In 2017, after profitable the Xfinity Sequence championship, he was known as as much as drive the No. 19 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing, shortly after the stunning retirement of Carl Edwards.
On the conclusion of the 2018 season, after a two-year stint that bore little fruit, he was let go from JGR and picked up by Stewart-Haas Racing for 2019.
In 2019, known as as much as exchange a generational expertise in Kurt Busch, Suarez missed the playoffs for the third consecutive yr and was relegated to the lowly Gaunt Brothers crew in 2020. That season, he missed the Daytona 500 and earned zero top-10 finishes. His greatest end in 2020 was 18th.
Now in his fourth yr with Trackhouse Racing, a crew which was constructed round him by co-owner Justin Marks, Suarez is hitting his stride, however not all is effectively for the Mexican-born driver.
Although he obtained his first profession win at Sonoma in 2022, he missed the playoffs once more in 2023 whereas his teammate, Ross Chastain, made the postseason and gained two races. Going into the yr, he’d have to indicate to his crew and the business as an entire that he does not simply belong within the Cup Sequence, however that he is a contender to win week in and week out.
On Sunday night time, as Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch and Suarez himself barreled to the road in one in all NASCAR’s biggest finishes, three one-thousandths of a second — no, that is not a typo — have given Suarez new life not only for this season, however for 2025 and past as he seeks an extension with Trackhouse Racing. These few inches put Suarez into the NASCAR playoffs and proves that his Sonoma win was no fluke.
“We wrecked on Lap 2,” Suarez stated following Sunday’s win. “The fellows did a tremendous job fixing this automobile. I can not thank everybody sufficient.”
2024 will not be the primary time Suarez has been beneath immense stress whereas with a big-name crew, however it’s the first time he has delivered whereas beneath stated stress.
If he can ship extra constant outcomes, Sunday’s win in Atlanta could not simply be a placeholder till contract negotiations begin, however the starting of a particular run for the No. 99 crew.
