Daniel Suarez looks to end his winless streak in the NASCAR Cup Series this season, beginning with the 66th Daytona 500 (Photo: Luis Torres | The Podium Finish).
Daniel Suarez enters the 66th Daytona 500 with crucial momentum following his win in the King Taco La Batalla en El Coliseo in Los Angeles two weeks ago. Compared to four years ago, when he missed the sport’s biggest race, Suarez is in a much better spot in his career as he’s entering his fourth season at Trackhouse Racing.
That being said, this season is slated to be a turnaround year for Suarez, as he was one of 10 drivers who won in 2022 but ended up winless in 2023. Changes were made within the No. 99 organization as Matt Swiderski, who was AJ Allmendinger’s Cup crew chief for the past three years, replaced Travis Mack as Suarez’s head of command.
Suarez had some involvement in the crew chief change and he hopes it will translate into victories in 2024. The team has fallen short many times over the past four years, the most recent disappointment being Suarez missing the playoffs and finishing 19th in last year’s standings.
“The team needed a change and they talked to me about different options. At the time, I didn’t know Matt very well. He was one of the options. He wasn’t the only option,” said Suarez during Daytona 500 Media Day. “Last year, we were a good top-15 team. The last few races of the season, we finished 10th, 11th, eighth, but we were not good enough to win.
“I feel like the entire year, we only had winning cars probably twice, so to be able to win races you have to have winning cars more than twice to execute everything.
“We needed something different and the team way higher than myself decided that we needed to make a change in the leadership of the team.”
Additionally, the engineering side of the No. 99 camp underwent changes as Troy Davis replaced Jose Blasco-Figueroa, who has moved on to a different role within the organization. Dustin Zacharyasz is staying put as co-engineer.
Although his role is different, Blasco-Figueora told The Podium Finish in Los Angeles two weeks ago that minute engineering details are critical now more than ever, especially with the current car that is entering its third season. Even now, it remains his greatest challenge that he has endured over the years as an engineer. In Blasco-Figueora’s eyes, the competition has grown closer every year and finding any bit of an advantage goes a long way in defining a winning car versus a mid-pack car.
“People are learning what the car wants, where to optimize it. I’m pretty sure setups are coming closer together even between teams not talking to each other because you’re finding what works for the car,” said Blasco-Figueroa. “Most of us are getting to the same point whether we like it or not, because it’s a unique car. You’re not building new parts. The part is done for you.
“So paying attention to those little details now, it’s gonna make the difference in that thousand of a second. You see our races now, it’s very difficult to pass. We’re all closer together. So paying close attention to those little details is gonna make the difference.”
Despite major changes, Suarez and Blasco-Figueroa worked together in the 150-lap Mexico Series feature, with Blasco-Figueroa calling the shots for Suarez. This was previously seen in Atlanta three years ago.
During the race in SoCal, both Suarez and Ruben Garcia, Jr. battled aggressively for the lead in the closing laps. When the dust settled, Suarez ended up victorious in front of a passionate Hispanic crowd who stuck around after the Busch Light Clash to see their hero win a competitive race.
Daniel Suarez celebrates his victory at Los Angeles in the series he previously won 10 times from 2012-14 (Photo: Patrick Vallely | NASCAR Studios).
When asked where his Los Angeles victory ranks among his most significant triumphs, Suarez explained that it is still hard to beat his lone Cup win at Sonoma Raceway in 2022, but each win provides a different perspective.
“It’s hard to match (Sonoma), but this win is definitely up there. Every win is different,” Suarez told The Podium Finish after his Mexico Series win. “This is the beautiful part about racing and the beautiful parable competing is that you can win a hundred races and every single one of them is gonna mean something different. It’s gonna have a different flavor and this one is unique.”
Time will tell if NASCAR decides to pull the plug of racing in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, but one subject that has become a hot topic is the possibility of taking the Clash international. This is something that the sport has not done in the top three touring divisions since 2019 when the Craftsman Truck Series last ran at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Canada.
As far as the Cup Series goes, they have not held any sanctioned races outside the United States since 1998 at Twin Ring Motegi. In its 75-year history, Cup has never held a points-paid race outside the United States.
For Suarez, it is a no-brainer what track he would like to see added to the 2025 calendar. His choice would be Mexico City, where the sport held Xfinity Series races at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez from 2005-08. The city has also hosted Formula One’s Mexico City Grand Prix since 2015.
“You have to go to Mexico City, the heart of the country. The question to me is road course or oval. They have both options,” said Suarez. “I think that would be very special. There have been a lot of conversations about having a race in Mexico for a couple of years now, and I would tell you I would be the happiest person on this planet if that actually happens.”
After going winless last year, a win like his in the Mexico Series is just the beginning of what Suarez seriously hopes is a strong season in which wins will become common.
“I guarantee you that I’m gonna continue to win many races this year. That’s the plan. Every single race is gonna have a different flavor,” said Suarez. “To be able to win here in the series that gave me that opportunity with a team, with my mechanics, it’s very special. It is very special and I can’t wait to continue to grow, to always move forward and to have more moments like (in Los Angeles).”
Suarez is entering his eighth season in the Cup Series, half of them being with Trackhouse Racing (Photo: Luis Torres | The Podium Finish).
In 2020, Suarez’s career was on the rocks, in large part, due to driving for an underfunded Gaunt Brothers Racing, who had made a leap of faith by running full-time in what proved to be their only year doing so.
Between not making the 2020 Daytona 500 and collecting only three top-20 finishes, Suarez had to carefully consider if joining an upstart team with Norris and co-owners Justin Marks and Pitbull was the opportunity he had long sought after in the Cup Series.
Prior to joining Trackhouse, Suarez had bounced around multiple teams where he didn’t have a fair shot of shining such as Joe Gibbs Racing, the team he won the 2016 Xfinity Series title with. Considering Suarez’s untimely launch into the top division after Carl Edwards’ sudden retirement, he had shown promise in his two years at JGR with four top-five finishes. However, he finished no better than 20th in points and ultimately moved to Stewart-Haas Racing’s No. 41 team in 2019, where he still struggled to find his proper place. While he scored four top-fives and had a season-best 17th place finish in points, he was replaced by Cole Custer, who ended up winning at Kentucky Speedway in his rookie season.
Due to this move, Suarez was left with few options and GBR’s No. 96 team ended up being his home for an agonizing year in which he finished a career-low 31st in points. Needing a fresh change, Suarez stumbled into an opportunity from Norris. In the end, a piece of paper that showcased the transcending vision the organization wanted to be began a tremendous bond that goes beyond being co-workers, as he considers Norris a friend above anything else.
“We have a very special relationship. He reached out to me and he told me about this project that he had with Justin Marks called Trackhouse. It was a piece of paper. He came to my house and it was a piece of paper and I bought on him and I bought Justin, and it was very special,” Suarez reflected two weeks ago. “It was very special to be able to believe in a piece of paper. I remember several people, including my dad and my manager. They told me, ‘Daniel, because we have other options as well maybe we should go somewhere else.’
“Sometimes I trust my gut feeling a lot and that’s exactly what I did.
“I said, ‘Man, my gut feeling is telling me that Justin and Ty, they have the experience. They really want to do it right. It may take a little bit, but I think we can do it.’
“We’ve been through a lot together and to be able to call Ty, just a boss, but also a friend because we’ve been through a lot of tough times, but a lot of good times as well. He’s very special.”
Heading into his eighth season, Suarez is in a contract year with questions being asked pertaining to discussions about a contract extension. None of which Suarez is focusing on as his goal is getting the No. 99 Cup team back to victory lane beginning this Sunday with the sport’s biggest event. Anything outside of the bigger picture is a distraction to his goals.
“I think it’s too early for that. My focus is on winning races and making my team competitive. That’s all I care about,” said Suarez. “If I take care of my thing and you take care of yours, things are going to work out. I have to focus on that. I cannot have my mind on an extension, what is going to happen in two years or whatever with my next contract.
“My mind has to be in performance. My mind has to be with the sponsors. How are we going to be able to make this team a winning team. That’s what I’m thinking right now.”
