Daniel Suarez will have a new home in NASCAR Cup in 2026. It was announced in a press conference Wednesday that the nine-year veteran will move to Spire Motorsports and pilot the No. 7 Chevrolet ZL1, with Freeway Insurance as his primary sponsor.

Suarez, whose contract was not renewed after five years with Trackhouse Racing, will replace Justin Haley, whose own contract was also not renewed for next season after five non-productive seasons with Spire.

“It was a no-brainer,” Suarez said about moving to Spire. “They’ve really been growing the last three years. I’m very excited to see this new chapter and opportunity.”

A native of Monterrey, Mexico, the 33-year-old Suarez is the first Mexican-born driver in NASCAR Cup history. While he’s shown a competitive nature at times, like Haley, the strong results have been few and far between in Suarez’s career: in 321 starts, he’s logged just two wins, 24 top five and 75 top 10 finishes, along with three poles.

And he has only made the NASCAR Cup playoffs just twice: 2022 (finished 10) and 2024 (finished 12).

He has two races remaining with Trackhouse, this Sunday at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia, and next Sunday’s season finale at Phoenix Raceway.

“I know we have a couple races left but I want to finish strong,” Suarez said.

Suarez hopes to turn around a dismal 2025 season with his new team in 2026

Suarez has managed just two top fives (finished second in the spring race at Las Vegas and the summer race at Daytona) and seven top 10 finishes in the 34 races he’s competed in this season. He enters Martinsville in 28 position in the Cup standings, the second-worst season of his career (he finished 31 in 2020).

“This year wasn’t the way I wanted it to go with me and my team,” Suarez admitted. “We want to get things back in place and we’re hungry for that. I’ve been excited for this day and to get to work because I know (Spire is) capable of a lot and I can’t wait to get going.”

Spire Motorsports will become the fifth Cup team Suarez has driven for. He was recruited from his native land by Joe Gibbs Racing and won the 2016 Xfinity Series championship, but lasted just two seasons (2017-2018) after being promoted to the Cup ranks.

He moved to Stewart Haas Racing for just one season (2019), spent one season with Gaunt Brothers Racing (2020) and the past five seasons piloting the No. 99 Chevrolet with Trackhouse Racing.

Spire co-owner Jeff Dickerson is looking forward to having Suarez join the team’s other two drivers, veteran Michael McDowell and promising youngster Carson Hocevar.

“We have the speed, we just need better execution,” Dickerson said. “We need a veteran steady hand in this organization. I don’t think six months ago we thought we’d be sitting here, but I think there’s a real power here for both of us to show.”

“He’s going to fit in perfect. I don’t think we have to do much of anything different and I don’t want Daniel to do anything different. We don’t need him to be anybody that he’s not. We want to build a good team around him, let him do his thing and he’ll be fine.”

Spire has had a rough season in 2025. All three of its drivers — Michael McDowell, Carson Hocevar and Haley — failed to make the playoffs. What’s more, none of the three have won a race this season and combined for a paltry six top five finishes. Since the organization was formed in 2019, it has visited victory lane just once: Haley in 2019.

The length of Suarez’s contract with Spire is unclear

The length of Suarez’s contract with Spire was not announced, so it’s unknown if he signed for one year or multiple years. But there could be a shadow behind him in 2026 if his performance doesn’t significantly improve.

Earlier this week, speculation had centered around Kyle Busch potentially replacing Haley, as Dickerson was Busch’s longtime spotter earlier in his career, as well as was Busch’s business representative. But back in May, Busch signed a one-year extension to remain at Richard Childress Racing for 2026 and it likely would have been costly for Spire to try and buy out that deal from RCR.

However, it would not be a surprise to see the 40-year-0ld Busch eventually finish his career at Spire, given his long association with Dickerson.

While Suarez’s Cup performance has been mediocre, he has become a very popular driver with fans, especially in the Hispanic community, helping to attract countless followers in the U.S., as well as from Mexico and Central and South America who regularly watch him on TV and even travel to races north of the border to watch him in person. His fanbase even calls itself “Daniel’s Amigos!”

Suarez is looking forward to teaming with McDowell, who turns 41 in December, and Hocevar, who turns 23 in January.

“(McDowell and I) became very close after we got into a fight in 2019,” McDowell laughed. “It’s very funny, but it’s true. Before then, we were just two drivers. And after that, we’ve become good friends. I believe we’re going to be able to brainstorm a lot.

“Carson is a raw driver with great speed. I think it’s going to be exciting to have opportunity to work with drivers that are quite different.”

Don’t be surprised if Suarez has another name for Spire, especially when he talks in his native language. Spire translated into Spanish it’s “Aguja.”

“I feel like I’m in my first year in the Cup Series. I have butterflies in my stomach,” Suarez said. “I believe (Spire is) far from their full potential. I mentioned to Jeff (Dickerson), I see this train and I want to jump on it.”

As Suarez embarks on his next chapter with Spire Motorsports, hopefully 2026 could be that defining year that turns his popularity into a long-overdue on-track success.