Premature End to 7 Spire Chevrolet’s Race in Illinois

Date: September 13^th, 2026

Event: Enjoy Illinois 300 (Round 28 of 36)

Series: NASCAR Cup Series

Location: World Wide Technology Raceway (1.25-mile oval)

Format: 240 laps, broken into three stages (45 laps/95 laps/100 laps)

Start/Finish: 21st / 29th (running, completed 229 of 247 laps)

Point Standing: 16^th with 2049 points

Notes:

• Alate-race incident relegated Daniel Suárez to a 29th-place finish in Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill. After two trying weeks to start The Chase, Suárez sits 16th in the standings.
• Suárez endured a challenging day in the second event of The Chase, battling through multiple incidents and handling issues throughout the entirety of the race. The Freeway Insurance driver sustained cosmetic damage to his No. 7 Chevrolet in the early incidents, while the team worked to make repairs and improve the balance. On Lap 229, Suárez was involved in another incident that left his oil cooler damaged beyond repair, ending his day.
• Up next for the NASCAR Cup Series is a return to Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 19. The Bass Pro Shops Night Race will be broadcast live on USA beginning at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The 29th of 36 points-paying races on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, and the third race of The Chase, will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Daniel Suárez, driver of the No. 7 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet Camaro for Spire Motorsports:

“It was one of those days where it felt like we were fighting from the very beginning. We had multiple incidents, damage, balance issues and a brake problem, so there was always something we were trying to overcome. The guys never gave up and kept working on the car, and we were able to fight our way forward, but it was just a really difficult day. Unfortunately, that last incident ended our race. I’m proud of this team for how hard they fought and never gave up.”