Spire Motorsports Coca-Cola 600 Race Report 2026

Race Notes:

• Daniel Suárez won the Coca-Cola 600, his third victory in 336 NASCAR Cup Series races.
• This is Suárez's first victory and fourth top-10 finish in 2026. It is also his first victory and second top-10 finish in 12 races at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.
• Suárez's win marks the third Cup Series victory for Spire Motorsports and second in 2026.

Daniel Suárez - Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Daniel Suárez, driver of the No. 7 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Spire Motorsports, earned his third-career NASCAR Cup Series victory, and first since joining Spire Motorsports, in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. NASCAR officials called the race after 373 of 400 laps due to weather. The team also elevated to 10th in the series’ championship point standings.

Suárez started 14th after inclement weather canceled Saturday’s qualifying session, forcing the starting lineup to be set by the NASCAR Cup Series rulebook. A caution flag waved on Lap 35 when a competitor spun in Turn 2, and the Monterrey, Mexico, native radioed to the team that his Freeway Insurance Chevrolet needed more grip to improve the handling. Suárez restarted 13th with 60 laps remaining in Stage 1 before making an unscheduled stop on Lap 48 after suspecting a flat tire. The issue was ultimately determined to be a loose wheel, dropping the No. 7 Chevrolet one lap behind the leaders. Just five laps later, the second caution of the evening gave Suárez the free pass, putting him back on the lead lap. He returned to pit road for four tires and fuel, with the crew electing to stay in the pit box slightly longer to inspect the left-rear wheel threads. Suárez restarted 35th with 41 laps remaining in the opening stage. By Lap 77, Suárez had charged through the field, clocking the fastest lap time in the field multiple laps in a row while picking off several competitors. He gained 15 positions to finished Stage 1 in 12th.

Suárez started Stage 2 in 17th, and a caution flag quickly waved just five laps into the run. Suárez radioed to crew chief Ryan Sparks that the Freeway Insurance Chevrolet was building tighter on entry, but becoming too free on the long run as he tried to maintain rear grip. Looking to capitalize on track position, Sparks elected to keep the No. 7 Chevrolet on track, moving Suárez up to 11th for the restart. On Lap 142, Suárez felt a tire going down and went a lap down to the leaders in the 22nd position after coming in for four tires. After the pit cycle, Suárez filtered out to the 15th position. On Lap 163, the No. 7 team made another unscheduled pit stop for a vibration, taking four tires and fuel, resulting in going a lap down in the 34th position. He finished the second stage in 33rd, one lap down.

The 34-year-old driver radioed to his team that the ride quality in his Chevrolet had become noticeably rougher, with something appearing to be loose and making noise in the rear of the car. Suárez also reported difficulty hearing Sparks and his spotter as the field came down pit road during a moment of silence. The No. 7 returned to pit road so the team could inspect the rear of the car. While no visible issues were found, the team believed to possibly be related to the transaxle. Suárez returned to the track in 30th, one lap down. Five laps later, another caution flag waved for a disconnected wheel on the racetrack. Racing resumed on Lap 215 with Suárez scored 26th, still one lap behind the leaders. On Lap 251, Suárez came to his pit stall for four tires and fuel with 49 laps remaining in the third stage and finished 21st, one lap down.

Suárez came to pit road for a scheduled stop, where the No. 7 crew bolted on four tires and Sunoco fuel with no adjustments. The final stage restarted with Suárez 22nd, one lap down, with 78 laps remaining. A caution flag waved on Lap 318, but Suárez was unable to receive the free pass. Sparks called for four tires, fuel and a small adjustment to free up the car, allowing Suárez to restart 21st, one lap down. Two laps later, a multi-car incident brought out another caution. The No. 7 team pitted for three new tires, one scuff tire, fuel and air pressure adjustments. Suárez restarted 17th and returned to the lead lap with 62 laps remaining in the event. With 48 laps remaining, a caution flag waved for lightning and the No. 7 team elected to pit for right-side tires only, allowing Suárez to restart with the lead. Another caution flag flew with 39 laps remaining before NASCAR displayed the red flag on Lap 367 due to rain, resulting in a 7-minute, 55-second delay. The field returned to green on Lap 372, but rain intensified one lap later, forcing the field back down pit road. NASCAR ultimately called the race official, rewarding Suárez with his third career NASCAR Cup Series victory.

Daniel’s Post-Race Comments
“It really means a lot to win this race. I’ve always said the Coca-Cola 600 is my favorite race of the year because my family gets to be here with me. It’s been a very tough week. Kyle Busch was special, and to win the Coca-Cola 600 for him, Samantha, Brexton, Lennix and the entire family is unbelievable. If it wasn’t for Kyle, I wouldn’t have become an Xfinity Series champion or had my opportunity in the Cup Series.

"Every win is special, but this one means even more. Winning the Coca-Cola 600 with Spire Motorsports and Freeway Insurance is unbelievable. We battled through a lot all day, but the team kept fighting and put us in position when it mattered most. I’m thankful for Chevrolet, the Hendrick Engine Shop and everyone who makes this program possible.”

Michael McDowell - Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Michael McDowell came home with a finish of 14th in NASCAR’s longest race of the year, the Coca-Cola 600, carrying the name of Corporal Eddie Wade Forrest II with pride at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This marked his fourth top-15 finish of the 2026 season.

Following a rained-out qualifying session on Saturday, the Cup Series field was set by the metric score with McDowell taking the green flag from the fourth position for the first of four 100-lap stages. A caution on Lap 35 brought the Cup Series veteran to pit road for full service, including a right rear adjustment to help with grip during the long run, and rejoined the field in the 11th position. Crew chief Travis Peterson’s electing to keep McDowell on track during a caution with 10-to-go in the stage allowing the No. 71 to lead the field back to green. Newer tires prevailed setting up the veteran driver to finish 28th at the conclusion of Stage 1.

After pitting at the stage break, McDowell lined up 28th for the second 100-lap stage. As the sun set on NASCAR’s home track, the 41-year-old driver moved into the top 25 before joining the green-flag pit cycle on Lap 150. During the long run McDowell slowly picked off competitors but fell one lap down to the leaders with 11 laps remaining in Stage 2, but an unscheduled stop for a potential flat tire pinned the second-year Spire Motorsports driver two laps behind the leaders.

The team elected to stay out at the stage break, getting back one lap by way of the wave around and at the halfway point McDowell sat 32nd. By Lap 229, McDowell was riding in the free pass position in 20th and as the next green-flag pit cycle began, the team chose to run long to advance into the top 15 and back to lead lap. A pit stop on Lap 259 dealt McDowell the upper hand with 10-lap fresher tires, allowing him to work his way up to 22nd to close out Stage 3.

The Glendale, Ariz., native sat 21st and in the free pass position at the start of the final stage before a Lap-318 caution placed him back on the lead lap. McDowell found his way back into the top 10 on Lap 341 as rain approached the speedway. Weather brought the race to a halt with just 28 laps remaining with McDowell sitting 14th to earn his fourth top-15 finish at Charlotte.

Michael's Post-Race Comments
“It’s amazing to see my teammate, Daniel Suarez, get the win. It was a great call there by Ryan Sparks (crew chief for the No. 7 team) to take two-tires and get track position. Just really happy for everyone at Spire Motorsports. That’s two wins this year for the organization. The No. 71 Modo Casino Chevrolet team had a good run today, too. We lost a few spots on that last restart, but I felt really good about our speed tonight.”

Carson Hocevar - Driver, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Carson Hocevar, driver of Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Chili’s Ride the Dente Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, finished 23rd in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Hocevar started 23rd as the lineup was set via the NASCAR Cup Series rule book when Saturday’s qualifying session was cancelled due to inclement weather. The 23-year-old driver battled a loose-handling Chevy throughout the first stint. When a caution was displayed on Lap 36, crew chief Luke Lambert made the call to hit pit road for four fresh tires and significant adjustments. Despite restarting at the tail of the field, Hocevar drove forward to the 22nd position before a Lap-54 caution.

When racing action resumed, the Portage, Mich., native reported a potential tire issue and immediately hit pit road for service. The team rejoined the field one lap down, where they remained for much of the segment until a caution with 10 laps remaining in the stage bunched up the field. The No. 77 team made the call to pit for fresh tires, allowing them to race forward and clinch the free pass at the first stage break.

The 2024 Cup Series Rookie of the Year restarted 34th on Lap 108 but drove to 12th prior to green-flag pit stops. Lambert eventually summoned his driver to pit road from the lead on Lap 54. Unfortunately, an equipment issue during the stop pinned the team one lap down. The team was unable to return to the lead lap the remainder of the evening and were ultimately credited with a 23rd-place finish.

Carson’s Post-Race Comments
“Tough night for us, but obviously really excited for Daniel (Suárez) and the whole No. 7 team. Super cool to get another win for Jeff (Dickerson) and Dan (Towriss). Excited to get to Nashville next weekend and give it another shot.”

Up Next...
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway on Sunday, May 31. The 300-lap race will be streamed live on Prime at 7 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

The 14th of 36 points-paying races on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

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About Spire Motorsports …

Spire Motorsports fields full-time entries in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing.

The team, co-owned by longtime NASCAR industry executive Jeff Dickerson and TWG Motorsports CEO Dan Towriss, earned its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series victory in its first full season of competition when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway July 7, 2019. Less than three years later, William Byron drove Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado its first NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win April 7, 2022, at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The team’s most recent win came on May 15, 2026, when Kyle Busch took the checkered flag in the ECOSAVE 200 at Dover Motor Speedway.

In 2026, Spire Motorsports campaigns the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s in the NASCAR Cup Series and the Nos. 7 and 77 Chevrolet Silverado RSTs in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The Mooresville, N.C., organization will also field the No. 77 410 sprint car in Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing competition.