Pit Stop Radio News

Darlington (S.C.) Raceway is one of the most historic tracks on the NASCAR circuit, known for its unique egg-shaped layout and challenging turns. The track has been hosting NASCAR races since 1950 and is known for producing some of the most exciting and memorable moments in NASCAR history.

There is no more fitting place to hold the sport’s tenth annual “Throwback Weekend” when the industry honors the sport’s 76-year history and nearly all the Cup Series teams will sport throwback paint schemes.

Daniel Suárez’s No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet will carry a vintage Quaker State livery raced by IndyCar driver Adrián Fernández while teammate Ross Chastain’s No. 1 Busch Light Chevrolet will carry a retro scheme for the brand.

• Busch Light Retro at Darlington: As a longtime sponsor of NASCAR, Ross Chastain will carry Busch Light’s Retro paint scheme – a throwback to the brand’s commitment to the sport that dates back to 1979. This paint scheme is a reminder of all the ways the brand has shown its passion for NASCAR and created epic opportunities for its 21+ fans throughout the years. This year, Trackhouse Racing and Chastain are proud to continue Busch Light’s legacy in the sport and hope to crack open a cold one in Victory Lane!
• Busch Light Corn Cans: Plus, be on the lookout for Busch Light’s fan-favorite Corn Cans, which will be back on shelves starting on May 20. For each case of Corn Cans sold through June 2024, Busch Light will donate $0.10 – up to $200,000 – to its longtime partner Farm Rescue, a nonprofit dedicated to providing critical material aid to family farms and ranches nationwide.    
• Busch Light Sweepstakes: Busch Light is continuing to give fans a chance to win every weekend throughout the season. Follow @BuschBeer on X and turn on notifications to find out how to enter. This weekend, you have a chance to win $500 worth of beer money!
• 200th Cup Series Start: Darlington marks Chastain’s 200th Cup Series career start. His first ever Cup start dates back to 2017 when he made two Cup starts that season, both at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway. The Alva, Florida native completed his first fulltime Cup season in 2021.
• Meet Chastain: On Sunday at 10:30 a.m., Chastain will sign autographs at the South Carolina Department of Public Safety booth located in the Darlington fan midway. Wristband required – distribution begins on Friday at the booth. 
• Darlington Stats: Chastain is making his 10th Cup Series start at Darlington this weekend. He’s led a total of 120 laps while driving for Trackhouse Racing at the South Carolina track and has a best finish of third.
• Season Stats: Chastain has earned four top-10s in 12 races so far this season along with 108 laps led. He’s currently 10th in driver points.
• NASCAR: Full Speed: Catch Chastain in the five-episode docuseries NASCAR: Full Speed on Netflix. The series documented portions of Chastain’s 2023 season on and off the track. All five episodes are currently available on Netflix.
• Last Weekend at Kansas: Chastain qualified second for the 400-mile Kansas Speedway race. He led four different times for a total of 43 laps, including a thrilling multi-lap side-by-side battle with Kyle Larson in the opening stage. Unfortunately, a restart and tight handling Busch Light Chevy in the final stage dropped Chastain mid-pack and he ultimately finished 19th.
• 2023 Season Recap: Chastain won at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway in June and at the Phoenix Raceway season finale in November. He posted 10 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes in his third fulltime Cup season. The Alva, Florida native finished ninth in points.

Chastain Quotes:

What is the difference between running really well at Darlington and finishing well? 

“I wish I knew the answer to that (laughs). Finishing well is keeping the car intact and not hitting the wall too hard. Keeping the wheel straight, keeping paint out of the wheels as much as you can if you hit the wall, have the suspension the same way you went to the track with it at lap 495…those are all the reasons of finishing well instead of just running well.” 

Does Darlington hold any special significance to you since you kind of burst onto the scene there and everyone took notice of you there?

“There’s so much about that CGR No. 42 Xfinity car. The year before at Darlington was when a sponsor saw me dumping the honey tank from the camper and that led me to driving for Chip. Yes, that weekend going down the backstretch and feeling the horsepower of the 42 car, the grip in the corners, qualifying, the race and the ending, obviously. Yes, so much about that is so vivid in my memory. It was a real turning point in my career and my life. My life has forever been changed because of that one weekend at Darlington. I was going to head-to-head with two Cup champions. Racing with those guys was the first time I had done it. Yes, I remember a lot about that weekend.”

Darlington is known to be one of the toughest tracks on the circuit, why is that?

“Darlington is the most difficult oval to me. The ends being so different and the speed being up by the wall, you’re going to hit the wall if you overstep. It’s a high commitment track. At the end of a run at Darlington you’re running so much slower than the start of a run but you have to be so precise. You put tires on at Darlington and you’re going so much faster than you were. The way you have to adjust your driving at Darlington throughout a run makes it very challenging.”

How does it feel to be making your 200th Cup start?

“Well, I can definitely remember making my first Cup start at Dover. I was nervous to be in a Cup car, nervous to be doing it at Dover, all of the things that come with it. Its great to be doing it at Darlington because it’s a track that I really like. I hope to be driving a Cup car and winning for several more hundred starts.”

Suárez Notes

• Adrián Fernández/Quaker State Throwback Paint Scheme: Daniel Suárez’s No. 99 Quaker State Chevrolet will carry a special throwback paint scheme in Darlington this weekend celebrating the 20-year anniversary of Adrián Fernández driving the No. 5 Quaker State IndyCar to victory lane at Kentucky, Chicago, and Fontana in 2004. 
• Mexican Icon: Fernández is from Mexico City and an 11-time winner in the CART/ IndyCar Series over a 13-year career (1993-2005). He also won 10 Rolex and ALMS sports car races and has competed around the world including four appearances in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He was the inspiration for Suárez and nearly every Mexican driver setting the bar for on and off the track performance. Suárez recalls watching him as a kid when CART raced in Monterrey, Mexico. 
• Fernández Familiar to NASCAR fans: Fernández drove for Hendrick Motorsports in 10 Xfinity Series races 2005-2008. He posted two top-10 finishes in three Mexico City Xfinity races. 
• Atlanta Victory: At Atlanta, he and runner-up Ryan Blaney were separated by 0.003 seconds at the finish line. It was the fourth-closest finish in series history, and with third-place Kyle Busch just 0.007 seconds behind the winner, it also stands as the closest finish among three cars in the history of auto racing. 
• Trackhouse Victories: Atlanta marked Trackhouse Racing’s seventh win in the NASCAR Cup Series, and first at Atlanta. Chastain owns four victories, Suárez two and one for Shane van Gisbergen. 
• Mexico Series: Suárez won the 150-lap Mexico Series race at the Los Angeles Coliseum on Feb. 3. It was his 11th victory. 
• First Mexican to Win in Cup: Suárez became the first driver from Mexico (Monterrey) to win in the NASCAR Cup Series on June 12, 2022, at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway. 
• International Driver: He is one of six drivers not from the United States to win a NASCAR Cup Series race: Shane van Gisbergen (New Zealand), Marcos Ambrose (Australia), Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia), Earl Ross (Canada) and Mario Andretti (Italy). Ambrose, Montoya, and Suárez own two victories each.
• Cup Career Highlights: Suárez owns two victories (Sonoma 2022 and Atlanta 2024) and three Busch Light Pole Awards – Pocono (Pa.) Raceway July 2018, Kentucky Speedway July 2019, and on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway August 2023. 
• English is a Second Language: Suárez came to America to race. He did not speak English when he arrived in Buffalo, New York. He is the only Spanish-speaking driver in the NASCAR Cup Series.
• Suárez Passes Citizenship Test: The Monterrey, Mexico native passed the United States Citizenship test on April 29 in Charlotte and will take the Oath of Allegiance at a naturalization ceremony in the next few weeks when he will become a dual citizen of Mexico and the United States.

Suárez Quotes:

Would you ever believe you would be racing in NASCAR and driving a Quaker State paint scheme celebrating Adrián Fernández?

“Growing up in Mexico, Quaker State was a brand that I saw in every mechanic shop, so it is very special to be a part of this brand that I’ve recognized from such a young age. When I first became a racing fan, I rooted for Adrián Fernández, a Mexican race car driver, specifically because he had that famous green Quaker State paint scheme. I remember watching him race in Monterrey in a CART race.

“We have become friends over the years and it’s so cool we can honor him this weekend in Darlington. Adrián was excited about it when I called him a few weeks ago and told him what we were doing. He is racing in Europe this weekend or I know he would be here in Darlington with us. I know he’ll be watching on television.” 

Suárez on the throwback weekend at Darlington Raceway: 

“It’s special because it’s the only weekend of the entire year of almost 40 races that we get to play around with throwbacks to recognize not just all the generations of drivers, but teams, paint schemes and everything, really. It’s a lot of fun to celebrate the history of NASCAR, teams and drivers. I enjoy it a lot.”

What makes Darlington Raceway so tough? 

“Darlington (Raceway) is one of the toughest racetracks. The reason for that is because it’s tough on tires. It’s only one lane, maybe two at times, in (turns) three and four, and one-and-a-half in one and two. It’s a tricky one. You have to be very precise. It’s a long race, as well. 400 miles, 500 miles, 600 miles – whatever that may be, Darlington is a long race. It’s way different to run 500 miles at Daytona (International Speedway) than it is to run 500 miles at Darlington. At Darlington, it feels like it goes forever. 

“It’s a tough task, but I enjoy it. I enjoy the challenge. We’ve run well there in the past, and we’re looking forward to putting a very special paint scheme upfront – honoring Adrián Fernández with his Quaker State IndyCar scheme from 20 years ago. Hopefully, we can have a good run with it.”

Trackhouse Racing PR