On Tuesday, the Trackhouse Racing team driver Daniel Suarez traded in his No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro for a boat. The 30-year-old was at the U.S. Coast Guard station in Wrightsville Beach to take part in Mission 600.
Mission 600 was put together by the Charlotte Motor Speedway for Memorial Day weekend at America's Home for Racing. NASCAR paired drivers with regional military bases from the U.S. Armed Forces.
In an interaction with the media, Suarez spoke about Coast Guard members and went on to say:
“I have a lot of respect for these guys. The routine that they have and everything they do for people is very special in the way they keep people safe. (Driving a boat) was quite different than a car.
It was a lot quicker when you went in reverse (as opposed to) going forward. Those boats are so strong. There’s a lot of power with two diesel engines. I was able to try them out, which was right in my wheelhouse. It was a good time and I enjoyed it.”
He continued:
“I’m very happy to be here and I’m thankful for everything the (service) men and women do for us. I’m happy to be able to recognize them and to be a part of the Coca-Cola 600. It’s such an amazing race and it means a lot.”
Suarez joins Denny Hamlin, Austin Cindric and Joey Logano on visits to various U.S. Armed Services ahead of the 63rd Coca-Cola 600 Memorial Day weekend.
Daniel Suarez performs at the 2022 NASCAR Food City Dirt Race
Driving the No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro for the Trackhouse Racing team, Daniel Suarez fought hard and finished 12th at the Bristol Motor Speedway. He has had a mixed Cup Series so far.
With 212 points and two top-five finishes, the Monterrey-Mexico-born driver stands in 16th place in the latest release of the Cup Series points table.
NASCAR shifted from a dirt race to NASCAR’s longest track. The championship returns next weekend for GEICO 500 at Talladega Super speedway.
Suarez, who is searching for his first win of the season, will look to continue the previous race momentum when the green-flag drops on Sunday at 3 p.m. EST.