NASCAR Cup Series driver Daniel Suarez. Kristin Enzor/For IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Daniel Suarez signs with Spire Motorsports for 2026 NASCAR season

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Oct 22, 2025 1:15 PM ET

Daniel Suarez has found a NASCAR Cup Series ride for 2026.

On Wednesday, Spire Motorsports announced that it has signed Suarez to drive the No. 7 Chevrolet during the 2026 Cup Series campaign. One week ago, it was announced that Justin Haley, the current driver of the No. 7, would not return to Spire in 2026.

Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic reported that Suarez - who announced in July that he would not be returning to Trackhouse Racing in 2026 - was the leading candidate for the ride.

Suarez will be flanked by a veteran driver in 40-year-old Michael McDowell and 22-year-old Carson Hocevar at Spire, with the 33-year-old Suarez falling squarely in the middle.

¡Bienvenido, Amigo!@Daniel_SuarezG will pilot the No. 7 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2026 with @Freeway_Ins serving as the anchor partner for the No. 7 team.

: https://t.co/cuAY1u8OVY pic.twitter.com/wnfCQIYq5Q
— Spire Motorsports (@SpireMotorsport) October 22, 2025

Spire will be the fifth Cup Series team that Suarez will have driven for as he enters his 10th Cup Series season in 2026. His five-year tenure with Trackhouse Racing is the longest Suarez has driven for an organization.

Move to Spire a fresh start for Daniel Suarez

After 2024 saw Suarez win a race and advance to the second round of the Cup Series playoffs, the 2016 Xfinity Series champion has regressed in 2025. Through 34 of 36 races in 2025, Suarez has only seven top-10 finishes and is 28th in the Cup Series standings with an average finish of 20.9 - his worst since 2020, when he drove for an underfunded team in Gaunt Brothers Racing.

A move to a young, up-and-coming team in Spire Motorsports could be just what Suarez needs to rejuvenate his career and prove himself as a consistent Cup Series contender.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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