Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Martinsville Race Advance

Martinsville (Va.) Speedway hasn’t always been one of Trackhouse Racing driver Daniel Suárez’s favorite tracks during his seven-year NASCAR Cup Series career.

However, based on his October performance on the flat, half-mile, paper-clip-shaped track there’s a sense of excitement about racing 400 laps Sunday in Southern Virginia.

Suárez’s No. 99 Chevrolet started ninth and scored stage points before climbing as high as sixth with 100 laps to go in the October Martinsville race before issues on pit road left him with a 12th-place finish.

“I thought we were going to have a chance to do really well that day,” recalled Suárez. “I think we can take what we learned in October and apply it this weekend. Martinsville is as tough of a track as any we visit. But my team has been working very hard and I think that work will pay off Sunday.”

Suárez arrives at Martinsville after finishing 25th on the dirt at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway last weekend. After beginning the season with three consecutive top-10 finishes, the No. 99 has finished outside the top-20 five consecutive races. Two of those races saw accidents by other drivers end Suárez’s bid for victory.

As it did in October, the No. 99 will carry the Worldwide Express paint scheme in Martinsville. It marks the first time in 2023 Suárez will wear the blue and black colors of the Dallas-based global logistics group comprised of Worldwide Express, GlobalTranz and Unishippers.

The WWEX brands will be featured on Suarez’s Trackhouse Racing teammate Ross Chastain’s No. 1 Chevrolet in 19 races and three times on the No. 99 in 2023. Suárez will also carry the Worldwide Express livery at Kansas Speedway on May 7 and Chicago Street Race on July 2.

It’s been a strategic growth pattern for the WWEX group of brands in NASCAR, starting with its involvement in the Craftsman Truck Series and climbing into NASCAR’s premier series, the Cup Series, last year with Trackhouse Racing. The company debuted in the 2022 NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. WWEX Racing appeared on Chastain and Suárez’s car 11 times last season.

Since its debut, Worldwide Express has utilized the program for marketing, social/digital media campaigns, customer hosting and hospitality including VIP events with Chastain and Suárez, and created numerous business-to-business relationships which fuel the success of the program.

FS1 will televise Sunday’s race at 3 p.m. EDT.

 
 

2023 Playoff Standings

 

Daniel Suárez, Driver of the No. 99 Worldwide Express Chevrolet

How is your season so far?

“Obviously, we want better finishes than what we have had the last few weeks. But if you look deeper you see that we had chances to win the race at Atlanta and COTA. We have some things to clean up, but everyone has a great attitude and we know if we can keep running well the finishes will come.”

What are your thoughts on Martinsville?

“I’m glad to be back on concrete and asphalt in Martinsville after last weekend on dirt in Bristol. We feel pretty confident in our Martinsville package. I’m ready to get back up front.”

 

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.

Trackhouse Racing PR