Daniel Suarez has been picking up speed throughout the NASCAR Cup Series season — figuratively and literally.
The Trackhouse Racing driver secured his inaugural series win at California’s Sonoma Raceway in June, stacking up eight top-five finishes throughout the remainder of the regular season. Out of those eight, two of those efforts came on road courses — Wisconsin’s Road America and Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International.
The No. 99 was in a tricky position entering the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL, as Suarez hovered 12 points above the cutline at eighth in the standings.
“In my mind, nothing has changed. If you’re thinking about the points situation, for me I don’t care,” Suarez said. “That’s something that I can’t control. You can be 20 points below or 20 points above, but I can only control one car.”
Suarez qualified third at the ROVAL last week, solidifying Suarez’s confidence in Trackhouse Racing’s program at road courses, allowing him to rest a little easier on Sunday morning.
“We’re not in a comfortable position like some of the other guys, but putting ourselves in this position, I see this as an opportunity,” Suarez said.
This year marked Suarez’s first trip to the Cup Series playoffs, so in his eyes, each race has been both a new experience and a privilege. Unfortunately, the Round of 12 was as far as his playoff journey would take him.
On lap 64 of the Bank of American ROVAL 400, Suarez lost power steering in his No. 99 car, dropping several positions as he struggled to steer around the 17-turn course. His dedicated efforts on the track ultimately weren’t enough to advance him further in the playoffs as he fell below the cutline and lost his spot to Chase Briscoe.
“Very disappointing to lose a race like that,” Suarez said following the race. “My arms are destroyed now, my hands are destroyed.”
Although chasing the championship is no longer a possibility for Suarez, the season isn’t over for Trackhouse Racing — Suarez’s teammate Ross Chastain is currently sixth in the playoff standings after his 37th-place finish in Charlotte.
“I couldn’t have imagined it five months ago,” Chastain said, referring to his advancement in the playoffs.
Similar to Suarez, it has also been a breakout year for the driver of the No. 1 race car, as Chastain has collected 10 top five finishes including a pair of victories.
Chastain is optimistic as he looks ahead to the intermediate tracks on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule for the Round of 8, the first being the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend.
“We have full confidence looking forward to the next two weeks. Our cars are strong,” Chastain said. “When I drive off this property, I am done with the ROVAL and we are full on to Vegas.”
Chastain will face off to Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe during the Round of 8.