Races September 14, 2026 Handling Issues Hindered Race for Spire Driver After Taking the Lead on Lap 1. Date: September 6th, 2026 Event: Cook Out Southern 500 (Round 27 of 36) Series: NASCAR Cup Series Location: Darlington Raceway (1.366-mile oval) Format: 367 laps, broken into three stages (115 laps/115 laps/137 laps) Start/Finish: 2nd / 21st (running, completed 367 of 367 laps) Chase Standings: 13th Notes: Daniel Suárez salvaged a 21st-place finish in Sunday’s Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway to kick off the 2026 edition of The Chase, leaving Darlington 13th in the point standings. Suárez started second in the No. 7 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and took over the top spot for the opening two laps. The Monterrey, Mexico native struggled with a lack of grip as tires began to wear and the track conditions changed, ultimately losing a lap to the leaders during Stage 2. On Lap 282, Suárez reported low RPMs and fluctuating fuel pressure. The Freeway Insurance driver fought back from two laps down to rejoin the lead lap with less than 50 laps remaining in the race, and continued to fight toward a 21st-place effort. The NASCAR Cup Series heads west to World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill., on Sunday, Sept. 13. The Enjoy Illinois 300 will be broadcast live on USA beginning at 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The 28th of 36 points-paying races on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, and the second race of The Chase, will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Daniel Suárez, driver of the No. 7 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet Camaro for Spire Motorsports: “It was a long night. Listen, something about the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet team this year is that we’ve done an amazing job executing, and if we have a 10th-place car, we finish better, and that’s been our signature for the entire year. Today, we didn’t have the speed at the start of the race. We went from leading the race to back in 20th. And then, we just didn’t execute the little things. Our last pit stop was bad. The adjustments, I feel like never really improved our car a whole lot. We have to go back and regroup. We also had a couple issues with the fuel pump and an issue with the engine, a couple little things. It wasn’t the way we wanted to start The Chase, but overall, I know I have a great team. At Spire Motorsports, we’re going to go back to work and come back stronger next weekend.”
