CONCORD, N.C. \u2014 In the emotional aftermath of Sunday\u2019s Coca-Cola 600, Spire Motorsports owner Jeff Dickerson and race winner Daniel Su\u00e1rez pointed to a common thread that helped shape both the organization and the moment: Kyle Busch.<\/p>\n
For Dickerson, Busch\u2019s legacy at what is now Spire Motorsports runs deeper than a name on a building or a past chapter in team history. It is embedded in the culture.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know a lot of the racing DNA, I can trace back to that 5 team back in the day and with Kyle,\u201d Dickerson said. \u201cKyle had just a maniacal desire to win and just set a high bar and just did not give a shit. You had to meet it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spire Motorsports operates out of the former Kyle Busch Motorsports shop, and Dickerson said Busch\u2019s relentless pursuit of perfection still defines expectations inside the organization.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was just so maniacal about it,\u201d Dickerson said. \u201cReally it\u2019s that attention to detail and that never being satisfied. \u2026 He just strived for perfection and you just had to meet it, and it just made everybody better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dickerson recalled spotting Busch earlier in his career, marveling at his ability to process details at full speed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just remember him like driving around telling Alan exactly where the track bar was on the 29, how much rake was in it,\u201d Dickerson said. \u201cYou\u2019re just like, you know, only going like 200 miles an hour into the corner, but man, he was just so gifted.\u201d<\/p>\n
That relentless standard, Dickerson said, became a through line not only for Spire but for anyone who worked with Busch.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the thing that carries on in our place \u2026 is really just that high bar and you had to meet it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Sunday\u2019s victory, however, came under heavy circumstances. With Busch at the center of the weekend\u2019s tributes, Dickerson said the win brought both pride and disbelief.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the rain first started falling, you just find yourself thinking \u2026 you know you\u2019re going to get some text from him like you lucky asshole,\u201d Dickerson said with a faint smile. \u201cIt\u2019s still kind of hard to believe. I was for sure he was going to walk out of that place. \u2026 It means a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Su\u00e1rez, the connection to Busch is both professional and deeply personal. The Mexican driver said Busch played a pivotal role in his development, particularly early in his NASCAR career.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe very first thing that came to my mind was Kyle,\u201d Su\u00e1rez said. \u201cAs we all know, this has been a difficult week and weekend for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Su\u00e1rez credited Busch for mentoring him during his Xfinity Series days, when data and technology were less advanced and experience was critical.<\/p>\n
\u201cBack in 2015 Kyle and I, we used to be on the phone every single week because he was helping me,\u201d Su\u00e1rez said. \u201cHe didn\u2019t have to help me. \u2026 He was already a legend of the sport, and he took the time every single week to help me.\u201d<\/p>\n
That generosity left a lasting impact.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat for me spoke very, very highly of not who he is as a driver, but who he is as a person,\u201d Su\u00e1rez said. \u201cMost people didn\u2019t know that side of him. I got to know that side of him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Su\u00e1rez said he hopes to carry forward that example, helping younger drivers in the same way.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause of those things, he made me want to be like him,\u201d Su\u00e1rez said. \u201cWanting to help others, want to go give a hand to those upcoming drivers that need a hand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sunday\u2019s race itself was anything but straightforward. Su\u00e1rez and the No. 7 team battled adversity, including a loose wheel and a flat tire, before rallying to victory.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had everything. We had so much adversity,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I knew my car was fast.\u201d<\/p>\n
The win, Su\u00e1rez emphasized, was about more than competition.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis weekend is not about us, it\u2019s about Kyle and his family,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m super proud to be able to get it done for him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before the race, Su\u00e1rez struggled to find focus amid the emotional weight of the moment, particularly after seeing Busch\u2019s family.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeeing Samantha today for the first time totally broke my heart,\u201d he said. \u201cThere were so many emotions. \u2026 I felt like, when I jumped in the car, I wasn\u2019t ready really to drive.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said he took a brief moment alone in the cockpit to reset.<\/p>\n
\u201cI closed my eyes and tried to reset for 15, 20 seconds, and then I was ready,\u201d Su\u00e1rez said.<\/p>\n
The victory carries added significance given Su\u00e1rez\u2019s journey to reach NASCAR\u2019s top level, a path he described as difficult and uncertain.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt one point I thought my career was going to be over,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I never stopped believing in myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, with a crown jewel win in one of NASCAR\u2019s most prestigious races, Su\u00e1rez believes he and Spire Motorsports are proving their place among the sport\u2019s elite.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo I think that we are the best team? Probably not, but we are definitely very strong,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s a surprise to say the 7 team is strong anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, Su\u00e1rez repeatedly returned to Busch\u2019s influence, both on his career and on the organization that now employs him.<\/p>\n
\u201cSpire Motorsports is very, very close relationship with KBM,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is no coincidence. The stars align.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Su\u00e1rez, the victory was also a chance to highlight the person behind Busch\u2019s competitive persona.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany people, fans, they knew him as a racing driver,\u201d he said. \u201cBut the person \u2026 that\u2019s what counts the most. That family man.\u201d<\/p>\n
As celebration mixed with remembrance, Su\u00e1rez made clear where the spotlight should remain.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to make sure that the focus \u2026 is not Spire Motorsports, it\u2019s not Daniel Su\u00e1rez,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s Kyle Busch because he was a very, very important piece for me to be here and for Spire Motorsports to be where it is right now.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CONCORD, N.C. \u2014 In the emotional aftermath of Sunday\u2019s Coca-Cola 600, Spire Motorsports owner Jeff Dickerson and race…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":694451,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,634,82],"class_list":["post-694450","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nascar","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/694450","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=694450"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/694450\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/694451"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=694450"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=694450"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=694450"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}