There is probably no race team in NASCAR that would like a continuation of the 2022 NASCAR Cup season more than Trackhouse Racing. In just its first season as a multicar team, Trackhouse notched three victories, 21 top-five finishes and career-best, top-10 points finishes for drivers Daniel Suárez and Ross Chastain.
Trackhouse founder and owner Justin Marks as well as Chastain, Suárez, crew chiefs, crew members and shop employees are all quick to point out 2023 is a new season and this year Trackhouse won’t sneak up on anyone.
“We are going to have to work harder than ever before,” said Suárez who enters his seventh career and third full-time Cup season with Trackhouse Racing. “We know that and we are working hard in the shop every day. We have very high expectations, but we know nothing will be given to us. We will have to earn it.”
The new season begins Sunday night in the Busch Clash at Los Angeles Coliseum when Cup cars will race on a quarter-mile asphalt oval built around the Coliseum’s famous football field. It marks the second Cup Series event at the 99-year-old facility that has also hosted two Olympic Games.
“Racing at the Coliseum last year felt like racing at home,” said Suárez who became the first Mexican (Monterrey) to win a Cup race when he dominated at Sonoma (Calif.) Speedway in June. “There was so much excitement in the stands for us at the Clash and I think the fans had a blast watching us race on that short track.”
Last year at the Clash, Suárez qualified fifth and ran in the top-10 most of the race before finishing 14th. His Travis Mack-led No. 99 team looks for an even better performance this weekend when the team practices on Saturday, competes in qualifying races Sunday afternoon and races under the lights Sunday night.
Fox will broadcast the race at Sunday at 8 p.m. EST
Suárez’s No. 99 will carry the Jockey Made in America Collection paint scheme in Los Angeles.
The Jockey partnership with Trackhouse began last year and was the first such team sponsorship in the 147-year history of the apparel brand. At the core of the partnership was the launch of the brand’s Made in America Collection – an effort aimed at delivering premium quality product, support reshoring American manufacturing jobs, supporting families and farmers in local communities, and providing a more sustainable option for American consumers.
Jockey will return to the No. 99 at the April 9 dirt race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, and the Martinsville (Va.) Speedway race on Oct. 29.
Jockey will appear three more times in 2023 as the primary sponsor of Chastain’s No. 1 Chevrolet beginning at Richmond (Va.) Raceway on April 2, Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway on April 30 and at Michigan Speedway in Brooklyn on Aug. 6.
Daniel Suárez, Driver of the No. 99 Jockey Chevrolet
Are you ready for a new year?
“Of course I am. We got some rest, visited family in Mexico and Brazil, visited Europe, got engaged to Julia (Piquet). It was a busy off season. But now it’s time to get back behind the wheel and race.”
What is the key to a good season?
“We really must do more to meet expectations. Last year we were underdogs, working very hard, everyone was very hungry and success came. This year, we must make sure we stay humble and work even harder than last year. Success is going to come, but the worst thing that can happen is for us to feel entitled. You know, ‘Since we did great last year, we will do great this year.’ It doesn’t work like that. You must stay hungry, and you have to work harder than last year because everyone else is working harder to catch you. I think the expectations are way higher this year and I can’t wait to see what we can do.”
Is this your best career opportunity?
“Back in 2020, when we made the announcement that I was going to drive for Trackhouse I told everyone this would be my best opportunity to grow as a driver. A lot of people didn’t know what I was talking about. I was seeing something that nobody else was seeing because (owner) Justin (Marks) and (president) Ty were telling me their plans and how they were going to do things. I think everyone sees that now. I feel very happy to have finally found a team that believes in me and gives me every single resource. I have had it in the past, but not to the extent as I do at Trackhouse Racing. If you want to beat the best of the best, you must have everything at the top of the game. We have been building that at Trackhouse. Every day the thought is what do we need to do to go faster.”
