Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Las Vegas Advance

But when the NASCAR Cup Series’s first Mexican race winner climbs behind the wheel of a modern day car there is no doubt which make he prefers — Chevrolet. Based on his recent work driving and promoting the ground-breaking electric Chevrolet Blazer EV, Suárez is going to be driving a Chevrolet into the future.

“We have spent two days of filming at our race shop and at Daytona and I got to drive the Blazer EV. It was amazing. You hit the throttle and you can go from zero to 60 in less than four seconds. It was stunning how fast it was and it can go 300 miles on one charge.”

The new all-electric midsize SUV is built from the ground up around the game-changing Ultium battery platform. Ultium offers flexibility in charging speeds, range and performance — giving the sporty Blazer EV the sheer power and confidence needed to go the distance.

Suárez couldn’t get over the technology.

When enabled, Regen on Demand™* and One Pedal Driving* help convert the vehicle’s kinetic energy into energy stored in the battery for later use to help get the most range.

“Actually, I wanted them to give me one, but it was a prototype,” laughed Suárez who agreed to a multiyear contract with Trackhouse Racing last month. “You know, someday this technology will end up on the racetrack. I don’t know when that will happen, but its fascinating to see the advancements they are making. This car looks pretty bad ass as well.”

Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president of performance and motorsports for Chevrolet, says there is a reason Suárez is one of the faces of the electric vehicle promotion.

“We really value what Daniel has brought to Chevrolet on and off the track. He’s bringing many new fans to the track for the very first time with Daniel’s Amigos,” said Campbell. “We have a chance to grow the sport, and the energy is amazing.” 

“Daniel has been playing a key role in our introduction of the Blazer EV. We want to use all of our drivers in as a way to build excitement, enthusiasm and interest in not only our performance on track, but what is happening back in the showroom and market. Daniel is a great example of that.”

Suárez arrives in Vegas this week after a seventh-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500 and a fourth-place finish at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. He is fifth in points trailing his teammate Ross Chastain who leads the standings.

Trackhouse Racing Chevrolets have scored top-10 finishes in both races this season with Chastain winning three of the four stages so far.

Longtime sponsor Tootsie’s World-Famous Orchid Lounge, the legendary and historic honky-tonk in the heart of Nashville’s Lower Broadway entertainment district, will serve as primary sponsor on Trackhouse Racing’s No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro for Sunday’s race as well as multiple races in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Fox will air Sunday’s race at 3:30 p.m. EST.

2023 Standings

Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet drivers Daniel Suárez and Ross Chastain, as well as many entries throughout the sport will carry a commemorative decal for NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Wendell Scott in Las Vegas. This weekend marks the anniversary of Scott’s first career start in NASCAR (March 4, 1961). The decal was designed by artist Chuck Styles and pays tribute to the history-making career of Scott, who raced in 495 Cup events and in 1963 became the first Black driver to win a premier series race. The artwork also recognizes Scott as a mechanic who for years worked with his sons on his own race cars. 

Daniel Suárez, Driver of the No. 99 Tootsie’s Chevrolet

Does running well in the first two races make you even more eager for Sunday’s race in Las Vegas?

“This year has been a tribute to the men and women at Trackhouse Racing because they have given Ross and I rocket ships to begin the season. They have been a pleasure to drive. Not only that, but coming to pit lane has been an amazing experience. Our crews have been super fast gaining us spots every time. So, yes, these days I can’t wait to get to the track.”

Was it important for you to get the contract done before the season started to have that out of the way and have your future settled?

“Yeah, it was. That was actually a topic of conversation that I had with the team. I’m the kind of person that once I start racing, I like to focus on that. Last year when we announced this 2023 extension that we did, we did it right before the Playoffs. I didn’t even want to talk about it. I was just focusing my thing. I was just so focused on my thing. I feel like at times it can be a distraction. This time, when we started having all these conversations, I said hey, let’s get it out of the way before the Daytona 500.” 

Was it a really easy decision process?

“Yes, it is for me. I’m very, very happy where I am. Trackhouse, the future of Trackhouse, is very bright. I feel like I’m experienced enough now to understand those things and to understand how important people are. Everybody at Trackhouse believes in me. I believe in Trackhouse since day one. We’re building something great here. I think we have something special going on. It would be silly not to see that and to take advantage of that, to take it to the next level.”

What has been the biggest part of that evolution over the two years? Where have you noticed the biggest strides?

“Every year has been a process. I mean, we are still babies, man. This is going to be our third year only as Trackhouse. So the first year obviously Richard Childress Racing played a huge role. If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be here. Huge thanks to Richard and to everyone at RCR, Chevrolet. Then the second year obviously getting the whole team of Ganassi, that was a huge thing, Chevrolet jumping onboard with us. Right now it’s actually the first time that things are fairly calm. We were able to rebuild with less going on. So I feel very, very good about it. I feel we’ve been able to work and getting better instead of restructure the whole thing. I feel like every year has been something new. This year I feel like is going to be a great opportunity for us to go out there and compete in the highest level.”

What is it like to have that continuity? There were many years where you didn’t have a future late in the season, contract in limbo. What is it like to have that security now?

“Last month when I signed the contract, I was talking with Justin Marks. Justin said, ‘Hey, Daniel, do you realize the second that you hit the track in L.A., you were officially the longest you ever been with a racing with Trackhouse?’ I never even thought about that, talking about Cup. I never even thought about that. He said, “hey, you were never with a team longer than the two-year mark.”

“In (the Clash in Los Angeles) I passed that two-year mark, and Trackhouse has been my longest Cup team. If you look at it, that tell you how important it is, the consistency, to working with the people, to continue to build in the people. I feel so fortunate that Trackhouse has given me that opportunity to be able to build a team around me and a team to continue to get better.”

Suárez Notes

• Suárez, 31, became the first driver from Mexico (Monterrey) to win in the NASCAR Cup Series on June 12, 2022 at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway.
• He became the fifth different driver all-time not from the United States to win a NASCAR Cup Series race; joining Marcos Ambrose (Australia), Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia) Earl Ross (Canada) and Mario Andretti (Italy).
• Suárez drives for the third-year team Trackhouse Racing – a team owned by former racer Justin Marks and partner Pitbull.
• Trackhouse Racing won three races in 2022 and placed both Suárez and teammate Ross Chastain in the 2022 playoffs. Suárez finished a career-best 10th in points.
• 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.
• Suárez became the first Latin American, as well as the first NASCAR Drive for Diversity graduate, to win a NASCAR national series title when he won the 2016 Xfinity Series championship.
• In 2016, he became the first Mexican driver to win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, claiming three victories at Michigan, Dover and the championship finale at Homestead-Miami.
• He was the 2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year – the first Mexican driver to win the award.
• In 2013, Suárez finished third in the ARCA Menards Series East final championship standings, the highest finish for an international driver in series history.
• Suárez and fiancé Julia Piquet were engaged in November 2022.
• Suárez received the National Series Driver Award during the NASCAR Diversity Awards in Los Angeles in February.
• Suárez is a fan of the Mexican Soccer team Tigres UANL – he grew up playing soccer.