Spire Motorsports putting together impressive start to 2026 NASCAR season

After the first three races of the 2026 NASCAR Series season, only one organization has three cars inside the top-10 in the Cup Series points standings. 

That distinction goes to Spire Motorsports, which has Daniel Suarez (seventh), Michael McDowell (ninth) and Carson Hocevar (10th) all inside the provisional Chase field through three weeks. 

Given that Spire is yet to put a car into the NASCAR postseason, the great start to 2026 has been a welcome one. 

Of course, the early schedule of Daytona, Atlanta and Circuit of the Americas is not completely indicative of how the rest of the regular season will shake out. But there has been plenty of speed under the hood of Spire's three Chevrolets thus far, and its three drivers have executed well enough to be in the Chase conversation. 

Carson Hocevar bringing the excitement to Spire

Hocevar may not be the highest driver in the standings among the Spire trio, but he has been the fastest so far. He nearly won the exhibition Clash at Bowman Gray before a late crash and led the Daytona 500 and Atlanta at the white flag before finishing 18th and fourth, respectively. 

A last-lap crash at COTA on Sunday relegated him to a 31st-place finish, but Hocevar will likely have the most speed of his teammates on most traditional ovals this season. Phoenix on March 8 will be the first test of what the No. 77 team is made of. 

In his first year with Spire, Suarez has exceeded expectations early on. What makes his fast start more important is the fact that Suarez is operating on a one-year, "prove it" deal with Spire. His future with the team is anything but guaranteed. 

Finishes of 13th at Daytona and fifth at Atlanta to open the year gave Suarez enough of a gap where a 25th-place run at COTA didn't hurt too much, especially with the eight stage points Suarez scored on Sunday. 

McDowell is the veteran presence at Spire, and like Hocevar, was up front on the final lap at Daytona before spinning. 

Finishes of 22nd at Daytona and 20th at Atlanta were missed opportunities for the No. 71 team, but McDowell showed off his road course prowess at COTA on Sunday, finishing fifth and scoring 40 crucial points. McDowell is still looking for his first win with Spire, and a road course victory later in the year isn't out of the picture.