Spire Motorsports has been busy in recent months shaping its Cup Series lineup for both 2026 and the long-term future. As the team looks beyond the upcoming season, it appears that there’s a very real chance of Spire being a major player in NASCAR silly season this year.
NASCAR reporter Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic shared on the season preview episode of The Teardown that if Daniel Suarez doesn’t perform well enough this year in the No. 7 car, Spire Motorsports will go “big-game hunting” at the end of the season in NASCAR free agency.
“They’ve been very upfront about the fact that they have spent a lot of money. They expect performance and they’re going to go big-game hunting, I’ve been told. They are going to look for a top driver to put in that car if there’s an opening.”
Jordan Bianchi on Spire Motorsports long-term plans for the No. 7 car if Daniel Suarez fails to perform
Related: Latest on Tyler Reddick’s NASCAR Free Agency Outlook
Spire demonstrated its willingness to move on from a driver just this offseason. In October, the team announced that it would be parting ways with 26-year-old driver Justin Haley as he neared the end of a season where he had an average finishing position of 22.22, led just 20 laps in 36 races and placed 31st in points.
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To replace him, Spire signed Suarez to a one-year deal to drive the No. 7 car. Suarez, 34, was cut loose by Trackhouse Racing after underwhelming results—0 wins, 35 laps led, two top 5s and a 20.89 average finishing position—in a season where teammates Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen both made the playoffs.
Read More: NASCAR Hot Seat 2026, Five Cup Series Drivers on the Hot Seat
Looking ahead to NASCAR free agency, drivers like Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick and Kyle Busch are all on expiring contracts and would be monumental upgrades for Spire. However, both Reddick and Larson are expected to receive new deals that keep them with Hendrick Motorsports and 23XI Racing respectively.
That could leave Busch as the most obvious option. The future Hall of Famer is already competing in eight NASCAR Truck Series races for Spire this season. He would be an upgrade over Suarez, and Spire would be able to offer him a better chance to win than he currently has with Richard Childress Racing.
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