Spire Motorsports Has Two Wins While Larson, Bell, Buescher Have Zero and It's Getting Hard to Ignore

Thirteen races deep, and this NASCAR season is just off the rails, y'all! Seriously, can you even believe what's happening out there? We're already at the halfway point of the regular season, and it's been pure madness. Defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson, yeah, *the* Kyle Larson, has gone an unbelievable 37 consecutive regular-season points races without a single win. That's like an entire frustrating season plus one, failing to find Victory Lane from Daytona 500 to the next Speedweeks. Wild!

But while Larson is stuck, other guys are absolutely cooking! The craziness truly showed up Sunday night when Daniel Suarez, Kyle Busch's former trucks series driver and a close friend, notched his third win of the year! He straight up beat Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin when the heavens opened up and ended the Coca-Cola 600 after 373 laps, turning that crown jewel event into the Coke 559.5. Rain-shortened or not, a win is a win, just like for legends Buddy Baker, Jimmie Johnson, David Reutimann, and Bell, or even David Pearson's trimmed 1974 victory. Suarez jumped from 14th to 10th in points, just one spot behind his teammate Carson Hocevar, giving Spire Motorsports two victories in 2026. Who saw that coming?

Heavy Hitters Are Winless and It's a Bummer

Let that sink in for a second: Spire Motorsports has two wins after 13 races. Now, check this out: the next three drivers in front of Spire in the points standings are Bell, Chris Buescher, and Kyle Larson. Those three heavy hitters, who everybody expected to be dominating, have combined for exactly ZERO wins. Seriously, if you had Spire Motorsports with two victories by this point while that trio of superstars was completely winless, go collect your payout! Bell, the No. 20 driver, summed it up perfectly after Sunday's race, saying, "A bummer, just wasn't meant to be today." He wouldn't blame the rain, just added, "That's 2026 for us." You can practically feel the frustration.

Nashville Calls as Dark Horses Rise

But the show must go on, and this Sunday, the Cup Series is heading east of Nashville for the 300-lap Cracker Barrel 400 in Lebanon, Tennessee. This will be the sixth time the series has hit up Nashville Superspeedway, a 1.33-mile, concrete, tri-oval track with 14 degrees of banking. Team Penske's Ryan Blaney is the defending winner there, so he knows how to get it done. But keep your eyes on a potential dark horse: Zane Smith. This guy finished a career-best second in the 2024 Music City event, driving for Spire back then. He was right behind Joey Logano in that wild 15-caution thriller that ran 31 extra laps! Smith, now 26 and in the No. 38 Ford, led 31 circuits in Sunday's 600 and has been upfront a ton this season. He's feeling good, saying, "Comparing last year to this year, I really like where we're at. I feel like we've taken that next step and are a lot stronger in a lot of areas. Our whole weekend seems to be going smoother and just better from a performance standpoint." Honestly, Smith winning Sunday wouldn't be a longshot at all.

So, this Sunday in Nashville, will Kyle Larson finally break this insane winless streak, or are we going to see another surprise winner like Zane Smith take the checkered flag? You know I'll be glued to the TV, ready for whatever this wild season throws at us next!

DFS Pick'em

⚡ DraftKings Pick 6: Deposit $5, Get $25 in Bonus Instantly + Up to 100% Winning Boost

Use code ONTAP to lock in this offer.

👉 Get your $25 DraftKings Pick 6 bonus

Sponsored. Must be 18+. Terms apply.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.