"He’s already making me a better driver" - Daniel Suarez talks about new crew chief Matt Swiderski’s instant impact ahead of Daytona 500

Trackhouse Racing driver Daniel Suarez is optimistic about the prospects of working with his new crew chief, Matt Swiderski, in the 2024 season.

Trackhouse Racing's No. 99 was involved in a crew chief swap with Kaulig Racing's No. 16. Travis Mack, who previously worked with Daniel Suarez and the No. 99 team for two seasons, parted ways after a tumultuous campaign in 2023 to join Kaulig Racing's No. 16 team.

His departure made way for former No. 16 crew chief Matt Swiderski to team up with Mexican ace Daniel Suarez. The latter, after a breakthrough campaign in 2022 where he qualified for the Cup Series playoffs for the first time, suffered a dip in form in 2023, failing to register a single victory.

As he prepares to revitalize his performance on the track, Suarez remains determined to bounce back. Speaking during the Daytona 500 Media Day, he shared his impressions of working with Swiderski, affectionately referring to him as "Squid." The former Xfinity Series champion stated:

"Now that I've got to work with 'Squid' (Matt Swiderski), he's a very smart guy. I'm not saying that Travis wasn't smart but he's a different kind of smart."

"I have been super excited because we haven't been on the racetrack much yet, and I feel like he's already making me a better driver. And many people in the team feel the same way. Like he's already seen many things that we were not looking at before," he added.

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Daniel Suarez makes bold prediction, claims 2024 to be No. 99's best year yet

Suarez expressed enthusiasm about the immediate impact Swiderski has had on his driving, crediting him with identifying areas for improvement that were previously overlooked.

The Cup Series driver added during the Daytona 500 Media Day:

"Travis was very very good with people, to be hands-on with the car, making sure all the details were right. Well, Squid, he's different. He's more of a very, very smart, prepared guy. You can tell that. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to understand the guy."

Furthermore, Suarez boldly predicted that the 2024 season would be the best yet for the No. 99 team. The 32-year-old said:

"So I'm very excited. I can tell you that we have done our homework. We have worked very hard in the off-season. The month of January was a very busy month. I can't wait how that is gonna reflect on the racetrack. But I can tell you that this is going to be the best year of the No. 99 yet, and I can't wait to show that to people."

Ahead of the 2024 campaign, Daniel Suarez registered a memorable victory during the pre-season NASCAR Mexico Series exhibition race at the LA Memorial Coliseum.