By David Morgan, Associate Editor
CHICAGO – Daniel Suarez comes into the weekend in Chicago with a weight lifted off his shoulders, having made official the news that he will be parting ways with Trackhouse Racing at season’s end.
The driver of the No. 99 Chevrolet explained that he has known about his ouster for some time now, with that knowledge casting a shadow over him until finally being able to announce it to the world earlier this week.
“For me, it was mainly a lot of relief because I have known for several months that this was gonna happen,” Suarez said of being able to share the news of his departure from Trackhouse at season’s end.
“And it’s just like everything in life…you know, things change, people change, companies change, and that’s okay. You know, nothing wrong with that. There just wasn’t really love anymore. But there is no hard feelings at all.
“I really want to stick to the amazing years that we had together, you know, early in the process of Trackhouse. It was just time for a change.”
While trying to put on a brave face surrounding his exit from Trackhouse, Suarez explained that there has just been something off in the chemistry of the team as of late, likening the situation to having to share a house with an ex just because the two of you bought the house together.
“I don’t really want to go into details, but there have been several situations in the last eight months, 10 months that I just haven’t feel like I used to for different situations,” said Suarez.
“And, sometimes when you don’t have that feel, there is no chemistry anymore. You know? It’s like being in a relationship, but just living together because you guys bought a house together, you know what I mean? Like, it just didn’t feel good anymore. And it’s in both ways, you know, I’m pretty sure it was in both ways, but, it was just, like I said, a matter of time.
“Sometimes when you don’t have that, when you’re fighting with the best of the best, you need to have everything clicking in the right direction. And unfortunately, you know, I have felt that a few things are missing for the last several months.”
Now the question remains on where Suarez’s next ride will come once his tenure at Trackhouse wraps up in November. Suarez was adamant that he would be able to stay in the Cup Series going forward.
“I’m confident about that, but by contract, I couldn’t talk to anyone about this, even though I knew that it was gonna happen for a while. I couldn’t talk to anyone until this week. So, yeah, we’ve been working to try to see all the different options and find our new home,” Suarez said.
The 33-year-old Mexican-born driver from Monterrey, Mexico added that he wouldn’t be opposed to a ride in the Xfinity Series should the opportunity present itself, but his main focus for now is remaining in the Cup Series next season and beyond.
“We’ll see. In my mind, I don’t have really anything to prove in the Xfinity stuff. I mean, I love the Xfinity Series. You know, I had probably one of the best weekends of my career in Mexico winning there…so, I feel like it’s an amazing series.
“I love it, but I like to compete with the best of the best. And that’s why I wake up and I work hard every single morning. My goal is to stay with the best of the best, which is in the Cup Series.”
He continued, noting that while it may not appear that there are seats available in the Cup Series for next season, he is confident that there will be openings that he can slide into to remain in NASCAR’s premier series going forward.
“Everything is still pretty early and there is a lot of things that are in the air still. Most of the time these kinds of moves, as we all know, happen a little bit later in the year. But yeah, I have had a lot of conversation with a lot of people and there is definitely, there is gonna be opportunities. We just have to see how things play out a little bit.
“I’m not gonna lie, I believe that if this was happening next year, it was gonna be way easier because next year there is a lot of more openings, but there is gonna be some, and I’m confident that things are gonna work out. Good things happen to good people, and I’m a hundred percent sure I’m gonna be fine.”
With a finite amount of races remaining with Trackhouse, Suarez concluded by saying he’s taking things a day at a time, focusing on each race weekend as it comes as he looks to make a challenge for a Playoff spot to maximize the time he and his No. 99 team have left together.
“I mean, right now my focus is here in Chicago. Next week is gonna be Sonoma. I mean, I’m just taking one day at a time and trying to focus one day at a time,” Suarez said.
“I think we have great opportunities. We can win [Sunday]. We can win next week. I have done that before. So, my goal right now is to maximize everything that we got in the 99.”
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