Despite spending multiple seasons with Trackhouse Racing since 2021, Daniel Suarez was unable to find any real success with them. But his move to Spire Motorsports this year is already showing the change, as he was the best driver in the NASCAR practice at Phoenix Raceway. While he’s quiet about it, his wife couldn’t help but take a subtle dig at his former team online.

“It’s amazing the things one can do when you’re no longer just an afterthought,” Julia Piquet said on her social media recently. The jab was about Trackhouse Racing choosing to replace Suarez with rookie Connor Zilisch.

Initially, Suarez was bringing home some consistent finishes with Trackhouse Racing. He would go on to finish the 2022 season in 10th place in the driver standings. However, after claiming his first Cup Series win in 2024, his performance fell off.

Suarez ended up leaving Trackhouse Racing after a measly P29 finish at the end of the season. Now that he is performing better once again, his wife can’t help but be excited about the same.

And it’s no mystery why she is highly critical of Trackhouse Racing and its operations. When Suarez reached the playoffs but got knocked out in the round of 12, she openly called out Trackhouse Racing for sending him in with subpar equipment.

“Relieved, but honestly like a little angry because we sent our boy to war on a donkey holding a wooden spoon,” said Piquet. “Is it just me or is it completely unacceptable that our teammate runs 10th and is not even in the playoffs?”

At that time, it created a huge buzz, but she did not deviate from her words. Even this time, she was unafraid of speaking her mind publicly. When a user commented on her nature of speaking out without any fear, she had an equally bold reply. “Why should I? It’s straight facts.”

Julia Piquet’s comments spark a new narrative in Daniel Suarez’s stint under Justin Marks. On paper, there was no bad blood among the drivers or with his team. Trackhouse Racing also threw him a farewell when he was leaving them after Phoenix.

However, even when she was accusing them of being subpar, Daniel Suárez did not hold her back and agreed with her. “Everything that she says, she’s right. And nothing can say anything about it. At that time, we did a horrible job with the racecar.”

Daniel Suarez’s speed at Phoenix has set him up with early signs of success. Both Spire Motorsports cars were leading the grid. Now that Chris Gabehart’s lawsuit with JGR is settled, there should be no such interruptions in their regular operations.

On that note, let’s have a look at the results from today’s practice session. Once again, the tires were a constant annoyance for the drivers. Both Riley Herbst and Chase Briscoe faced minor damage and flat tires. However, Brad Keselowski suffered a major shunt after his right-front tire gave up midway through the lap.

Straight Talk Wireless 500 practice results