Suárez ‘pretty close’ on locking ’27 plans; reflects on Busch, emotional Coca-Cola 600 win

CONCORD, N.C. -- With just five races remaining in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, Daniel Suárez is on pace to record the best average finish of his 10-year career. Suárez, in his first campaign piloting the No. 7 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports, holds an average finish of 15.3, highlighted by his triumph in the crown jewel Coca-Cola 600 in May. This year's mark is nearly a full position better than his previous best average finish of 16.2, which he set in 2017 with Joe Gibbs Racing. As a career year draws to a close, Suárez has yet to make his plans official for the 2027 Cup Series season, but a report from The Athletic on Friday stated the Monterrey, Mexico, native will return to Spire next year. When asked about his future with the organization Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Suárez said: "We're still working on it. We're pretty close, but we're still working on that."  RELATED: Sunday's starting lineup | At-track photos: Charlotte Sunday's Chase race presented by Mobil 1 (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) marks the first time the Cup Series has raced on the Charlotte oval in the fall since 2017. Suárez is also the most recent Cup Series winner on the Charlotte oval. The Bank of America 400 comes on the heels of Kyle Busch's Celebration of Life held Friday evening at the track. Thousands of fans packed the frontstretch grandstands as Busch's friends, family and former teammates reflected on Busch as a driver, owner, father and husband. Suárez, an alum of Kyle Busch Motorsports, spoke on stage alongside Christopher Bell and Noah Gragson to reminisce about the stern but fair feedback Busch gave them as an owner when they competed in the Truck Series. Once Suárez moved to the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series at Joe Gibbs Racing, he spoke with Busch weekly on the phone, receiving advice and mentorship about upcoming tracks on the schedule. At the end of the celebration of life, Suárez watched Busch's son Brexton perform an emotional burnout in his father's No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, which Kyle last drove at Dover Motor Speedway before his sudden death on May 21. Once the burnout was completed, Brexton climbed out of the car, was handed a checkered flag from his younger sister, Lennix, and gave the crowd a bow to remember. "I can't even imagine what was going through his mind," Suárez said. "He was actually doing a burnout in his father's last Cup ride. Last night was very special for the Busch family." Suárez's Coke 600 victory came in the first Cup race following Busch's death, just three days later. While the emotion was still raw that Memorial Day weekend, it made Charlotte Motor Speedway even more special for Suárez, who refers to the 1.5-mile oval as his home track. "I mean this race track to me has always meant a lot just because it's home, right?" Suárez said. "I don't get to race in Mexico, so this is home for me. And 90% of the time, I always have family here. My mom is here this weekend, so it's always special. This is one of my favorite races of the year just because I get to spend time with family." Suárez isn't mathematically eliminated from winning the Cup Series championship, but his odds are far-fetched, sitting 14th in points -- 195 markers behind championship leader Kyle Larson. The Chase hasn't gone according to plan for Suárez and the No. 7 team, with a best finish of 14th three times -- all in the last three races. But Suárez said there's still plenty to accomplish before the checkered flag waves at Homestead-Miami Speedway next month. "We have goals, but it's not a number," Suárez said. "Most people will think that a goal has to be a number. For us, the goal is to maximize our potential. If we have a 10th-place car, finish 10th or better. If we have a top-five car, finish top five or better. So that's the goal wherever that takes us, and continue to push yourself to be better."