Daniel Suarez shares heartwarming photos of pets Emma and Pepper wishing him luck before Phoenix race 

NASCAR Cup Series driver Daniel Suarez shared images of his dog Emma and cat Pepper ahead of Sunday’s (March 9) race at Phoenix Raceway. His furry friends supposedly wished him luck for the 312-lap event.

Emma is a black and white Pomeranian, while Pepper is a Manx. The Trackhouse Racing driver took to his Instagram stories to share the pictures. Both pictures showed a notebook with the following message written on it:

"GOOD LUCK TODAY. Love, Emma Pepper."

Here are the screenshots of his stories:

(Source: Daniel Suarez/Instagram)

(Source: Daniel Suarez/Instagram)

Daniel Suarez entered his 31st race. It was his fourth race of the season, and the Monterrey native was vying for his first win of the season and third overall. But things turned southward for Suarez with 97 laps to go.

While battling Josh Berry, NASCAR Cup Series debutant Katherine Legge spun out in Turn 2, resulting in a hard hit with Suarez’s No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevy Camaro. Enraged by the incident, Suarez radioed to his team:

“F**** lappers, man. Unbelievable!”

While Legge’s day was over, Suarez was able to continue driving, restarting 26th, four laps down. He finished the race 23rd, bagging 17 playoff points on the way. As of today, Suarez sits 29th in the driver standings with 55 points to his name.

The year 2025 marks Daniel Suarez’s fifth season driving for Trackhouse Racing and ninth in the Cup Series. The former Xfinity Series champion is under a multi-year contract with Trackhouse Racing that will keep him behind the wheel of the No. 99 for the foreseeable future.

Daniel Suarez refuses to sign a “fan’s” hat, resulting in a hilarious encounter

As Daniel Suarez gave out autographs ahead of the Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway, someone unexpectedly entered the fan zone and walked up to the Mexican-born driver. All that bearded man demanded was for Suarez to sign his hat.

The fan was none other than his teammate Ross Chastain. He faked sadness after Suarez refused to sign the hat that he was carrying in his hands. Instead, Suarez tried to put an autograph on the hat that Chastain was wearing.

“He wouldn’t sign my hat. Why wouldn’t he sign my hat?” Chastain wondered, appearing hurt.

“Because he doesn’t have a (fan zone) wristband,” Suarez said, while everyone around broke into fits of laughter.

Ross Chastain currently drives the No. 1 machine for Trackhouse Racing. Like Suarez, Chastain is also in his fifth year with the North Carolina-based outfit. He placed 11th in Sunday’s race at the one-mile racetrack in Avondale, Arizona.

Next up for the drivers is the Pennzoil 400, presented by Jiffy Lube at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Fans can watch the race on Fox Sports from 3:30 pm ET onwards or listen to radio updates on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.