Races February 24, 2026 Mexican Driver Close to Winning Again at Atlanta Date: February 22nd, 2026 Event: Autotrader 400 (Round 2 of 36) Series: NASCAR Cup Series Location: EchoPark Speedway (1.54-mile oval) Format: 260 laps, broken into three stages (60 laps/100 laps/100 laps) Start/Finish: 12th / 5th (Running, completed 271 of 271 laps) Point Standing: 7th with 67 points Notes: Daniel Suárez, the February 2024 NASCAR Cup Series winner at Atlanta Motor Speedway, finished fifth in NASCAR Overtime. Despite handling challenges, the Monterrey, Mexico native and his No. 7 Freeway Insurance team made key adjustments throughout the race. Suárez charged through the field in the final stage to secure his 26th top-five and 77th top-10 finish in NASCAR’s premier division. Suárez started 12th per the NASCAR rulebook after qualifying was canceled due to wet weather conditions. As Stage 1 came to a close, the 34-year-old driver reported his Chevrolet was tight, but handled better in clean air. Crew chief Ryan Sparks called the No. 7 Chevy down pit road for adjustments, four fresh Goodyear tires and a full tank of Sunoco fuel for the start of Stage 2. Suárez pitted twice during the second for additional adjustments and ultimately took the green-and-white checkered flag in the 18th position. Suárez began the Final Stage from 19th, determined to make a strong push to the finish. When the seventh caution caution of the night occurred on Lap 225, the No. 7 Chevy remained on track to restart 12th with 36 laps remaining in the race. Suárez entered the top 10 prior to a multi-car incident on Lap 258 that led to a brief red flag period. When the race returned to green, the Freeway Insurance driver restarted eighth and pushed forward to finish fifth in NASCAR Overtime. Daniel Suárez, driver of the No. 7 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet Camaro for Spire Motorsports: “Honestly, I thought we were in an amazing spot for that last restart. The No. 77 (Carson Hocevar) was leading the top lane and the No. 1 (Ross Chastain) was in front of me. I thought we were in a beautiful spot to make it work. The No. 97 (Shane van Gisbergen) was on my left side and pushed me wide. I felt like that broke down the top lane a little bit. I’m not sure, but I feel like we could have done a little bit better. I feel like we gave that one away because we were in the perfect spot. But overall, I’m very, very proud of everyone at Spire Motorsports. I couldn’t be prouder, honestly. This team just continues to fight, continues to show up and continues to get better. They never doubt that we can make the car better. I can’t thank everyone at Chevrolet and the Hendrick Engine Shop enough for the power under the hood. We just need to keep cleaning a few things up to keep getting better, but very excited for the start of the season.”
