As with Bubba Wallace, Daniel Suarez is eager to move from the microphone talking about his new team to the steering wheel winning for his new team. The 28-year-old Mexican joins the newly-formed Trackhouse Racing operations to drive the No. 99 Chevrolet this season – a team owned by NASCAR star Justin Marks and the world-famous entertainer, Pitbull.
Suarez and Pitbull have mutual friends and the pairing along with Marks has all the foundation to make the former NASCAR Xfinity Series champion a bona fide contender in 2021. Suarez has eight top-five finishes in four full-time NASCAR Cup Series seasons – and raced for three different teams two different manufacturers previously. He feels like this pairing with Marks and Trackhouse is his best shot to shine in stock car’s big leagues.
“As a driver, the last thing you want is to be moving from team to team and from manufacturer to manufacturer,” said Daniel Suárez. “But sometimes it’s just out of control of the driver or the team. Different situations are different experiences. It’s very difficult to be in that position because if you think about it, every single team that is successful in NASCAR is not a new team. It’s a team that has been together for years. And it takes time to build that, to build that relationship, to build that understanding, to build that I know what he wants, I know what he needs.
“It takes time especially when most of the race tracks that we go to, we only go once a year. By the time that you learn something, maybe the next time you’re going to try is going to be the next year. So, it’s a process. With that being said, I have learned a lot as well, as a driver. I was ready to go to the Cup Series in 2017. Talent-wise, I was ready because I’m very fortunate that I’m talented to drive race cars. Experience-wise, I was not. I didn’t have the right people around me telling me what to do and what not to do. I don’t have a racing family behind me that can tell me what to do and what not to do. I had to learn all those things in that way by myself.
“But with that being said, I’m very lucky that I still have a very good opportunity with an amazing team; with way more experience than a few years ago, and with a very good opportunity to start the season very competitive. The No. 99 Chevy in Daytona is going to have as good a shot to win the race as any other team. And that’s something that puts a huge smile on my face.”
Source: Holly Cain | NASCAR Wire Service
