NASCAR returns to action Saturday night at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway with just two races remaining in the regular season before the 16-driver, 10-race playoffs begin at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sept. 8.
Trackhouse drivers Daniel Suárez and Ross Chastain hope to use the two races to secure a playoff berth or improve their seeding. Chastain is 16th and in the final transfer position. Suárez is 11th and locked in the playoffs, but another win would move him up in the standings.
The Coke Zero Sugar 400 marks the 155th time the NASCAR Cup Series will race at Daytona International Speedway. With 31 degrees of banking in the turns and 18 degrees in the tri-oval, the track always brings excitement.
No. 99 Coke Zero Sugar Chevrolet driver Daniel Suárez will have his own cheering section Saturday night in Daytona.
Daniel’s Amigos – one of the most rabid driver fan bases in NASCAR returns Saturday night at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.
The guests from the Latino community will spend the afternoon with Suárez enjoying Spanish food and music, a deejay, and prize giveaways before going to the grandstands to watch the race on the 2.5-mile track.
The program is a passion play for Suárez who has worked with Coca-Cola, Daytona and NASCAR to create the best day possible for his guests.
Daniel’s Amigos goes beyond explaining the sport, it’s about welcoming new fans by creating fandom on-ramps for those who are less familiar with the sport. It’s also about diversifying the image of being a NASCAR fan and allowing guests to see themselves as a part of the NASCAR family.
The Daniel’s Amigos program began in 2019 with several events before pausing because of COVID in 2020. It held one event in 2021 and three events in 2022. The Amigos made three appearances in 2023 at Atlanta, Charlotte and Homestead.
In 2024 Suárez held the largest Amigos event at Harrison Park in Chicago. Several hundred guests enjoyed entertainment by singer Rosalba Valdez and other performers, a Kids Zone and racing exhibits.
Daniel’s Amigos were in the grandstands at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway in June 2022 when Suárez became the first Mexican driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race. After taking the checkered flag, the Monterrey, Mexico native called on the group to join him in victory lane as part of a raucous celebration of his first career victory.
Suárez Notes
- Three Consecutive Top-10s: Daniel Suarez’s eighth-place finish Monday in Michigan marked his third consecutive top-10 finish and fourth top-11 in the last five races.
- Back in 2025: Trackhouse Racing announced this month that Suárez and Freeway Insurance will return to the No. 99 Chevrolet racing team for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, marking their fifth season together. Freeway will be the primary sponsor for one-third of the 2025 season, including the Daytona 500 and the NASCAR All-Star race.
- Married Man/Racer: Suárez married his fiancé Julia Piquet at a ceremony on July 30 in Brazil. Four days later he raced in the NASCAR Brazil race at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, better known as Interlagos. He won one of the three races and battled for victory in the other two races.
- Making History: Suárez now has the unique accomplishment of winning in NASCAR Mexico and Brazil in addition to all three American series.
Suárez is Now a Dual Citizen of Mexico and the United States:Suárez took the Oath of Allegiance at a naturalization ceremony on June 18 in front of media, friends, the NASCAR industry and NASCAR President Steve Phelps who gave the keynote address to the 48 new citizens from 28 countries who joined Suárez at the ceremony. The 32-year-old, Monterrey, Mexico native came to America about 13 years ago without speaking English. He passed the United States Citizenship test on April 29 in Charlotte before taking the final step on June 18. He is now a dual citizen of Mexico and the United States.
- 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 Victory: 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.
Suárez Quotes:
Are you excited for the return of Daniel’s Amigos?
“Of course. I always look forward to Amigos. Coca-Cola and NASCAR work with the track and put on a great event. It’s a lot of fun for the guests and it’s always fun for me. Whenever we host the Amigos it makes me feel like I am at home. It’s also fun to bring people to the track for the first time. NASCAR in person is a really cool experience and I hope this gives them an opportunity to see what a fun sport we have.”
What is the key to success in Daytona?
“Saturday night at Daytona will be the same as it has been the last few years because speedway races are all about being organized and executing. Everyone is going to be fast so you are going to see the manufacturers and organizations working together. Race strategy, pit strategy and things like that. The Chevrolet camp has done a good job of working together and being as organized as possible.”
Are you concerned about the Big One in Daytona?
“The Big One is going to happen Saturday. There might be even two or three “Big Ones.” Every time I get caught in a wreck I’m happier if we were running up front than if we were wrecked in the back of the pack. Most of the wrecks lately have been from the front to the back. If I get wrecked and I am in the top-five then I can sleep good at night. We just have to put ourselves in the position to be up front and see what happens.”
Are you worried about playoff standings?
“Luckily, I don’t have to worry about that. I plan to go out and race hard and support my Chevrolet teammates and (Trackhouse Racing teammate) Ross (Chastain.) Hopefully, we get the win and get Ross in the playoffs. It’s important we get playoff points. We got one at Richmond and we need more Saturday in Daytona. We will push hard.”
- WWEX Group: Ross Chastain’s No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro will return to the blue-and-black livery of WWEX Group for Saturday night’s race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (DIS). Chastain most recently drove the WWEX Group livery at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth in April and led 33 laps before his day ended prematurely due to an accident. Chastain will also pilot the No. 1 WWEX Group Chevy for upcoming races at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in September and Las Vegas Motor Speedway in October.
- Chastain Grew Up Going to Daytona Summer Race: While the Chastain watermelon farm was busy in February each year as child, the summer Daytona race was always a staple on the family vacation calendar. Chastain recalls going to the track with several cousins and staying in the Turn 1 campground outside of the track and sitting in the grandstands. Now he returns to track battling for a playoff spot in a career he only ever dreamed of as kid.
- Meet Chastain: Chastain has two appearances in New Smyrna Beach on Friday – 12:15 p.m. ET at Walmart, 3155 State Road 44, and 1:30 p.m. at Circle K, 2450 FL-44 – wristband required and distribution begins at 9 a.m. in-store at each location on Friday. On Saturday at 3:40 p.m., Chastain will appear at the Chevy Stage located in the DIS fan midway for a Q&A.
- Daytona Stats: The Florida native makes his 13th Cup Series start at the 2.5-mile superspeedway. In last year’s summer race, he led 19 laps while driving the WWEX Group Chevrolet before finishing 17th. In this year’s Daytona 500, Chastain ran second coming to the white flag when he shot a gap between William Byron and Austin Cindric to take the lead, but Chastain and Cindric touched sending Chastain spinning through the grass and out of contention.
- Season Stats: Chastain has earned eight top-10s in 24 races so far this season along with 175 laps led. He’s currently 13th 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 Michigan: Chastain began the Michigan race from the seventh position after weather canceled qualifying. He topped the board in a shortened practice session on Saturday afternoon. Chastain ran in the top-10 on Sunday before the race was postponed until Monday due to weather. The Chevrolet driver continued to run in the top-10 on Monday and finished second in Stage 2. In the final stage, he looked poised to finish in the top-10 until the race went into overtime and Chastain spun after a car in front of him slowed. He ultimately finished 25th.
- 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 full time Cup season. The Alva, Florida native finished ninth in points.
Chastain Quotes:
With your position in points, five of the last seven Daytona races have been won by drivers who had to win to secure a playoff spot. What are the opportunities or challenges going into Daytona needing to secure a playoff position?
“A lot like the (Daytona) 500, where I’ve learned to just enjoy it for what it is. There’s just no way around it. If we leave Michigan and don’t have it secured, then it’s math. You just have to know that if you finish bad, you get less points, and if you finish good in the stages and the race, then you get more points. It’s just simple math.”
What do you think of Daytona?
“I have so many fond memories of going to the July Daytona race with my family. It’s obviously a different experience now that I go as a driver. I try and enjoy it though because we start the season there with the Daytona 500 and it’s always fun to start a new season. Then we go there in August in the playoffs and depending on where you are in points it can be stressful so I just try and enjoy it because so much is out of your control.”
Trackhouse Racing PR
