Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation Continues Partnership with NASCAR Team
The Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation will officially continue its longstanding partnership with NASCAR Cup Series organization Spire Motorsports into the 2026 season, the team announced on Monday morning.
The foundation, which aims to help at-risk youth build character and learn life lessons through sports and mentoring programs, will serve as a multi-racial primary sponsorship partner for Daniel Suárez and the No. 7 Spire Motorsports team during the upcoming season. The first appearance of the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation on the No. 7 Chevrolet will come in the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, which is set for Sunday, February 1.
Playing ball for a cause.@Daniel_SuarezG will represent the @CalRipkenSrFdn in select races throughout the 2026 season starting at The Clash.
— Spire Motorsports (@SpireMotorsport) January 26, 2026
📰: https://t.co/vKP0wT4ENb pic.twitter.com/YUXxEOBto1
"I want to thank Dan Towriss and the Gainbridge team for this exciting partnership with Spire Motorsports and Daniel Suarez,” said Cal Ripken, Jr., Hall of Famer and Co-Founder of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, in a team press release. "Dan has been an incredibly generous and integral part of our board, and this is just another example of that. The partnership with Spire and Daniel will take our 25th anniversary celebration to a new level and expose the work of the foundation to many more. The fact that he is driving the number seven car, dad's old number, makes it that much more special. I look forward to cheering on Daniel and watching him in person at a race later this year."
While the multi-race partnership will continue in "select races" during the 2026 season, Spire Motorsports did not reveal the specific races, or total number of races that the foundation will sponsor in the upcoming season.
Suárez, who hails from Monterrey, Mexico, is a two-time race winner in the NASCAR Cup Series ranks. The tenacious racer is elated to partner with the foundation in his first season with Spire Motorsports.
“Cal Ripken, Sr. had an amazing career and left behind an incredible legacy,” said Suárez. “The work the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation is doing to support younger generations, especially through its STEM programs and educational initiatives, is truly remarkable. I’m a strong believer in the next generation, and seeing the positive impact these programs have on youth is inspiring. I’m very excited to be a part of this partnership, and to start off at the Clash will be incredible.”
Prior to his move to Spire Motorsports for the 2026 season, Suárez spent five seasons behind the wheel of the No. 99 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing. In his five seasons with Trackhouse, Suárez collected both of his career wins, including his long-anticipated first victory, which he achieved at Sonoma Raceway in 2022.
Suárez has also captured a NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series championship (2016), as well as a total of five race wins combined between the NOAPS and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series since the 2014 season. Last year, Suárez took an emotional win in front of his home crowd in Mexico City, driving for JR Motorsports in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series event at Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
Also on Suárez's lengthy resume are three wins in the ARCA Menards Series East division and 10 victories in the NASCAR Mexico Series, which he amassed from 2012 to 2014.
Suárez will look to return to victory lane with his new team, Spire Motorsports, in 2026.
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Toby Christie is the Editor-in-Chief of Racing America. He has 15 years of experience as a motorsports journalist and has been with Racing America since 2023.
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