Daniel Suárez enjoys a career season with Trackhouse Racing. (Photo: Blake Ulino | The Podium Finish)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Fresh off a fifth place result at Watkins Glen and a contract extension with Trackhouse Racing, Daniel Suárez has plentiful reasons to be confident ahead of Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar Free 400 at Daytona (7 p.m. ET on NBC).
After a riveting victory at Sonoma Raceway, Suárez has finished ninth or better in five of the last nine races. Moreover, he’s leapt from 19th to 12th, safely in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
With a Playoff seed clinched and fast cars at the Trackhouse Racing shop, will Suárez take it easy?
Suffice to say, the odds of the 30-year-old Monterrey, Mexico native approaching Daytona with a conservative approach is almost nil.
“We are going down there to win both stages and then win the race,” Suárez said in a Team Chevy advance. “That’s always our strategy. We want trophies. If you do that, the points will always take care of themselves.”
By all means, the NASCAR Next alum has the utmost confidence that his No. 99 Freeway Insurance Chevy team will make a deep postseason run based on the recent run of success.
Confidence seems to be a good teacher for Suárez and company. (Photo: Dylan Nadwodny | The Podium Finish)
“I think we are. I think we are,” he added. “The beautiful part is that we get stronger as we go. If you were asking me that question three months ago, I was going to tell you, man, we have work to do. We have the potential, but we have work to do.
“Two months ago, I was starting to believe more. A month ago, I would say, heck, yeah. Right now, of course we are here. We just keep getting stronger. I guarantee you in a month from now we’re going to be stronger than right now. We’re going to keep working.”
Suárez and crew chief Travis Mack’s chemistry have been manna from heaven. No doubt, this combination is underrated but getting the job done in a heavily stacked, competitive Cup field this year.
Moreover, some of Suárez’s success can be attributed to his determination and focus. Much like the late Dale Earnhardt, the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion is laser focused with the race of the weekend set in his mind.
One has to wonder where and how the sixth year Cup racer obtained such discipline.
In this case, it comes from his focus on striving for strong results and the hard work put forth prior to races.
It’s about finding the sweet spot. (Photo: Dylan Nadwodny | The Podium Finish)
“I mean, really, you have to pull everything together, right?” he said. “You cannot overdo it. And you have to have some preparation. So you have to have that sweet spot between results, preparation with your team, preparation during the week, preparation in the weekend, like you have to just ride a wave in the sweet spot.
“Not too low, not too high. And I think that that’s the best thing to do.”
All told, the first time postseason competitor strives towards a balancing act with the demands and pressures of racing in NASCAR. Like a Jedi knight, Suárez taps into his state of mind.
“You have to have a good preparation, but you cannot do it too much. Because if you do it much, you start to go and away from your natural feelings, from your natural instincts. So you just have to find that sweet spot.”
“Everyone is different. What works for me may not work for you. But you just have to find that sweet spot and go from there.”
Editor’s Notes
Blake Ulino contributed to this feature directly on-site from Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
