NASCAR returns to action Sunday at Richmond (Va.) Raceway after enjoying a rare two-week Olympic break. Just four races remain 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 their final races to either secure a playoff berth or improve their seeding. Chastain is seven points ahead of the final transfer position while Suárez is locked in the playoffs, but another win would move him up the playoff seedings.
Richmond will feature two Goodyear tire options for teams. This procedural change follows a trial during the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway and marks its first use in a points-paying race.
For the 400-lap event at Richmond, teams will have access to two types of Goodyear tires: a softer option tire for short-term grip with less durability and a harder prime tire for longer-lasting performance. The option tires will have red sidewall lettering, while the prime tires will feature traditional yellow labeling. Wet-weather tires with white lettering will be available if needed.
Teams will be allocated six sets of prime tires and two sets of option tires for the race, including one prime set carried over from qualifying. A 45-minute extended practice session on Saturday will allow teams to test one set of each tire type. Teams must qualify on prime tires but can choose either compound for the race. Mixing the two tire types is not permitted, according to NASCAR.
- Jockey Infinite Cool Underwear: Sunday evening at Richmond (Va.) Raceway, Ross Chastain will pilot the No. 1 Jockey® Infinite Cool Underwear paint scheme for its season debut. The car’s bold artwork will create the illusion of transparency, depicting Chastain seated directly inside the vehicle in nothing but his Jockey® Infinite Cool boxer briefs. In celebration of National Underwear Day on August 5, Jockey has introduced this unique paint scheme, giving fans a look under the fire suit. Celebrating all things underwear aligns seamlessly with Jockey’s introduction of the Infinite Cool line, designed to provide ultimate comfort and breathability. This integration brings a fun, engaging element to the race, reminding fans of the importance of wearing high-quality undergarments on a hot summer day.
- Meet Chastain: On Sunday at 2:45 p.m. ET, Chastain will appear for a Q&A at the NASCAR Experience stage in the Richmond fan zone.
- Off Week Activity: Chastain participated in the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) Challenge race at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin last Saturday. He drove the No.16 Skip Barber Racing GT4 and briefly led in his first career IMSA start before finishing 16th.
- Richmond Stats: The Chevrolet driver has 11 starts at Richmond with a best finish of third in April 2023. He started third and finished 15th in March at the .75-mile track. In total he’s led 100 laps.
- Season Stats: Chastain has earned seven top-10s in 22 races so far this season along with 171 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.
- Two Weeks Ago at Indy: The last race before the Cup Series took a two week break for the Olympics, Chastain raced at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He qualified 28th for the Series’ return to the oval at the historic Indiana track. Chastain led eight laps and went on to finish 15th after double overtime occurred.
- 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:
What do you think about running the option tire at Richmond?
“It does create another option for us and we are going to have to use the 45-minute practice session on Saturday to learn these tires. It’s going to put a lot on us as race teams, but I think it will make for a more entertaining race on Sunday and that’s what we are all about.”
What did you think about how the option tire worked looking back at North Wilkesboro?
“I thought it was good. The softer tire lasted a whole lot longer than we thought. Obviously, those tires won the race. The trick is learning how long the soft tires will last. If you figure that out, you will have a leg up on everyone.”
You’ve talked about speed and grip, has something changed from last year or is it just the continued evolution of the Cup Series and the cars?
“We came out of the box strong with this car and we are continuing to push the edge and try and be the fastest in the top level of our sport. It’s tough to stay on top. What I am experiencing is it’s very challenging. We’re still putting in the work, we’re still showing up and working hard to get it back.”
What do you think about running the new Jockey paint scheme this weekend at Richmond?
“The new paint scheme is a cheeky way to showcase the incredible comfort of Jockey Infinite Cool underwear. Racing in the summer heat can be intense, and knowing I’ve got the best cooling gear on makes all the difference. I can’t wait to hit the track and see the fans’ reactions!”
Suárez Notes
- Married Man: Suárez married his fiance 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.
- Daniel Suárez in Indy: Suárez dodged late-race accidents and made a bold fuel gamble that netted an eighth-place finish in the 30th-annual Brickyard 400 on July 21.
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.
- New Choice Privileges® Paint Scheme: The Choice Privileges “Night Mode” paint scheme makes its debut this weekend. The traditional orange and white paint scheme that has appeared on NASCAR tracks in 2024 will feature a dark stripe on Sunday.
- 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 Sunday’s race at Richmond 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.
Suárez Quotes:
How was your trip to Brazil?
“It was pretty eventful. I got to marry the love of my life and celebrate with friends and family. Being able to do that was such a cool moment. As for racing, it was great, it was a lot of fun to race at Interlagos and learn a lot about the race, about the cars, about the drivers and about the rules too. Overall, it was a very positive weekend. I hope that one day I can come back and race again.”
What do you think of the new tire rule at Richmond?
”I’m a big fan of this. Because you’re going to see different options. You’re going have to play around with different tires is a little bit more and I think that doesn’t make them feel even more.
“Right now, it’s not a secret that it’s not easy to pass, like in the old five years ago. […] It takes more work to be able to do something like that. So, I feel like having option tires is one more thing into the equation of the stride and I am a big fan of that.”
What are your thoughts looking back on the Brickyard 400?
“My team did a great job with the strategy. Our car wasn’t horrible, we just never had the track position that we wanted to, to show the speed of the car. We needed to be faster on the straightaways. But all-in-all, I felt like we had a decent Chevy. Still have some work to do, but the team executed a great strategy, so we will take it.”
Trackhouse Racing PR
