Suarez, the inaugural Mexican-born Cup Series winner, is currently participating in the non-points NASCAR Mexico invitational event before Sunday’s Clash. Both series are taking on the temporary ¼-mile paved oval for the first time this Saturday.
Speaking at a Fox Sports news conference on Friday at the Coliseum, Suarez emphasized the significance of the involvement of the Mexico series this weekend.
“If there was no NASCAR Mexico, there would be no Daniel Suarez in the Cup Series,” he stated. “This is a significant matter. Some grasp it, and some may not, but I certainly do, as I was part of that.
“This series is being showcased on a grand stage.”
This stage is one that the 32-year-old native of Monterrey, Mexico, is pleased to embrace this weekend.
Suarez, who made his NASCAR debut in Mexico in 2009 and achieved the milestone of being the first Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR national series race in 2016 with his Xfinity Series triumph at Michigan, has become synonymous with NASCAR’s diversity initiatives in recent years.
However, he remains committed to challenging himself and constantly seeks improvement.
After achieving a career-best 10th place in the series standings in 2022 and securing his first Cup race victory, Suarez dropped to 19th last year and was unable to secure another win.
Despite being an exhibition, Suarez expressed eagerness to return to the driver’s seat of his No. 99 Chevrolet to kick off the new season. He also highlighted the addition of new crew chief Matt Swiderski, the former competition director at Kaulig Racing.
“Even though we didn’t accomplish all our goals last year, I’m extremely optimistic about the upcoming year,” Suarez remarked. “We put in a lot of work on the No. 99 during the offseason, as you all saw, and I’m very eager to see our progress.
“I won’t reveal too much, but I have a good feeling about it. I believe all the hard work will pay off this year.”
Suarez shared that he has been spending considerable time with Swiderski since the crew chief change was announced.
“We’ve been working on understanding each other, and so far, I’ve been nothing but impressed. Matt is an incredibly talented crew chief.”
Suarez openly expresses his admiration for the kind of organizational team co-owner Justin Marks has been building since Suarez’s arrival in 2021.
In its relatively short existence, the team has seen three drivers – Suarez, Ross Chastain, and Shane van Gisbergen – secure Cup race victories. Trackhouse recently added former truck champion Zane Smith, who will compete in 2024 with Spire Motorsports, to its lineup.
The organization has expanded its reach into Moto GP, fielding a two-rider team on Aprilia’s RS-GP.
With these additions comes heightened expectations.
“The company is expanding, and our hunger for victories and championships is growing,” Suarez stated. “Having individuals on teams capable of consistently winning races is crucial.
“Trackhouse definitely aspires for more, and we’ve put in the effort during the offseason to enhance our performance.”