Tag: Daniel Suarez

Trackhouse puts both cars at head end of Kansas Cup practice

Trackhouse Racing teammates Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez paced Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series practice at Kansas Speedway. Chastain led the way at 177.439mph (30.433s). Suarez, who is still competing in the playoffs, ran a lap of 177.177mph. Alex …

Trackhouse Racing teammates Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez paced Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series practice at Kansas Speedway.

Chastain led the way at 177.439mph (30.433s). Suarez, who is still competing in the playoffs, ran a lap of 177.177mph.

Alex Bowman (P) was third fastest at 177.026mph, Carson Hocevar was fourth at 177.026mph, and Ty Gibbs was fifth at 176.904mph. Kyle Larson (P) was sixth fastest at 176.511mph.

Daniel Hemric ran seventh at 176.280mph; William Byron (P), eighth at 176.194mph; Erik Jones, ninth at 176.171mph and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. completed the top 10 at 176.142mph.

Christopher Bell (P) was 12th fastest and Tyler Reddick (P) was 14th. Reddick is the defending race winner. Chase Elliott (P) was 15th.

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Elliott was in the first group of drivers on the track for practice but only ran 19 laps. The Hendrick Motorsports driver reported to his team it felt like he was down a cylinder, and the team spent the rest of practice under the hood of his Chevrolet.

Denny Hamlin (P) was 16th fastest, Austin Cindric (P) was 18th and Justin Haley, now driving for Spire Motorsports, was 19th.

Joey Logano (P) was 20th, while Corey LaJoie, now with Rick Ware Racing, was 25th fastest.

The final two playoff drivers in practice were Ryan Blaney in 27th and Chase Briscoe in 31st. Jimmie Johnson, in a third Legacy Motor Club car, was 37th fastest.

There are 38 drivers entered in the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.

William Byron was fastest in the best 10 consecutive lap average. It was Byron over Bowman, Hocevar, Elliott, and Gibbs.

(P) denotes playoff driver

Suarez advances after surviving miserable weekend at Bristol

Daniel Suarez did not enjoy his Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway and it was the first thing he told his Trackhouse Racing team after the checkered flag. “That wasn’t fun,” Suarez said. Stats don’t lie – Suarez started 31st, was lapped for …

Daniel Suarez did not enjoy his Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway and it was the first thing he told his Trackhouse Racing team after the checkered flag.

“That wasn’t fun,” Suarez said.

Stats don’t lie — Suarez started 31st, was lapped for the first time on lap 63, finished the first and second stages in 30th and finished the race in 31st place, multiple laps down.

Amazingly, he advanced in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs by 11 points. He could even laugh about it afterward.

“I knew since [Friday] – I didn’t want to say it – when we unloaded for first practice, that we didn’t have the speed,” Suarez said. “We practiced bad, we qualified bad, and we raced the same way. We were able to make the car a little bit better; we were just not fast enough. Luckily, things worked out right there and we were able to build a good cushion in Atlanta and Watkins Glen, but it was not ideal.”

Fortunately, Suarez had a 36-point advantage on the cutline going into the postseason’s first elimination race. The cushion came through a second-place finish at Atlanta and a 13th-place finish at Watkins Glen, plus 14 stage points earned.

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Suarez, who admitted early in the weekend that he loves the half-mile Bristol facility, has struggled on its concrete. The last time he finished in the top 10 at Bristol was in 2019. His best finish while driving for Trackhouse Racing has been an 18th-place result earlier this year.

“I can only control so much,” Suarez said. “I have to control what I can control, and the only thing I could control was the steering wheel of the No. 99. I knew I was racing with [Ty Gibbs]; I raced him very, very hard and everyone else I raced pretty easy. I was only concerned with what I could control.”

It wasn’t a fun way to race, he admitted, but it was necessary. Despite being laps down to the leader, Suarez had to be kept abreast of not only where Gibbs was running, but also who, of the cars on the same lap, he needed to pass for the points at stake. Every time the leader came back around to put Suarez another lap down, he did his best to put up a fight until no longer capable.

“Once I started holding off [Gibbs] and everyone started catching us, and then people started passing him and I was letting them go, I knew I was going to be in a good spot,” he said.

Suarez goes into the Round of 12 sitting 10th on the playoff grid, six points below a transfer spot.

Suarez on brink of advancing after turning around ‘very bad’ season

Daniel Suarez is 36 points to the good on the NASCAR Cup Series playoff grid ahead of Saturday night’s first elimination race, just as many would have predicted, right? Suarez and his No. 99 team have done nearly everything right – aside from …

Daniel Suarez is 36 points to the good on the NASCAR Cup Series playoff grid ahead of Saturday night’s first elimination race, just as many would have predicted, right?

Suarez and his No. 99 team have done nearly everything right – aside from winning — in the first two races of the Round of 16 to put themselves in position to advance. Not only has Suarez earned 73 points between Atlanta Motor Speedway and Watkins Glen, he’s also earned a combined 14 stage points (which is sixth-best among all playoff drivers).

A second-place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway kicked things off, then he finished 13th last weekend at Watkins Glen.

“I don’t know if a lot of people [saw it going] that way,” Suarez said.

Saturday night’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway will eliminate the first four drivers from championship contention. Suarez sits ahead of regular-season champion Tyler Reddick, reigning series champion Ryan Blaney, three Hendrick Motorsports drivers, and three Joe Gibbs Racing drivers.

“[We] started the year very strong with the Atlanta win, but after that, we were bad,” Suarez said. “We were very bad. Since then, there was a month or two that we were very, very bad and we went to work and changed a lot of things internally — the way we were approaching things, the processes… I would say the last two or three months, we’ve been slowly creeping in.”

While some might be surprised that Suarez could be headed to the second round of the postseason, he’s not. He’s also not surprised the No. 99 has been running inside the top 10 and top 15 more often.

“Obviously, Atlanta was a good race for us,” he said. “Watkins Glen, unfortunately, we had to pick and choose points, but before that we were running in the top seven, I think. I feel like we’re [in a good spot]. We are not exactly where we want to be just yet. We have to continue to push and find a little more speed and hopefully we can be good at the end of tomorrow night and into the next round.”

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The fruits of a lot of labor are showing for Suarez and his team. He sat as low as 19th in the championship standings during the summer — when the Cup Series returned from the Olympic break — and he was very candid in the work that still needed to be done as his contract was extended for at least another year. It’s been a challenging season for Trackhouse Racing, but Suarez was already offering confidence in their direction.

“I feel like, [in] the last month and a half, we’re starting to see the results of all the work that we’ve been doing the last six months,” Suarez said. “You know how it is — you work your [tail] off for six months and then nothing, nothing, nothing, and then eventually you start seeing a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel.

“Fortunately … I can see it. OK, now we have speed and now I have something to drive. Squid (crew chief Matt Swiderski) has done an amazing job, [as have] my engineers and everyone at Trackhouse. We’ve had more speed lately, and it’s showing.”

Suarez will need speed at Bristol to finish the job in the first round of the postseason. The concrete half-mile hasn’t treated the Trackhouse Racing drivers well over the last few years, with Suarez’s most recent top-10 finish being in the summer of 2019.

“I love Bristol; it’s one of my favorite racetracks, but it’s been difficult for me here in the past,” Suarez said. “I think we’re in a good spot. We just have to continue to be on offense and continue to attack. I don’t think we’re in a position to take major risks, but we cannot be too conservative either.”

It was game over when my ‘dancing partner’ fell back – Suarez

Daniel Suarez knew it was “game over” when he lost his help from Trackhouse Racing teammate Ross Chastain during overtime Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Suarez fought to a second-place finish in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff opener. He was …

Daniel Suarez knew it was “game over” when he lost his help from Trackhouse Racing teammate Ross Chastain during overtime Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Suarez fought to a second-place finish in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff opener. He was side-by-side with Joey Logano on the restart and at the white flag, but the teammates couldn’t stay locked together in Turns 1 and 2 on the final lap as the Team Penske teammates of Logano and Ryan Blaney surged on the bottom.

Logano was clear ahead at the finish as Suarez fought Blaney for the second position. NASCAR had to confirm the finish to determine the finishing order as a crash occurred in Turns 3 and 4 that froze the field.

“I can’t thank [Chastain] enough because he pushed me very, very good on the restart, all the way in [Turns] 1 and 2, all the way in [Turns] 3 and 4,” Suarez said. “He kept me in position, and we were right there in the fight. I was timing the second push and once I got the second push, I lost him. I don’t know if he had a flat tire or what happened exactly, but once I lost him, I knew that was game over because that was my dancing partner.

“Overall, I’m very proud of everyone at Trackhouse. They did a great job. We’ve been pretty strong here for a couple of years. It kind of stinks we’re not in victory lane; I felt like we were in position to do that, but that’s part of racing. We have to continue to work [but] good starting out the playoffs.”

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The only Trackhouse Racing driver in the postseason, Suarez had reason to be confident in having his teammate as a helper. He also nearly swept the Atlanta races for the season.

In the final laps of regulation, the No. 99 battled Logano and Ty Gibbs for the lead and potential victory. On a restart with five laps to go, Gibbs cleared Suarez in Turns 1 and 2 before Suarez made a crossover move down the backstretch to pull even once more. Gibbs, Suarez, and Logano were three wide for the lead with three laps to go.

As the Trackhouse Chevy was side-by-side with Logano’s Ford for the lead with two laps to go, a crash involving Noah Gragson on the backstretch set up overtime. Logano was listed as the race leader going into the overtime attempt and Suarez was second.

Logano chose the bottom lane with Blaney behind him. Suarez and Chastain lined up on the outside.

“Honestly, right now, I don’t care about points,” Suarez said. “It just hurts we’re not in victory lane, but that’s part of it. Maybe there are a couple of things I could have done better.”

Suarez leaves Atlanta with a 22-point advantage on the cutline.

Suarez sees Daytona dreams go up in flames

Daniel Suarez was the first driver out of Saturday night’s race at Daytona International Speedway after his Chevrolet went up in flames on pit road. Suarez escaped without injury as the rear of his car burned. The bizarre incident happened after a …

Daniel Suarez was the first driver out of Saturday night’s race at Daytona International Speedway after his Chevrolet went up in flames on pit road.

Suarez escaped without injury as the rear of his car burned. The bizarre incident happened after a round of pit stops when fuel that had spilled into the pit box was ignited from the backfire of Denny Hamlin’s car. All of this came from a chain of events with Suarez and Hamlin trying to leave their pit stalls but not being able to do so cleanly.

“I was doing my pit stop just like every single weekend,” Suarez said. “The No. 11 (Hamlin) was right behind me and the No. 21 (Harrison Burton) was right in front of me, so unfortunately, I got boxed in. We know that every single time we do a pit stop, we drop a little bit of fuel and that’s completely normal. Unfortunately, the No. 11 was leaving his pit stall right behind me, and because he was waiting for me to leave, his exhaust fired up the little fuel I dropped. Because I was still parked there, that went up the back of my car where the fuel cell is and it just grabbed it.

“It was a very unfortunate situation. I don’t know what we could have done differently. Just sad that we’re out of the race this way, but I’m glad I’m fine and the entire team was fine. The other crazy thing is that I was able to feel the heat, but because I don’t run a rearview mirror and only run the rearview camera, I couldn’t see it. The rearview camera is connected to the rear bumper, so I could see the smoke, but I couldn’t see the fire. I could feel the heat, but I couldn’t see how big it was.”

NASCAR driver Daniel Suárez’s Daytona race car was scarily charred after bursting into flames

Daniel Suárez is OK, but that was scary!

Daniel Suárez’s night at Daytona International Speedway ended a lot earlier than he hoped after his race car burst into flames. But thankfully, the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet driver is OK.

Not even a quarter of the way into the 160-lap Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, Suárez’s caught fire on pit road, and at one point, the whole rear of the car was engulfed in flames. The fire was the result of exhaust from Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota coming out of the pits from directly behind the 99, according to NASCAR.

The fire obviously forced Suárez to return to pit road, and after just 37 laps, the Trackhouse Racing driver’s race was over. There’s no real way to carry on racing when your car is this charred and damaged — even though Suárez definitely wanted to.

Here’s a look at what happened during both of Suárez’s pit stops. Definitely a scary moment.

Again, Suárez is thankfully OK, and he explained what happened from his perspective.

He said he could see the smoke and feel the heat, but he couldn’t see the fire. He didn’t know how big it was and initially hoped he could stay in the car during repairs.

He told reporters afterward:

“Every single time that we do pit stops, we drop a little fuel; that’s completely normal. Unfortunately, when [Hamlin] was leaving, he stopped right behind me because he was waiting for me to leave. And his exhaust fired up the little fuel I dropped and as I was still parked there, that [got] into the back of my car where the fuel cell is. …

“Really unfortunate situation, to be honest. Honestly I don’t know what we could have done different, but just a little bit sad that we’re out of the race this way so early. But I’m glad I’m fine and the entire team was fine.”

DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – AUGUST 24: Daniel Suarez, driver of the #99 Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Chevrolet, pits with flames during the NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on August 24, 2024 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)

Suárez added: “I was fine. I wanted to keep running.” Then, he realized the magnitude of the damage after seeing the top of the car on fire.

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Suarez focused on performance rather than contract extension

Daniel Suarez was never worried about his job security with Trackhouse Racing because his contract extension had been done for “a while” before it was announced Aug. 9. “I was never worried,” Suarez said Saturday at Richmond Raceway. “It was just a …

Daniel Suarez was never worried about his job security with Trackhouse Racing because his contract extension had been done for “a while” before it was announced Aug. 9.

“I was never worried,” Suarez said Saturday at Richmond Raceway. “It was just a matter of working details. Honestly, my biggest worry in the last four months hasn’t been the contract, I promise you; it’s been the performance.”

Suarez was in a contract year with Trackhouse Racing before signing the extension. He will go into his fifth season with the organization founded by Justin Marks in 2025.

Although he’s locked into the postseason through a victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway, which was the second race of the season, Suarez is 17th in the overall NASCAR Cup Series standings. The triumph at Atlanta is one of four top-10 finishes his No. 99 team has earned, and his average finish is 18.2.

“For me, that’s the main thing,” Suarez said. “If you perform, everything takes care of itself. I’ve been here in the Cup Series for some time now, and I understand how it works, and you just have to perform, and at Trackhouse [the last three years have] been a little bit of a struggle; it’s not a secret. You guys know the numbers.

“We have work to do. We are not happy with where we’re at, but we’re happy with where we’re heading. We’re working very, very hard behind the scenes to get the train in the right direction. We have great people. We have a lot of support from a lot of sponsors and from Chevrolet, and we know we’re heading in the right direction.”

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Suarez described the relationship between himself and Trackhouse Racing as a “great journey so far.” The organization signed Suarez as its cornerstone driver when it debuted in 2021, and it has since expanded to field an entry for Ross Chastain, who’s still fighting for a postseason berth as he’s winless and just seven points above the cutline.

“This year has been full of challenges,” Suarez said. “Trackhouse, this year, has had a big task — I would say a bigger task than in previous years when it comes to performance, adjustments and things like that. But we are facing the challenge with a face-up and ready to fight.”

Despite the deal for next season being done and his focus being on the racetrack, Suarez might not be done answering questions about his future. The contract extension was for the 2025 season only, and he admitted there are a lot of things “in the air” going forward.

“The answer is, for sure, it’s one [year], but there are … options for both sides,” Suarez said. “I want to win races, and Trackhouse wants to win races as well, and we have work to do together. Trackhouse by itself won’t make it happen. Me by myself, I won’t be able to make it happen, so we have work to do.

“But the good thing is we have great people, sponsors, and we’re committed to doing it. If things go the way that we are expecting it to go, maybe in a couple of weeks, we may sign a couple more years because that’s in the contract. But we want to perform first.”

Suarez and Freeway ink extensions with Trackhouse for 2025

Daniel Suarez has signed a contract extension to remain with Trackhouse Racing in 2025 – his fifth NASCAR Cup Series season driving for the team founded by Justin Marks. The organization also announced, in addition to Suarez’s extension, that …

Daniel Suarez has signed a contract extension to remain with Trackhouse Racing in 2025 — his fifth NASCAR Cup Series season driving for the team founded by Justin Marks.

The organization also announced, in addition to Suarez’s extension, that sponsor Freeway Insurance will also return. The company, which aligned with Suarez in 2021, will be the primary sponsor of the No. 99 Chevrolet in one-third of the races next season, including the season-opening Daytona 500 and the NASCAR All-Star Race.

“Everyone at Trackhouse Racing is pleased to continue the relationship with Daniel and Freeway Insurance,” Marks said. “Daniel has been vital to this team and its culture since the first day. Freeway joined that same year and we have all continued to grow together and will continue into 2025.”

Suarez was the cornerstone driver for Trackhouse Racing when it debuted in the Cup Series in 2021. Both of his Cup Series victories have come with the team, including earlier this year at Atlanta Motor Speedway when Freeway Insurance was on the car.

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“Trackhouse is home to me and I have enjoyed every minute I have been here,” said Suarez. “We plan to keep working, growing and winning more races. We can only do that with the support of my amigos and amigas at Freeway Insurance. They have backed me for the last several years and we have grown close with their customers and employees.”

“We value our partnership with Trackhouse and Daniel Suarez, who has become a powerful ambassador of our Freeway brand and an influential voice in our own diversity, equity and inclusion efforts,’ said Cesar Soriano, Chief Executive Officer of Freeway Insurance. “Daniel’s story inspires us and deeply connects to the daily lives and goals of our Hispanic customers.

“Thousands of race fans have met Daniel at Freeway Insurance stores across the country, and we want him to meet and share his story with even more in 2025. He has been part of our national advertising initiatives and has introduced new customers to Freeway. We want to continue with that effort and scale our presence in NASCAR, so when you see the No. 99 racing by, you immediately think of Freeway Insurance.”

Daniel Suarez returns to Trackhouse Racing for 2025 NASCAR season

Trackhouse Racing announces that Daniel Suarez will return to the No. 99 car for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season.

[autotag]Daniel Suarez[/autotag] won’t be going anywhere for the 2025 NASCAR season. On Friday afternoon, [autotag]Trackhouse Racing[/autotag] announced that Suarez will return to the No. 99 Cup car in 2025. The 32-year-old driver is one of 16 drivers who will compete in the 2024 NASCAR playoffs after winning at Atlanta Motor Speedway in a three-wide battle to the finish line.

In 2024, Suarez has one win, two top-5 finishes, and four top-10 finishes through 22 races. It has not been an excellent year for the driver of the No. 99 car, but a win at Atlanta secured his spot in the playoffs. However, Suarez has improved over the last seven weeks with four top-15 finishes. With four races left in the regular season, he sits 17th in the point standings.

Suarez will join Ross Chastain and likely one more driver as Trackhouse Racing is expected to purchase one of Stewart-Haas Racing’s charters. The NASCAR team has Zane Smith and Shane van Gisbergen under contract; however, van Gisbergen appears to have the edge. Suarez can now focus on the playoffs, knowing he has a secured spot with Trackhouse Racing in 2025.

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Daniel Suarez discusses big accident with Kyle Larson at Iowa in 2024

Daniel Suarez discusses his big accident with Kyle Larson at Iowa Speedway in 2024. Find out what Suarez had to say about the wreck!

[autotag]Daniel Suarez[/autotag] found himself in the middle of controversy during the NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway. In the Final Stage, Suarez made contact with [autotag]Kyle Larson[/autotag] in a three-wide situation, and the No. 5 car crashed. Larson, who had the best car, could not remain competitive due to the extensive damage from the accident.

Following the race at Iowa, Suarez spoke to FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass about the accident with Larson and explained his perspective. Suarez took responsibility for the contact but explained why he believed the accident took place.

“Honestly, during the race I was so confused, I didn’t know exactly what happened,” Suarez said. “I didn’t know if I went up or [Kyle Larson] came down. I just saw the replay for the very first time, and I noticed that [Brad Keselowski] was the one that was on the outside, he had like a quarter of a car from the wall because he was trying to pinch down the No. 5 and then the No. 5 had another quarter of a car to the No. 6, trying to pinch me down.”

“I was expecting those two guys to be closer to the wall like everyone else. I mean, I’m definitely…I’m the one that made contact with the No. 5, and I take responsibility for that, but I felt like they were lower than I was expecting.”

Thankfully for Suarez, he was able to continue without any negative effects and finished in ninth place. It was a much-needed finish for the Trackhouse Racing driver, who hadn’t finished in the top 10 spots since Texas Motor Speedway on April 14. Suarez will move forward and look to carry that momentum to the USA TODAY 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend.

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