2026 hasn’t been the year Hendrick Motorsports imagined it to be. After 21 starts, there’s only one Chevy driver from the team who’s won a couple of races for them. But amidst the slump, the manufacturer’s other secondary team sounds more confident in running for the championship.

Spire Motorsports has enjoyed a good run so far, especially with their two drivers, Carson Hocevar and Daniel Suarez. Both have already won races and are running toe-to-toe with the HMS drivers for what could be the team’s very first entry into the postseason.

Speaking to the media on Saturday, Suarez, who sits in 11^th place, sounded confident about the team’s preparation from here for the Chase contention.

"I believe we have the pieces to be able to do that. We just have to go out there and continue to get more reps," said Suarez in the video uploaded by NASCAR reporter Braking Bob.

"In reality, right now, with the No. 7 team and myself, we're new at doing this. So we have to get more comfortable, continue to believe that we belong here, which I think we already do.”

Suarez arrived at Spire in 2026 from Trackhouse Racing, where he drove for the past five years since 2021. While it’s a new team, new everything for him, he mentioned the strategy he uses to cope with the competition.

"I tell my team that if we can be 1% better everywhere, that's the difference. It's just a little bit, not a lot.

"One percent better on the pit crew, 1% better on execution, 1% better on the adjustments from Saturday to Sunday, 1% better from the driver, 1% better on everything. That's the difference.”

And that shows in the team’s results. Not just his, but Spire as a whole. As of now, Hocevar and Suarez are in 7^th and 11^th places respectively. On the other hand, HMS has mostly been banking on two of their four drivers, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson.

Elliott is the only one to win races for them. Larson has been consistent, but hasn’t looked like a race-winner yet. Meanwhile, William Byron and Alex Bowman are struggling in their own ways.

In fact, the latest Brickyard 400 race is also an example of Spire’s strong run. Both Hocevar and Suarez are starting the grid on the front row for the team.

If Spire can turn this growing confidence into consistency, Chevrolet may have an unexpected championship contender alongside Hendrick Motorsports.

Suarez’s take on the extended practice sessions

Just a few days ago, NASCAR announced that it will consolidate the Cup Series practice into a single 50-minute session starting from the New Hampshire race in August.

Until now, the field was split into two separate 25-minute group practice sessions. But now, everyone will practice together uninterrupted. An additional set of practice tires will also be allotted for the same.

When asked whether NASCAR's decision to extend practice sessions would particularly benefit the No. 7 team, Suarez replied in the same media session, "It's going to help everyone. But whoever is more prepared and whoever has a better plan in place is going to take advantage of that the most."

Aside from him, many drivers also welcomed the decision, including Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Ryan Preece, and Ross Chastain.

You can read more on the Daytona Racing Digest!

Written by

Suyashdeep Sason

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason