Daniel Suarez is relishing the opportunity to “disconnect” from NASCAR as the Spire Motorsports star vacations in Greece during the first weekend off in the 2026 Cup Series campaign.
Suarez, who drew a crude hand-written sign at Martinsville Speedway, earned himself a relaxing getaway after getting off to an impressive start this season. In his first season with Spire Motorsports following five years with Trackhouse Racing, the No. 7 Chevrolet driver has amassed two top-10 finishes and one top-5 — thereby placing him 16th in the NASCAR Cup Series points standings.
Speaking to reporters last week, Suarez revealed that he would be using the short break from racing to reset and spend time with family. “I’m going to Greece, and I hope when I come back everything is the same,” he said with a hearty laugh. “Definitely happy [with the start of the season]. Not satisfied, because we always want more, but very happy with how things are going.
“But we can’t stay still. I have a lot of work to do before I leave, and when I come back, we have a lot of things we have to work on. So, I’m going to be gone for [a bit] to recharge the batteries, because a lot of people talk about the first seven weeks of racing, but it’s not only that. I’ve been working hard since December and January. So it’s always nice to disconnect for a few days.”
It appears as though Suarez isn’t going entirely off the grid, however. Taking to social media over the weekend, the 34-year-old announced that he and his wife, Julia Piquet, are expecting their first child together.
In the post, Suarez and Piquet posed in front of a beautiful Greek backdrop while donning black hats that read “Dad” and “Mom.” He captioned the post “The best is on the way” alongside a white heart emoji.
While Suarez is undoubtedly enjoying his well-deserved time off, he appears to be enjoying life as a member of Spire Motorsports. On the heels of a seventh-place finish at Darlington last week, he said: “I’m just very proud of this organization, of this 7 team.
“Very, very fortunate to be part of an organization that has really invested in a great group of people. Great engine with HMS, great partnership with HMS. So I’m just enjoying it. I’m having a lot of fun, the most fun I have had in a long time. And I’m looking forward to continuing to [chase] that win.”
Though the marriage between Suarez and Spire appears to be a success in its infancy stages, the acknowledged that one can’t get complacent while competing in the Cup Series. “You have to worry right now, because if you try to get ready in three months, it may be too late,” he admitted. So you have to bring your best game every single race. And you cannot try to hit just home runs. You have to be consistent and be more smart about it.
“It starts today. You cannot take it for granted. Just because we have speed today doesn’t mean we’re gonna have speed tomorrow. We just have to continue to put the work in, continue to make progress and continue to move forward.”
