Pitbull, Mr. 305, is back in Miami for first time as NASCAR team owner

Pitbull is the latest new team owner to join NASCAR in a changing landscape. The Grammy-award-winning musical artist and Miami native comes home for the first time this weekend as part-owner of Trackhouse Racing, a first-year team in the Cup Series.

Pitbull joins a growing list of minority owners, joining Brad Daugherty of JTG Daugherty Racing and Michael Jordan with his startup 23XI Racing. Known as “Mr. 305” and “Mr. Worldwide,” Pitbull is partnered with former driver Justin Marks.

Pitbull, whose real name is Armando Christian Perez, will see his No. 99 Camaro entered in the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday. Daniel Suarez, the only Mexican in the series, will handle driving duties.

This is what it is to be a @NASCAR driver. No matter what happens, we finish to the end. Short steps, long vision, Dale! https://t.co/TK0zuO7o0z

— Pitbull (@pitbull) February 22, 2021

“What I love about NASCAR is the ultimate underdog story. I'm your ultimate underdog,” Pitbull said in a release Thursday. “When you're an underdog, you’ve got a chip on your shoulder. You're a fighter, you're a champion, and you welcome failure. What I mean by that, failure becomes the mother of your success. I tell people all the time there's no losing, only learning; no failure, only opportunities; no problems, just solutions.”

I believe amigos! 💪🏽Drop an emoji below if YOU believe!! 😉👊🏽⬇️@NASCAR returns Sunday 3pm ET on FOX 🏁 Vámonos!!! @NASCARONFOX #SuarezNation #TeamChevy #OReilly253 #NASCARReturns @TeamTrackhouse @pitbull pic.twitter.com/Nz30BOM9Ur

— Daniel Suárez (@Daniel_SuarezG) February 20, 2021

Can Daniel Suarez win for Pitbull, Trackhouse Racing?

Suarez is still looking for his first career Cup Series victory, and nothing would be sweeter if he could land in the winner’s circle with Pitbull looking on. Homestead-Miami Speedway used to be the site of the final race of the NASCAR season, and in 2016 Suarez made history at that venue when he became the first Latin-American driver to win a championship in one of the national touring series. He took home the Xfinity Series title driving for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Pitbull has used his success to help Miami's youth by opening the first Sports Leadership and Management Academy (SLAM) in the heart of Little Havana, a tuition-free public charter middle and high school. The program has expanded nationwide.

“Getting involved in the team, this is deeper than sponsorships, this is a movement,” Pitbull said. “This is a revolution; taking a sport and creating a culture because when we first opened SLAM, we had brought a NASCAR car to SLAM the first day eight years ago. If you would have seen the look on those kids' faces when they saw that car, they just had no clue that it was actually something that was tangible.”

All eyes will be on Jordan and Pitbull in their first NASCAR seasons. In order to get more minorities involved in the sport, how they conduct their business will be scrutinized to the nth degree. There have been too many startups that have fallen by the wayside over the years. The difference between 23XI and Trackhouse and those who have failed is the names connected with them.

Initially, there will not be much of a challenge getting sponsors to put on their cars' hoods. Their overall success will determine if they can keep that up. While NASCAR welcomes more people of color into the sport, there is still a long way to go than just three owners and two drivers (Bubba Wallace drives for 23XI). Having Pitbull in its ranks can only help.

Pitbull, Miami, and NASCAR. No one would have guessed those three words could be put together in the same sentence just a few short years ago.