Trackhouse Racing Advance – New Hampshire

Kubota Tractor Corp: At New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) in Loudon this weekend Ross Chastain will pilot the No. 1 Kubota Chevrolet. This weekend marks the fourth time Chastain driven the orange-and-black livery. Kubota joined the Trackhouse Racing family in 2022 with their first primary race at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway where Chastain finished second. The Florida native will pilot the Kubota paint scheme in two more races this season – Kansas Speedway in Kansas and Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway.
$10,000 Donation for Top-10 Finish: For the second year, Kubota and Trackhouse Racing are putting the partnership in overdrive in support of farmer veterans. In the races Kubota is serving as the primary sponsor of Chastain’s No. 1 Kubota Chevrolet, a $10,000 donation will be made to the Farmer Veteran Coalition for a top-10 finish. The Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC) is a national nonprofit organization that assists military veterans and currently serving members of the Armed Forces to transition into careers in farming, and since 2015, Kubota has partnered with FVC on the “Geared to Give” program which has provided more than $900,000 to the coalition in the form of organizational support, grants to veterans and 41 pieces of donated equipment. So far this season, Chastain has secured a total of $30,000 in donations with a fourth-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, sixth-place finish at Phoenix Raceway and fifth-place finish at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway.
Meet Chastain: On Sunday at 10:45 a.m. ET, Chastain will sign autographs at the Trackhouse merchandise hauler located in the NHMS fan midway – wristband required. At 11:30 a.m. ET Chastain will appear for a Q&A at the Trackside Live stage located just outside of the infield tunnel and across from the NHMS fan zone.
Crew Chief Home Track: No. 1 team crew chief Phil Surgen is a Lake Elmore, Vermont native. Surgen mostly attended Saturday races (IndyCar, Modifieds, Xfinity and Trucks) at NHMS with his dad growing up. “Growing up in Vermont you raced late models in the summer and snowmobiles in the winter,” said Surgen who has a collection of vintage racing snowmobiles.
New Hampshire Stats: In the Cup Series at New Hampshire, Chastain has five starts with a best finish of eighth, twice. He’s led three laps at the mile track.
Season Stats: Chastain has earned six top-10s in 17 races so far this season along with 118 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 Iowa: Chastain ran double duty in Iowa – Saturday’s Xfinity Series race and Sunday’s inaugural Cup Series race at the .7/8-mile track. He finished ninth in the Xfinity race for DGM Racing. He qualified 17th for Sunday’s event and persevered from a blown right front tire to ultimately finish 11th.
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:

Can you talk about New Hampshire?

“New Hampshire is one of the more challenging tracks for me. We only go there once a year and its also my crew chief’s (Phil Surgen) home track. Qualifying is important every week but it’s really important at New Hampshire because of the quick pace and its so easy to go down a lap quickly. Looks like we have some rain in the forecast this weekend which will be another challenge.”

There’s past champions and multi-time winners all fighting for a playoff spot with you, how difficult is it going to be to maintain a spot in the playoffs even though you’re well above the cut line?

“I’m fighting for a playoff spot with my heroes. It’s pretty wild to look at the list. I try to keep a broad view of what’s on the horizon so in those high risk moments on track that I’m a little better equipped. The names I’m up against are past champions and heroes. I’m focused on each race and so is my team. We’ve had some fast cars this year its just that we’ve had things happen out of our control.”

Daniel Suárez became an American citizen on Tuesday in Charlotte.

The 32-year-old took the oath in front of media, friends, family, 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.

“That just tells me how amazing is this country that has given opportunities for people all around the world,” Suarez said after the ceremony. “That’s incredible.”

The Monterrey, Mexico native came to America about 13 years ago without speaking English. He became the first Mexican to win the Xfinity Series title and then recorded two Cup Series victories during his career.

He passed the United States Citizenship test on April 29 in Charlotte and took the final step Tuesday when he took Oath of Allegiance at a naturalization ceremony.

He is now a dual citizen of Mexico and the United States.

What is your message to others?

“You start chasing your dreams. You work hard for whatever it is that you want. … I just hope that this is beginning of something great and that I can be an example for many people.”

What are your thoughts on becoming an American citizen?

“I feel very good about this, honestly. It is one of those things that really hasn’t sunk in yet. I don’t think I have thought about how big of a deal it really is. It’s very special. To finally get to this milestone has taken a lot of work, a lot of time, money and help. I don’t think 95 percent of the people in the country understand the process and what it takes to get this done. It’s been a great journey and nice to have the opportunity to get it done and say that I am now an American citizen. I am very excited to make this official.”

Why now?

“I have been living in America for more than 10 years, I am getting married next month, maybe in a couple of years we will start a family. This was just the right thing to do. I am very proud to be from Mexico, but I also see the United States as my full time family home.”

Suárez Notes

Last Sunday in Iowa: Suárez led four laps and scored his third top-10 finish of the 2024 season Sunday in Iowa. It’s the second consecutive top-15 for the No. 99 team. He finished 14th at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway on June 9. It marked his third top-10 of the season.
Choice Privileges®: Choice Privileges®, the award-winning rewards program of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), makes its second appearance as a primary sponsor with Daniel Suárez and Trackhouse Racing on Sunday. As part of the continued reinvigoration of the program, Choice Privileges® is offering exclusive VIP experience passes for races throughout the season. Choice Privileges® is increasingly strengthening rewards and opportunities for members following the successful college football, basketball, baseball and hockey experiences previously offered.
Join Choice Privileges®: Throughout the season Choice Privileges® is offering exclusive redeemable experiences for members. The new experiences will include: access to the Trackhouse garage and pit road prior to the race; a tour of the garage and pit road; meet and greet with the pit crew and driver, Daniel Suarez; and pre-race hospitality with food and drink. For more information or to enroll in Choice Privileges®, visit www.choicehotels.com/choice-privileges.
Choice Privileges® Schedule: Choice Privileges® schedule as the primary sponsor on Suárez’s No. 99 includes Richmond (Va.) Raceway on Aug. 11 and the Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Oct. 13.
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.
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.