{"id":694544,"date":"2026-05-26T09:19:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T09:19:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/694544\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T09:19:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T09:19:18","slug":"this-one-is-for-kyle-daniel-suarez-captures-emotional-win-in-nascars-coke-600","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/694544\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018This one is for Kyle\u2019: Daniel Su\u00e1rez captures emotional win in NASCAR\u2019s Coke 600"},"content":{"rendered":"

CONCORD, N.C. \u2014 Daniel Su\u00e1rez might not have had the fastest car, but he was fastest when it mattered most and, with an assist from Mother Nature, that was enough to earn him the upset victory Sunday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Coca-Cola 600, putting a punctuation point on an emotional weekend that saw NASCAR grapple with the unexpected loss of two-time champion Kyle Busch<\/a>.<\/p>\n

With rain approaching, Su\u00e1rez and his Spire Motorsports team gambled on pit strategy late to jump ahead of the faster Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas, a lead he held on to during a sequence of restarts. That was the difference as rain began to fall shortly thereafter, prompting NASCAR to park the field on pit road. By the time Su\u00e1rez got out of his car, the rain had picked up, and officials quickly called the race, setting off an unbridled celebration.<\/p>\n

It was Su\u00e1rez\u2019s third career Cup Series win and first since February 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery win is special, but it\u2019s been a second, right?\u201d Su\u00e1rez said. \u201cThe team did an amazing job. It wasn\u2019t easy. We had a lot of issues throughout the race. They put us in contention, and we executed well.\u201d<\/p>\n

This win is for Kyle. pic.twitter.com\/1pcAKDpOvp<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NASCAR (@NASCAR) May 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Adding to the emotion was that Su\u00e1rez previously drove for Busch in NASCAR\u2019s third-tier Truck Series, and Busch was instrumental in helping Su\u00e1rez improve his craft and adapt to a new culture after moving from Mexico to pursue his NASCAR career. That assist was pivotal, with Su\u00e1rez eventually progressing and winning a championship in NASCAR\u2019s second-tier series and then advancing to Cup in 2017.<\/p>\n

The significance of winning on the same day NASCAR honored Busch<\/a> wasn\u2019t lost on Su\u00e1rez, who throughout the weekend wore a Busch T-shirt and dedicated the win to the Busch family. After getting out of his car, Su\u00e1rez put on a hat with Busch\u2019s car number and at one point gestured toward the sky.<\/p>\n

The 41-year-old Busch died unexpectedly Thursday after suffering from severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis<\/a>, \u201cresulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications,\u201d his family said Saturday in a statement.<\/p>\n

Before the race, NASCAR paid respects to Busch in a touching ceremony that included Busch\u2019s wife, Samantha, and two young children, Brexton and Lennix, his parents, and his brother, former NASCAR champion Kurt Busch. NASCAR CEO Steve O\u2019Donnell emphasized that the Busches will always be part of the NASCAR family and have their full support.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a very tough week,\u201d Su\u00e1rez said. \u201cKyle, he was special, man. This one is for Kyle, Samantha, Brexton, Lennix, and all his family. This win is for him. If it wasn\u2019t for Kyle, I wasn\u2019t going to be an Xfinity champion. I wasn\u2019t going to have my shot in the Cup Series. To win this race for him is unbelievable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Further adding to the theme of the weekend was that it was a Spire car in victory lane, with the team having close ties to Kyle Busch and crediting him for helping the upstart organization grow into one that has won multiple races this season.<\/p>\n

The relationship between Spire and Busch begins with team co-owner Jeff Dickerson\u2019s long association with Busch, Spire purchasing Kyle Busch Motorsports\u2019 Truck Series team in September 2023, and Busch\u2019s continued driving for the truck team, most recently last week when he drove to victory at Dover Motor Speedway \u2014 Busch\u2019s last career NASCAR win.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the rain first started falling, you find yourself thinking, man, you\u2019re going to get some text from (Busch), like, \u2018You lucky a\u2014hole,’\u201d Dickerson said. \u201cBut not only is Kyle in the fabric of our place, we\u2019re in that (KBM) shop, a lot of his former employees came over \u2014 I hope it\u2019s rewarding for them, too. It\u2019s been a tough couple of days; it\u2019s still hard to believe.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still can\u2019t believe it. It means a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

JGR\u2019s Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin finished second and third. Series points leader Tyler Reddick finished fourth, and Kyle Larson completed the top five.<\/p>\n

With the win, Su\u00e1rez moved to 10th in the series points standings, well positioned to qualify for NASCAR\u2019s Chase playoff at the halfway mark of the regular season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not contending for wins yet, but we\u2019re a strong team,\u201d Su\u00e1rez said. \u201cI said this in January, my goal was for (the media) not to be surprised when you guys see (his team) in the top 10, in the top five, contending for wins, and that\u2019s still my goal today. I believe that we still have work to do, but definitely we\u2019re in the right path to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n