Tom Ruminski

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CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Daniel Suarez's surprising win Sunday night at the Coca-Cola 600 gave Spire Motorsports its second victory of the season, matching the total of racing giant Hendrick Motorsports. For a team with three full-time Cup drivers and only 175 employees, that's saying something. But that doesn't mean the team is satisfied.“Yes, we’re seeing results. Yes, we are being competitive," Suarez said. “But we’re not even close to our full potential.” Suarez, the first Mexican-born driver to win the Coca-Cola 600, said when he arrived at Spire last October that it didn't take long to recognize just how hard everyone worked, which he said is a credit to team owner Jeff Dickerson and crew chief Ryan Sparks. The organization's structure, he said, is well organized. “When you have a good foundation, the house is going to be strong," Suarez said. "Spire Motorsports has an amazing foundation.” Spire has long been considered a small Cup Series team, and any wins it has had were largely considered upsets or one-offs. That notion may be changing under Dickerson, who admits he can be difficult to deal with on race day but refuses to apologize for setting the bar high. “I just don’t think we’ve hit our ceiling," Dickerson said. "I don’t think we’re hitting on all cylinders. I think we’ve still got a long ways to go to.” Carson Hocevar won earlier this season at Talladega, giving Spire its first win and the entire organization a shot in the arm. There was a sudden realization it could compete with bigger race teams like Joe Gibbs Racing, Team Penske, RFK Racing, 23XI Racing and Hendrick. Suarez's win at a crown jewel event like the Coca-Cola 600 was another huge step in the right direction. Dickerson said the goal this season is simple: Put two cars in the playoffs and win three races. Things are looking good right now. With 24 races left, Hocevar is ninth in the Cup Series points standings, while Suarez moved up to 10th after his third career win and first since joining Spire. The top 16 drivers in points qualify for the Chase. “Still a long ways to go,” Dickerson said. “I don’t want to fumble it. But, man, it would be good to meet those goals.” Sparks was the unsung hero Sunday night. With rain on the radar, he trusted his instincts and made the call to pit and go with two new tires late in the race. It paid off big time. Suarez was able to go from the middle of the pack to the top spot. Shortly after the race was red-flagged for lightning, it looked like the move might backfire on Sparks after cars were sent back on the track. But Suarez held off JGR's Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin — who had dominated most of the race, along with pole sitter Tylor Reddick — on two restarts to stay out front. On the final restart, Suarez exploded off the line with a little push from behind from Hendrick's Kyle Larson. From there he blocked Bell and Hamlin as the JGR teammates frantically tried to pass. Just when it appeared they might catch Suarez, the sky opened up and rain poured down on the mile-and-a-half track. With the scheduled 400-lap race already more than four hours old and the clock approaching midnight, NASCAR quickly called the race with 27 laps, declaring Suarez the winner. He later honored his mentor, the late Kyle Busch, by imitating the NASCAR great's postrace bow in victory lane. Suarez led only 17 laps, several of those coming with the race under caution. “Something in the back of my mind told me to just go ahead and put two (tires) on,” Sparks said. “I kind of looked and saw what everybody had for tires on in front of me, and I figured there was going to be a good opportunity for us to be first or second. Just wanted to get that clean air and give ourselves an opportunity." With two-thirds of the season remaining, Spire has plenty of time to build on its early success and have a record-setting season. And continue to shock the big race teams. “I’m just extremely happy to be part of Spire Motorsports because I believe that we haven’t even seen the full potential of this organization,” Saurez added. “And I can’t wait to continue this journey.” ___ AP auto racing: https://apnews/hub/auto-racing

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