Matt Johnson
After being dropped by Trackhouse Racing, veteran NASCAR driver Daniel Suarez signed a one-year deal with Spire Motorsports this offseason with his Cup Series career on the line. A career-best season may have changed everything.
On Monday’s episode of The Teardown, motorsports reporter Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic said that Suarez will be back with Spire Motorsports in 2027.
“Suarez is not going anywhere. They like him, they really value what he’s bringing to the team.
Jordan Bianchi on Daniel Suarez
Less than a year ago, Trackhouse announced it wouldn’t be retaining Suarez. He finished the season with an average finishing position of 20.89 and an average starting position of 23.53, recording a pair of top-five finishes.
Fast forward to 2026, he’s found a home at Spire. Through 13 races, Suarez has already matched last season’s total for top-fives (two); he boasts career-bests in average finishing position (13.92) and average starting position (13.00), and he currently ranks 10th in points.
Meanwhile, Trackhouse has been a relative disappointment. Shane van Gisbergen is performing well this year, but Ross Chastain is 23rd in points (112 behind Suarez), and rookie Connor Zilisch is 34th in points.
At Spire, Suarez has been an outstanding teammate, with reports that he’s been a glue guy for Carson Hocevar and Michael McDowell. The team now has two race winners this season, with Suarez and Hocevar both in a great position to make the Chase.
A contract extension should be coming for Suarez, and it’ll be well-earned as he’s made the most of this opportunity in a prove-it year. It also takes another domino out of NASCAR silly season, with a majority of the top impending free agents either extended or likely to be re-signed.
