Daniel Suarez emerged as one of the hot names to replace Connor Zilisch behind the wheel of the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet for the 2026 NASCAR Xfinity Series season once it was finally confirmed that Zilisch is set to take his place at Trackhouse Racing's Cup Series team next year.
After all, in his one and only start of the 2025 Xfinity Series season, and an initially unplanned one at that, Suarez collected his first victory since winning the 2016 championship, and he did so behind the wheel of JR Motorsports' No. 9 Chevrolet at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
With the confirmations of Suarez's Trackhouse Racing departure and Zilisch's promotion made shortly thereafter, it only made sense that Suarez was linked to the team full-time, especially with very few openings left on the Cup side for next year.
But that landing spot is off the table for Suarez, and for a couple reasons.
First, Rajah Caruth was just confirmed as a part-time driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet that Zilisch currently drives for JR Motorsports.
Caruth is currently in his second season at Spire Motorsports and third overall in the Truck Series, and he is still in the mix for this year's championship, sitting second in points ahead of this weekend's round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway. He has also been making select Xfinity Series starts going back to 2022.
Of course, it was still not out of the question that Suarez could compete in occasional Xfinity Series races next year, possibly even for JR Motorsports. The No. 88 car does still have openings throughout the season following Caruth's part-time confirmation, and the team have still yet to confirm anybody for the part-time No. 9 car that Suarez drove to victory in his home country back in June.
But the second reason effectively ruled Suarez out from anything more than an occasional Xfinity Series start at most.
Spire Motorsports' decision to cut ties with Justin Haley after the 2025 season led to serious speculation that Suarez could look to remain in the Cup Series full-time by shifting over to the No. 7 Chevrolet, and that move has since been confirmed.
It's a win-win for both sides, giving Suarez the ability to continue competing at the Cup level while Spire Motorsports keep their options open for 2027, when many believe they'll likely pursue Kyle Busch.
But as far as the 2016 Xfinity Series champion returning to the series in an attempt to win another championship 10 years later, that possibility is out the window, at least for 2026.