Here's a preview of Spire Motorsports as the Chase for the NASCAR Cup Series championship begins at Darlington Raceway with their drivers Daniel Suarez and Carson Hocevar in it.
MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- Spire Motorsports has done what many people thought would be impossible for them to do in the NASCAR Cup Series: Put multiple cars in the Chase.
One of the most quietly consistent drivers in the entire series, paired with one of the loudest drivers in the entire series, took what was once an organization that could hardly crack the top-30 in points in a good season -- and made them postseason players.
In the last couple of months, however, Daniel Suarez's No. 7 team and Carson Hocevar's No. 77 team have shown some cracks that suggest that may be here for play and not to play.
Still, some good tracks lie ahead -- where they've won before -- for them to make noise.
11. Daniel Suarez: 2025 points (-75)
- Wins (1): Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (T-9th)
- Three top-five finishes, Seven top-10 finishes (T-15th), average finish of 14.7 (7th)
- 40 laps led (22nd)
- 73 stage points (17th)
Jonathan Fjeld: Daniel Suarez is one of seven Chase drivers who started the season in Chase contention and stayed there almost all of the way through the regular season, only falling out of Chase contention after Phoenix -- falling to 17th before getting back in the next week.
In a season that looked like a stopgap for Suarez and Spire Motorsports, they have a chance to do some surprising things in the Chase.
Upset Denny Hamlin and the Toyotas? Definitely not. However, staying ahead of Byron and sticking it to Hendrick could happen as the Chase begins and Spire stakes their claim as a serious Chevrolet team.
12. Carson Hocevar: 2020 points (-80)
- Wins (1): Talladega (T-9th)
- Five top-five finishes (T-9th), Nine top-10 finishes (T-11th), average finish of 16.7 (13th)
- Two poles (T-4th) and 157 laps led (14th)
- 112 stage points (12th)
Tyler Jones: What a year it has been for Hurricane Hocevar, becoming one of the most talked about drivers in the sport.
The Talladega win was iconic and proved that he isn’t just a personality. Hocevar has an incredibly bright future in the sport but he’s lacked consistency. Hocevar has finished 19th or worse in his last four starts. Did he and Spire peak too early? It sure looks that way.
Hocevar’s strength has been the intermediate tracks and drafting tracks. With his recent slump and four short tracks in The Chase, the chances of Hocevar winning a title look very bleak at this point but that doesn’t take away from the breakout year he’s had.
