Four Destinations For Daniel Suarez To Go In 2026!
It has been a few weeks since it was announced that Daniel Suarez wouldn’t be returning to Trackhouse for 2026. This left the ex-Xfinity Series champion and two-time Cup Series winner jobless heading into next season. But no way he stays jobless. He has great value as a driver and in marketing potential.
Number 4 Option: McAnally-Hilgemann Racing!
Right now, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing is a team divided into two camps. One has wins and is in the playoffs on points (Ankrum and Hemric), and the other only has three top 10s combined (Wood and Mosack.) Mosack is a rookie with room to grow. They may not be willing to cut him. But Jack Wood is in his fifth year on a winning truck and has only four top 10s. It is time to shut down that experiment and replace him with Daniel Suarez.
With Spire selling their truck team and rumored to go into Xfinity, this gives Spire more Chevy money and incentive to be competitive and sign Daniel Suarez. Being on Chevy’s team would put more pressure on them to sign a young Chevy driver.
The Chevy camp is already full of veteran talent like Elliott, Larson, Byron, and Chastain, plus younger talents like Hocevar, Zilisch, Love, Nick Sanchez, and more. It is no shock that the Chevy talent pool is drying up because it’s not like they need more, plus it’s a few more years until McKee is ready. Investing in veterans, giving you results off the bat may be the way to go.
Number 3: JR Motorsports!
One of the most popular rumors involving Daniel Suarez was bolstered by his Xfinity Series win with JRM in his home country and by the fact that Dale Jr. said they’re considering signing the Mexican. As stated before, the series was his bread and butter, winning the championship in 2016. Plus, Mexico is proof that he can jump into one of Junior’s cars and compete immediately. With the Chevy camp filled with talent, hiring veterans who will be on the way out will become the go-to move. And where better to go than to JRM?
The only question is who he would replace. Carson Kvapil and Justin Allgaier are no-gos, with Allgaier hitting his prime and currently being the defending Xfinity Series champion. Carson Kvapil is having a great rookie year and is a junior protégé. He will be staying for 2026. Sammy Smith did go from JGR to JRM, so maybe he’s willing to do another switch-up. Zilisch is the only possibility to replace Daniel Suarez.
Number 2: Hyak Motorsports!
This is out there, but with Suarez wanting to stay in the Cup and now a ton of charters because of the FRM 23XI Racing lawsuit left on the table, Hyak doesn’t want to look like JTG 2 and show everyone they should be taken seriously. Buying a charter and hiring a winning vet like Daniel Suarez would be a smart way to do it. He stays with Chevy, and two multi-time Cup Series wins with Xfinity Series championships are a great foundation to build a competitive team with. This is reminiscent of the likes of the David and David lineup that FRM started their ascent with.
Number 1: Kaulig Racing!
No team has been more in flux than Kaulig over the past few years. From the biggest up-and-coming Xfinity Series team to a mid-pack Cup team, and slowly going back to the Xfinity mid-pack. AJ Allmendinger is the franchise man, but for Ty Dillon, he’s only had 1 top ten all year, whereas Allmendinger is still an outside playoff contender.
They should sign Daniel Suarez. That is another guy who can win on road courses and outdrive his equipment on a good day. If they sell their Xfinity team to Spire, they would have a lineup full of Cup winners and road course dominators who can still compete on the ovals. The money from the potential sale and potential Ty Dillon in-season tournament win could turn them into NASCAR’s best mid-pack team.
