Spire Motorsports and Daniel Suarez will try to be less desperate together next season in the NASCAR Cup Series.
“I think desperation is a big thing,” team co-owner Jeff Dickerson said. “He doesn’t want to be in this situation again next year. I don’t want to be in this situation. I feel like we’re schizophrenic here, changing driver to driver. So, I really think if he can be himself, be steady, he’s capable of winning races and running in the top five. I think that’s our next step – being there consistently.
“We’re obviously there, it’s just can we get all three cars in that mix and maybe not one or some weeks two (of them).”
Suarez was announced as the next driver of the No. 7 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports on Wednesday. Trackhouse Racing is parting ways with the 33-year-old Suarez at the end of the year, while Spire Motorsports is doing the same with Justin Haley. It’s a similar situation for both parties, as Suarez felt things changed at Trackhouse Racing and weren’t working, and Spire Motorsports has spent all year looking for any kind of spark with Haley and his team.
The move to bring in Suarez is yet another personnel change for Spire Motorsports in its ever-constant quest to evolve and succeed. Haley rejoined the fold late last year in a ride swap with Corey LaJoie. Rodney Childers, who was paired with Haley, parted ways with the team in the spring. Michael McDowell and crew chief Travis Peterson joined the organization this season.
The line-up next year will be Suarez, McDowell and third-year driver Carson Hocevar.
Team boss Dickerson feels Suarez is the ideal choice to turn his No. 7 team around, as both sides have a lot to prove. Samuel Corum/Getty Images
“It was a no-brainer,” Suarez said of signing with Spire Motorsports, “if you look at the last three years of how Spire Motorsports has grown. I mentioned this to Jeff. I said, ‘Jeff, three years ago, I probably wasn’t looking at Spire Motorsports as an option. Right now, I believe it is the fastest-growing team in NASCAR, and I want to be a part of that.’ I know that they’re not even close to being done; they’re just getting started.
“So, the way they are building the team, I can see the foundation is strong. Everything that Jeff and the entire team at Spire Motorsports has been able to do in a very short period of time, it’s quite impressive to look at it from the outside. I was just very, very excited to see this new chapter and opportunity. This year, it was not the way that I really wanted it to go with my team, and the same thing with the [No.] 7. So, I believe we both have some things that we want to get back in place and we’re hungry to do that.”
Suarez was described by Dickerson as a fighter, as someone who doesn’t make really big mistakes, and who maximizes his equipment. He doesn’t want Suarez to be someone he is not or to change when joining the organization.
Dickerson acknowledged that a decision has not necessarily been made about who will serve as Suarez’s crew chief next season. Ryan Sparks has been leading the team while also serving as t he organization’s competition director. But Dickerson admitted he is not interested in dual roles for anyone, and that things have felt out of balance since having to proceed that way this year.
Ultimately, the decision was as much of a no-brainer for Dickerson and Spire Motorsports as it was for Suarez.
“I think when it came down to it, it’s a thing where we need each other,” Dickerson said. “I think all of us love a good story of redemption and giving people a platform to prove doubters wrong. In this case, Daniel wants to show everybody this year was an outlier and we want to show everybody that the [No.] 7 car’s performance this year was an outlier as well.”
