2024 Trackhouse Racing Advance – Michigan - Speedway Digest

NASCAR returns to action Sunday at Michigan International Speedway (MIS) with just three 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 these final races to either secure a playoff berth or improve their seeding. Chastain is 18th just three points behind the 16th and final transfer position. Suárez is 11th and locked in the playoffs, but another win would move him up to sixth in the standings.

Nestled in the lush Irish Hills of Southeastern Michigan, MIS is one of the fastest tracks in NASCAR. The two-mile track – with 18 degrees of banking and 73-feet wide sweeping turns – has hosted the NASCAR Cup Series for more than 50 years.

Playoff Standings

Busch Light Peach is Back: Ross Chastain will show off the Busch Light Peach paint scheme on the No. 1 car for the last time this season for this weekend’s race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. The paint scheme is a celebration of the return of the brand’s limited-edition, flavored lager, Busch Light Peach. The Busch Light Peach paint scheme is an ode to the brand’s commitment to flavor innovations and marks the nationwide release of Busch Light Peach, which will also be available on draft in 21 states including Michigan!   
Busch Light Peach Flavor: With a classic taste of cold, smooth Busch Light and a refreshing hint of peach flavor, Busch Light Peach is the perfect summer sip to be enjoyed out at the lake, camping in the great outdoors or at a NASCAR race!  
Busch Light Sweeps: Busch Light will be giving fans another chance to win this week with their #BreakForBusch #Sweepstakes. Follow @BuschBeer on X and tweet using the hashtag’s #BreakForBusch #Sweepstakes for the chance to win $500.
Season Stats: Chastain currently has an average finish of 14.5 which ranks him sixth best among his Cup Series peers. He has earned eight top-10s in 23 races so far this season along with 171 laps led. He's currently 14th in driver points.
Meet Chastain: On Sunday at 11:25 a.m. ET, Chastain will appear for a Q&A at the Chevy Stage located in the Michigan fan midway.
Michigan Stats: The Chevrolet driver is makes his seventh Cup Series start at the Irish Hills track. Last year, Chastain started on the outside pole and finished seventh at the two-mile track, and has led a total of 45 laps in the Cup Series.
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 Richmond: Chastain started the Richmond race mid-pack but quickly worked his way forward with the No. 1 Chevrolet. The team utilized both the standard yellow tires and the red option tires during the event. Quick pit stops and a fast Chevrolet Camaro allowed Chastain to drive to a fifth-place finish at the Virginia track.
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.

Ross Chastain Career Statistics

Chastain Quotes:

What can we expect at the Michigan race?

“There are some unknowns going into Michigan because we only go there once a year. I’ve been there virtually this week with the simulator and we see a lot of speed. This is our third trip there with this car and last year we led some laps there early and were in the mix so we hope that we take more steps forward. We’ve had two at-bats at Michigan with this version of the car and we hope to continue to make our cars faster.”

What is the racing like at Michigan?

“We are always evolving. A lot will depend on the weather. The cooler the temperatures, the more on throttle time we will have and high speeds. We basically want to end the race almost out of fuel and tires about as old as you can stand and still compete for the win. When you lose grip at Michigan there’s no catching it. There’s no sliding – it’s either all grip and going fast or sliding somewhere you don’t want to be.”

About Busch Light:

Busch Light is made with exceptional ingredients and has a crisp, refreshing taste that is as cold and smooth as a mountain stream. The beer brewed for the great outdoors takes cracking a cold one and heading for the mountains seriously, with passion points rooted in fishing, hunting, farming, NASCAR and country music. With focus and investment on meeting fans where they already are with a Busch Light in hand, the brand has experienced consistent growth since 2019. The Busch brand name represents a family of products including Busch Beer, Busch Light, Busch Ice and Busch NA. For more information, visit www.busch.com and follow Busch Light on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Suárez in Just His Undewear?

Jockey’s paint scheme on the No. 99 Chevrolet this weekend in Michigan will create the illusion of transparency, depicting Daniel Suárez directly inside the vehicle in nothing but his Jockey® Infinite Cool boxer briefs. This playful paint scheme aims to capture the attention of race fans in the stands and on television while highlighting the superior cooling benefits of newly launched Jockey® Infinite Cool underwear.

Featuring a cooling mesh pouch with new Jockey Heatwick technology, Jockey Infinite Cool underwear absorbs and transfers heat away from the body to stop sweat before it starts – perfect innovation for inside a race car or taking in the race from the stands on a hot August day.

“I never thought I would drive a paint scheme featuring me in my underwear,” said Suárez. “Jockey puts a lot of thought and creativity into our paint schemes so I can’t say I’m surprised. I’ll wear just my underwear every week if we win in Michigan!”

Trackhouse teammate Ross Chastain drove a similar paint scheme last Sunday in Richmond. Jockey International, Inc. (Jockey) joined Trackhouse Racing as a team sponsor in 2022. Since then, the nearly 150-year-old, family-owned apparel brand has adorned No. 1 and No. 99 Chevrolets.

Suárez Notes

Career High Laps Led: Suárez led four times for 93 laps Sunday at Richmond (Va.) Raceway, won Stage 2 and finished tenth. The 93 laps are the most laps he has led in a race. He is 11th in the playoff standings that begin Sept. 8 in Atlanta.
Back in 2025: Trackhouse Racing announced last week 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.
Michigan Success: Suárez finished sixth at Michigan last year. He started 14th, did not pit in the first stage, and finished fifth. Rain stopped the race on lap 74 and racing resumed the next day with Suárez leading 12 laps before finishing second in Stage. Trackhouse drivers led 28 of 200 laps.
Second in the Second: Suárez has finished second in the second stage at Michigan the last two races.




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.

Daniel Suárez Career Statistics

Suárez Quotes:

What do you think of NASCAR offering option tires?

“Richmond was a fun race! If NASCAR and the fans didn’t like the option tires, I don’t know what they would like because they were amazing. The strategy played a huge role in what everyone was doing; what we were doing and everyone’s different agenda. It was fun.”

Momentum going to Michigan: “We had a really good run in Richmond. We were fast in practice on Saturday and again on Sunday. My guys did a good job with the strategy on Sunday. It was good to be leading laps. That’s two top-10s in a row. We need to be hitting our stride right now because we have three races remaining before the playoffs begin.”

What are your thoughts on Michigan? “I like Michigan. It’s a very fast track and I feel like we have had great cars there lately. We have big expectations on Sunday. We came close to winning the second stage last year and in 2022. There is a lot of racing left in 2024.”

Trackhouse Racing PR