DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.: Ahead of his first NASCAR Cup Series Playoff run with Trackhouse Racing, the team announced Friday that Daniel Suárez will return to the organization for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Suárez, 30, joined the team in their inaugural season last year with 2023 marking his third full-time season as driver of the No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE in the team co-owned by Justin Marks and music icon Pitbull.
Earlier this year, Suárez became the first Hispanic driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series, capturing his first career victory in dramatic fashion at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway. With his victory, it sealed both Trackhouse Racing teams into the Playoffs as teammate Ross Chastain earned one of his two wins this season at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) road course in March.
Suárez confirmed Friday at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway that he remains with the Concord, N.C.-based team through the end of the 2023 Cup Series.
As for doing only a one-year deal, Suarez told reporters Friday: “There (were) a lot of things we had to discuss to get to this point, and there (are) a lot of things changing in the industry (a new media rights deal will begin in 2025). We decided to do it this way for now.
“In reality, the same way I wasn’t worried about this contract, I’m not worried about next year, either. We have to focus on what we have to do to be competitive on the racetrack and try to win races and everything else will come by itself “Trackhouse is my home now. They know that. We’re working together extremely well.”
Cementing Suárez’s placement with Trackhouse Racing brings some stability for the former Xfinity Series champion. For the first time in his Cup career, Suárez will spend more than two seasons with an established team.
With Carl Edwards’ departure, he drove in the Cup Series at Joe Gibbs Racing in 2017 and 2018 before jumping to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2019 and then landed at Gaunt Brothers Racing in 2020 before finding a new home with Trackhouse in 2021.
Guaranteed one of the 16 Playoff positions for the 10-race run to the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway in November, Suárez hopes to add a Cup Series championship title to his resume.
Only twice has an international driver ended a Cup Series season inside the top-10 in the final championship standings. Canadian Earl Ross was the first when he finished eighth in 1974 and most recently Colombian and former Cup Series winner Juan Pablo Montoya did it in 2009 also finishing eighth.
With a previous career-best 17th in points in 2019, Suarez will earn his best championship finish this season, but the three-time Xfinity Series winner is looking to propel his Trackhouse Racing team into the Championship 4 either by points or making it through the penultimate round of eight which concludes with Martinsville (Va.) Speedway on October 30, 2022.
Suárez is the fourth driver recently announced to have a contract extension with his current residence. Team Penske recently extended the contracts of Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano, while 23XI Racing has re-upped Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. for the immediate future.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
