“We still need speed”: Daniel Suarez shares his take on Trackhouse Racing’s up-and-down journey in NASCAR so far

Daniel Suarez, the #99 driver for Trackhouse Racing, recently talked about the team performance since the introduction of the Next Gen Car in 2022. The Mexican driver was interviewed by NASCAR on FOX.

Trackhouse Racing's 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season presented a mix of highs and lows, sparking questions about the team's overall performance. While Suarez secured a thrilling win at Atlanta, and Ross Chastain added a victory at Nashville, the team struggled to consistently meet heightened expectations. Chastain, once a strong championship contender, experienced a statistical dip and missed the playoffs. Suarez's future at Trackhouse remains uncertain with the emergence of talents like Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch.

The Mexican driver recently spoke about the team performance and what the team needs for the upcoming season [1:29 onwards]:

"I believe that some teams got out of the gate extremely strong, and some other teams were a little bit behind. And I believe that Trackhouse and Chevrolet were one of the teams that were out of the gate extremely strong. And that was amazing."

"We took advantage on some of those opportunities. We also didn't take advantage on some of those opportunities. And since 2022, really, our performance has declined a little bit every year. And I believe that the 99 really got a little better internally in 2024. With that being said, I believe that we still need speed. We still need to be faster."

"And those are some of the things that we have to work as a company to continue to be better, because we knew that if we continued to do exactly the same things, we were going to continue to get the same results. And we needed to do something a little bit different. So I'm pretty confident that we're heading in the right direction in the way that we're structuring things internally."

Since the debut of the Next Gen car, Trackhouse Racing has seen both victories and challenges in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team has achieved eight NASCAR Cup Series wins and one All-Star Open race.

Ross Chastain's victories include the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas (March 2022), the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway (April 2022), the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway (June 2023), and the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway (September 2024).

Daniel Suarez won the NASCAR All-Star Open at Texas Motor Speedway (May 2022), the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway (June 2022), and the Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway (February 25).

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Daniel Suarez delivered a clear message for fans and sponsors ahead of 2025 NASCAR season

Ahead of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, Daniel Suarez expressed gratitude to his fans and sponsors in an Instagram message, marking his fifth consecutive season with Trackhouse Racing and his ninth full-time season overall. He acknowledged their support and vowed to give his all on the racetrack, aiming for victories while representing them.

"We get to race thanks to our fans and to our sponsors. I am so proud to have the support of all of these incredible companies that believe in me. THANK YOU for allowing me the privilege to represent you on the racetrack this season. I will give it my all as I always do! Let’s go win!! 🏆," Daniel Suarez wrote in the caption.

The 33-year-old is aiming for a successful 2025 season with the strategic crew chief change to Matt Swiderski, replacing Travis Mack on the No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

Daniel Suarez played a role in bringing in the experienced Swiderski, a NASCAR veteran with nearly 20 years in the sport, including a stint as competition director at Kaulig Racing and crew chief for its No. 16 car.