. And when you think about it, when you think about my own employees or teammates and our customers, it’s about living the American dream. There’s no better driver, in my personal opinion, than Daniel Suarez, who is living that dream. He demonstrates that with hard work, perseverance, loyalty, and trust, you can achieve all your goals, and he’s doing it today. Loyalty works both ways, and we’ve stayed loyal with him.”
Daniel, what made this the right fit for you personally?
Daniel Suarez: “To be quite honest with you, it was a no-brainer. If you look at the last three years, how Spire Motorsports has grown in the last three years. I mentioned this to Jeff (Dickerson). I said, Jeff, three years ago, I probably wasn’t looking at Spire Motorsports as an option. Right now, I believe that it’s the fastest growing team in NASCAR, and I want to be part of that. I know that they are not even close to being done. They are just getting started. The way that they are building the team, I can see that the foundation is strong. Everything that Jeff and the entire team at Spire Motorsports have been able to do in a very short period of time, it’s quite impressive to look at it from the outside. I was just very, very excited to see this new chapter and this opportunity.
Just like Jeff mentioned, this year, it was not the way that I wanted it to go with my team, and the same thing with the No. 7 team. I believe that we both have some things that we want to get back in place, and we are hungry to do that. I’ve been extremely, extremely anxious to get this day and to get to work because I know that it’s going to take some work. This off-season is very busy. But I just can’t wait to get to work with this group because I know that they are capable of a lot, and I can’t wait to get going.”
Why is Daniel the right fit for No. 7 team to help maximize that potential in 2026?
Jeff Dickerson: “Yeah, I mean having a veteran voice that’s got some roots in that garage. Obviously our stats prove that we’ve had a really good year, so it’s like we’re just at a different place in our journey, right? We’re not like a problem that needs to be solved anymore. We’ve got the speed, we need the execution. That’s what’s really holding us back this year.
I think that’s what Daniel sees with us. We just need kind of like a veteran steady hand that can offer his wisdom, so we’re looking to tap into that. And like you said, I don’t think six months ago either one of us thought that we would be sitting in this studio. But I think there’s a real power here in showing everybody that, I guess in some ways, both of us are better than what we showed this year.”
Jeff, when you talk about that execution part, what is it you’ve seen from Daniel that gives you that full confidence he’s going to be able to provide that steady hand you’re looking for?
Jeff Dickerson: “Yeah, he just maximizes his days, right? I don’t think he makes any really big mistakes. We’ve kind of been watching him here; trying to listen on the radio and just kind of watching how he does it. He’s going to fit in perfect. You know, I think in these situations, I don’t think we have to do anything really that much different, and I don’t want Daniel doing anything different. Daniel knows how to do this. Daniel’s won races at every level and won a championship. So we don’t need him to be anybody that he’s not. I don’t want to press him. I think obviously we’re going to build a good team around him, and then just let him do his thing and I think it will be fine.”
Ryan Sparks has been splitting his time between the crew chief role and the competition director. Has any decision been made on whether he’ll stay with Daniel, or are you going to be looking for a crew chief?
Jeff Dickerson: “I don’t know that we’ve made a decision just yet. We’ve been trying to see what’s happening in the garage, right? I’m not necessarily interested in any more dual roles. I feel like we’ve been out of balance here a little bit since we moved on from Rodney (Childers). I think the biggest thing is just getting everybody back in one place and just let us go forward.”
Daniel, what relationship do you have with Michael (McDowell), Carson (Hocevar), anyone you’re going to be working with next year?
Daniel Suarez: “Yeah, Michael and I, we became very close after we got into a fight in 2019 (laughs). I mean, it’s kind of funny, but it’s true. Before then, Michael and I were just two drivers. And after that incident, we actually became good friends. Michael called me this morning. I’ve been actually talking to him quite a bit about the system, the processes, the people. So, I believe that Michael and I are going to be able to brainstorm a lot, not just in our individual teams, but in everything as an organization, as well. I haven’t had the opportunity to talk to Carson yet, but he’s an extremely talented driver. You can see his raw speed. Although he’s very young, he’s still learning a lot of different things. I think it’s going to be exciting to have the opportunity to work with two drivers that, to me, are actually quite different.
I’m super excited for the opportunity. It’s a great opportunity for me. Honestly, right now, I feel like it’s kind of like my first year in the Cup Series. I just feel like everything is new. I have a lot of butterflies in my stomach. I’m super excited to get going.
I know that we still have a couple races left this year, and I always say that you’re as good as your last race, so I want to close my chapter strong this year. But I can’t wait to start working towards 2026.”
Daniel, when did this talk start with Spire, and how did this come about?
Daniel Suarez: “Yeah, so I was in a little bit of a tricky situation this year because I knew there was going to be a change for a while, but I couldn’t talk to anyone. So, really, conversations started once I was able to start having conversations, contractually, with people. And the very first person I tried to reach out was Jeff and Dan Towriss because, like I said, I have seen what these guys have been able to build in a very, very short period of time. These things don’t happen by coincidence or by luck. Everything planned. I believe that they are far from their full potential. I mentioned this to Jeff… I said, Jeff, I’m seeing this train going up. I want to jump in it, so make a space for me because I really want to be part of that. I can see how this organization has a good, solid foundation. Every single year, they break their own records, and I can’t wait.
I was talking to Dan Towriss, actually, last week. And he said, man, this year has been very good. But we haven’t won yet. We want to win races. And eventually, we want to be real contenders for championship. Not just make the playoffs to say that we make the playoffs and, okay, that’s it…. No, no, no. It’s to be real contenders. So, what do we have to do to be able to get there? And I believe that the foundation is right to be able to do that, and I can’t wait to be part of it.”
Jeff, even before the Next Gen car, engineering became so important. Aside from, obviously, driving the cars, what is the role of drivers today?
Jeff Dickerson: “That’s a good question. I mean, you know what? They make it go. I think drivers are as important now than ever, right? Certainly, the car has to give them what they want, right? And in a lot of cases, you’re just trying to give them a feel that they can just go out and race with. But when we’re chasing the smallest margins, I’m telling you, I think drivers are way more important now than they’ve ever been. I think it’s backwards. I think on restarts, it’s a lot easier to pass them when you’re coming at the speed. I think as tight as it is, it’s really just like making no mistakes and giving good feedback. Tt’s building a chemistry with your team. It revolves all around them. I mean, who are we kidding? This is a driver-focused sport, and they make it go.”
As far as I can tell from the release, it’s a one-year deal. Why just one year to start? Is that the case?
Jeff Dickerson: “We have a path forward for multiple years, that’s for sure.”
Daniel Suarez: “Yeah, like Jeff mentioned — right now, today, we’re in the position where we want to prove to each other that we can do this together. But my goal, and I’m sure that it’s Spire Motorsports’ goal and Jeff’s goal, to make this a long-term relationship, and hopefully we can write a great chapter together; win races, fight for championships and start to hang banners in the race shop.”
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