We’ve heard a lot about Spire Motorsports in recent weeks. Carson Hocevar’s antics throughout the year seemingly reached a new high last Sunday in Darlington when he clashed with Brad Keselowski at Darlington. Multiple figures, in addition to calling Hocevar out as they so often have in 2026, also called out Spire. Denny Hamlin called it an organization “with no adults.” This has now gotten to the head of Hocevar’s teammate, Daniel Suarez.
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“We already have plenty of distractions, and we don’t want to create more. That’s the only part that upsets me a little bit. You know, we should be talking about the playoffs. We should be talking about the chase, about how we’re going to be better. And it’s a distraction. That’s the only part that upsets me a little bit, that it creates a narrative. It’s a distraction,” Suarez said to journalist Steven Taranto ahead of the Enjoy Illinois 300.
Suarez would have loved for the conversations surrounding Spire to be more about how much the team has improved this season. This year marked the first time the organization had both cars in the playoffs. Hocevar finished 12th in the regular-season standings, while Suarez finished 11th.
Suarez also had a rejuvenating campaign of his own. He ended things on a sour note with Trackhouse Racing, finishing 29th in the standings last year. His relationship with the team had broken down as well. Spire put him back in the spotlight. He won a crown jewel at Charlotte Motor Speedway, recorded three top-five finishes, and finished in the top 10 four times.
Instead of all this, the conversation continues to be about Spire’s handling of its controversial driver, Hocevar. He’s had incidents with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chase Elliott, Corey Heim, and now Keselowski. On top of that, Hocevar’s tendency to appear indifferent to the chaos he causes and embrace the villain persona has made him unpopular in the garage.
Suarez feels that this is something that’s not going to change. Hocevar should continue to have the personality he’s projected for so long. And that makes sense. He’s been a valuable asset to the team, becoming popular among casual and new fans while also emerging as NASCAR’s biggest merch-seller. But at the same time, what Hocevar does should not define the entire team, Suarez insists.
“We just have to try to let that be on Carson and on me and on Michael. The team shouldn’t be involved because then it creates a whole narrative around the team,” Suarez added in his interview with Taranto.
He doesn’t want to focus on Hocevar. Suarez stated that he doesn’t care whether Spire is doing a good job handling his teammate. What the Mexican-American driver is focused on is his Chase performance.
He didn’t have a good start to the postseason, finishing 21st at Darlington last weekend despite starting from second. The balance on the No.7 Chevy was not strong, and a brake pedal issue also affected his performance throughout the race. Suarez was understandably upset, stating that it wasn’t just the lack of speed that got to him, but the poor execution as well.
Hocevar, his teammate, on the other hand, had a fairly good race, finishing 11th despite starting 34th. However, the fact that he spun Keselowski out of the race and then claimed he didn’t know what happened overshadowed that result. Keselowski has promised retribution. Whether Hocevar gets it in Illinois this weekend remains to be seen.