CONCORD, N.C. — Spire Motorsports owner Jeff Dickerson used an interesting phrase in October 2025 when he announced his team had signed Daniel Suarez. He called the move a "redemption story."
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As Dickerson explained to FanBuzz during an event, his team had an opportunity to prove that the No. 7 team could perform better than it had in 2025 while Suarez had an opportunity to prove that his struggles at Trackhouse Racing in 2025 were not an outlier.
Both sides of this partnership could get redemption in 2026.
"We all realized that we needed to prove that we belong," Suarez said in response to FanBuzz after winning the Coca-Cola 600. "I needed to do that. Spire Motorsports and the 7 team needed to do that. And we went to work, no excuses.
"In a way, I knew the things that went wrong the last couple years, in the last couple years in my journey at Trackhouse. I think that Trackhouse and myself, we had an amazing ride together, but the last couple years, things went cloudy, right?
"I knew the things that went wrong, and I mentioned those things to Jeff, and I said, 'Jeff, I want to make sure that these don't happen because I've seen this movie before.'"
Thirteen races into the 2026 season, they have delivered after putting in the work. Sure, the No. 7 team still seeks some consistency in the area of execution, but it has shown speed during qualifying and during the races.
Suarez is 10th in the points after winning the Coca-Cola 600, his first crown jewel race. He has an average finish of 13.9, nearly eight spots better than Justin Haley's average finish in 2025 (22.1). His average starting position is 13.0.
"It feels good," Dickerson said late Sunday night. "It feels good to win. I'm happy for Daniel. I mean, he's had a chip on his shoulder, but man, he's really just like fit in with us. He's been so good just being like the glue.
"You know, he's right in the middle. We got Carson (Hocevar) way over here and (Michael) McDowell way over here. And he does a really good job just kind of like uplifting everybody, asking the right questions. He also has like a really big curiosity on everything."
But while the team has showcased speed and celebrated a win early in the season, they haven't yet achieved their goals. Dickerson wants to win three races between his three teams. He wants to get at least two cars into The Chase.
Suarez wants to reach a point where people expect the No. 7 team to be a factor each and every week.
"I said this in January, and my goal was for you guys not to be surprised when you see the 7 team in the top 10, in the top 5, contending for wins," Suarez said.
Suarez and Spire Motorsports have certainly turned heads in their first season together. The win on Sunday did not shock them or the industry. It showed that this team can win a race by overcoming mistakes and executing at the right time.
So what does this mean for the story that Dickerson referenced in October 2025?
"The redemption story will be complete when we make the playoffs with that team," Dickerson told FanBuzz with a smile on his face.
