Daniel Suárez debuts his No. 99 CommScope Chevrolet Camaro on Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway in the fifth race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Before that, Suárez will trade his driving suit and steering wheel for a jacket, tie and microphone then join good friend Joey Logano in the Fox television booth on Saturday commentating on the Xfinity race. (5:30 p.m. ET on FS1)
Suárez arrives at the mile-oval after finishing 26th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday. The finish moved Suárez to 25th in the standings.
The 29-year-old driver for Trackhouse Racing is quite familiar with Phoenix. Before Suárez made his way to the ranks of NASCAR’s premiere series, he entered the sport via NASCAR’s weekly and touring series.
While driving in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, he made three starts at Phoenix from 2011 to 2012 with best finishes of third in March 2012 and sixth in November 2011. Suárez won the Camping World Truck Series race at Phoenix on Nov. 11, 2016. The Monterrey, Mexico native notably stands out as the only foreign-born national series champion in NASCAR history with his 2016 Xfinity Series title.
CommScope, a global leader in network connectivity, marks the seventh year of its support for Suárez.
Are you looking forward to joining Joey Logano in the Fox booth Saturday as commentators for the Xfinity race?
SUAREZ:“Joey and I go way back. I met him when I first moved to the United States and didn’t know any English. Joey was trying to talk to me when I didn’t speak any English. We have good memories together. He’s a great friend of mine. Obviously, we want to beat each other, but we’re friends, too. Saturday will be a lot of fun. I don’t know if we have anything for (Fox Cup Series commentators) Jeff (Gordon) and Clint (Bowyer) but we will do our best.”
How important is CommScope to your career?
Suárez: “CommScope has been strong supporters of mine for several years. Now they are strong supporters of Trackhouse Racing. They see what Justin Marks is building here both on and off the track. I hope they like what they see and this becomes a permanent home for all of us.”
What do you expect in Phoenix?
Suárez: “Phoenix really challenging, especially in the short run. In the long run, the car usually gets tight at Phoenix. I really like Phoenix a lot and feel like I always have good speed there, but it’s a difficult place. You have to be very, very patient, take care of the brakes. It’s just a tricky place.”
Notes of Interest
- Suárez has led laps 15 laps in 2021.
- Before turning a wheel, Trackhouse Racing became one of the more popular teams in NASCAR when it announced GRAMMY® Award-winning global superstar Pitbull had become a co-owner. Not only will he serve as an active partner on the Trackhouse executive team, but Pitbull also serves as a brand and philanthropic ambassador. Together, Marks and Pitbull will foster the launch of a racing-themed STEM curriculum within the SLAM! (Sports Leadership Arts and Management) inner-city charter schools — which Pitbull helped establish seven years ago.
- In 2016, he became the first Mexican driver to win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, claiming three victories at Michigan, Dover and the championship finale at Homestead-Miami.
- Trackhouse co-owner Justin Marks competed in six Cup Series races with a best finish of 12th-place in the 2018 Daytona 500. He made 35 starts in the Xfinity Series posting a win, three top-five and seven top-10s. He won the Xfinity Series race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Aug. 13, 2016 driving for Ganassi Racing.
- Marks competed in 38 races in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series posting four top-10s and capturing two pole awards. He joined four co-drivers in winning the 2009 Rolex 24 in the GT division.
Trackhouse Racing PR
