Daniel Suárez signs contract extension with Trackhouse Racing
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Trackhouse Racing solidified its driver roster Wednesday, announcing a multiyear deal to keep Daniel Suárez in the No. 99 Chevrolet.
Suárez returns for his third season with the Justin Marks-owned organization and his seventh in the NASCAR Cup Series. The news came ahead of Sunday‘s season-opening Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
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“I am very, very happy where I am,” Suárez said from Wednesday’s Daytona 500 Media Day. “You know, the future of Trackhouse is very bright. I feel like I’m experienced enough now to understand those things and to understand how important people is. And not only does Trackhouse believe in me, and I believe in Trackhouse since Day 1, and we’re building something great here. I think that we have something special going on, and it would be silly not to see that and to take advantage of that and to take it to the next level.”
Suárez joined Trackhouse for its first season in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2021, when the group launched as a single-car team. The 31-year-old driver notched his first Cup Series victory last season at Sonoma Raceway, qualifying for the postseason grid for the first time and becoming the first Mexican-born racer to win at NASCAR‘s premier level.
“Obviously, everyone at Trackhouse Racing is pleased with the performance and professionalism of Daniel both on and off the track,” Marks said. “Culture has been of prime importance since the idea of Trackhouse existed only on a whiteboard in an office. Daniel has fulfilled every expectation, and we look forward to the future. The best is yet to come.”
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Suárez had recently renewed his agreement with Trackhouse last August, signing a one-year deal through the end of this season. Terms of the new contract were not disclosed, but Suárez said the timing of announcing the deal before the new season begins was a prime objective.
“I am the kind of person that once I start racing, I like to focus on that,” Suárez said. “Last year, when we announced the 2023 extension that we did, we did it right before the playoffs, and I didn’t even want to talk about it. I was just focusing on my thing, and I was just so focused on my thing. So I feel like, at times, it can be a distraction. So this time that when we started having all these conversations, I told them, ‘Hey, let’s just get it out of the way before the Daytona 500.’ ”
Suárez entered NASCAR‘s top division after claiming the Xfinity Series championship in 2016. He raced for three teams (Joe Gibbs Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing, Gaunt Brothers Racing) before finding his place with Trackhouse.
None of those earlier stops took root. Suárez was at JGR for his first two seasons before two one-year stops with the SHR and Gaunt operations. When Suárez signed the deal last week, he said that Marks pointed out to him that his Trackhouse tenure is now his longest stay in the Cup Series.
“If you look at it, that tells you how important the consistency is, and working with the people and to continue to build,” Suárez said. “I feel so fortunate that Trackhouse has given me that opportunity to be able to build a team around me and a team to continue to get better.”
Trackhouse has since expanded, adding a second full-time entry with Ross Chastain in the No. 1 Chevy. The organization also debuted a third part-time team last year, founding the Project 91 initiative for global motorsports stars to compete in NASCAR.
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That growth of Trackhouse’s racing operations has synced with its strides into the entertainment world and its commitment to building a brand outside the motorsports industry. Those missions were part of the team’s Tuesday launch of its #ThisIsTrackhouse campaign for the 2023 season.
“I don’t want to talk bad about anyone, but what I have experienced with Trackhouse and with Justin and with (team president) Ty Norris, it’s just way different — way different — than everything I have experienced in the past,” Suárez said. “The culture-wise, people-wise, how they care about me, it’s quite special. I have never been part of something like this, not even close.
“So, I’m just very, very fortunate of where I am right now. I feel like we have amazing people, we have amazing partners, people that believe in us, and we’re having fun. At the end of the day, that’s the most important thing, right? Enjoy this journey, have fun, go out there and compete and do what we love the most, which is compete and race for wins.”
