Racing in NASCAR isn’t all testing horsepower, machinery, or relying on pure driving skills of some of the best drivers in the world. It’s also a sport defined by subtle nudges, hard bumps, and the occasional shove toward the outside wall. These can lead to conflicts, and Daniel Suarez knows that. He makes it a point to apologize when he believes the contact wasn’t intentional.
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Suarez knows the weight of every move in the garage. Some drivers treat chaos as part of the trade, but he’s seen the consequences and learned the lessons. That’s why, even when apologies can’t undo the damage, he still makes them.
At the same time, he recognizes that a quick “sorry” doesn’t always repair the wound. He reflected on this back in 2018 during his appearance on Jeff Gluck’s 12 Questions series. When asked whether apologizing makes a difference after on-track contact, intentional or not, he said, “I think it does.”
“At least it does for me. I feel like as a driver, we race so often, so there’s always a comeback. My mom makes fun of me that I don’t remember a lot of things she says to me, but when it comes to racing, I remember exactly everything.
“Like what the car was doing, or who hit me, or who was too aggressive toward me. So eventually, it turns around. We always remember that.”
The former Trackhouse Racing driver continued, “I feel like it’s always good if you did something wrong to apologize and move on. That’s the way I like to do things. It shows respect. But there’s always a line; sometimes the apology is not enough. So you still have that payback in the future.”
Now Suarez is ready to shift his focus toward his next chapter. He will join Spire Motorsports in 2026, having signed with the team in October to drive the No. 7 Chevrolet alongside Michael McDowell and Carson Hocevar.
Suarez will be chasing his first win since the Atlanta spring race in February 2024, and he aims to secure his third career postseason berth.
