After Connor Zilisch arrived as a part-time driver for Trackhouse Racing, Daniel Suarez’s future with the team started to look shaky. And the average results did nothing to help his case.
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The team has three full-time Cup Series drivers — Ross Chastain, Suarez, and Shane van Gisbergen. Chastain is currently in 11th place in the standings with two top-five and six top-10 finishes. SVG, in his rookie season, holds 35th place. Suarez, who was the first driver to sign with Justin Marks’ team in 2021, is 27th with only a single top-five result.
Given this performance gap, many fans believe Suarez is now on the hot seat and may be shown the door if results do not improve. And Zilisch could be given the Cup opportunity, given his impressive Xfinity and ARCA performances. But Suarez doesn’t think he’s the only one feeling the pressure. In fact, he thinks “the hot seat and all those things” are “just noise, like it just happens.”
With Trackhouse Racing’s ongoing struggles in qualifying and overall speed, especially compared to their 2022 pace, Suarez pointed out that the challenge extends beyond his performance, or the lack of it.
Suarez acknowledged the team’s larger struggles in 2025, asserting that the entire organization faces scrutiny. He emphasized that the focus now must shift toward finding more speed. Competing for positions around 15th to 25th, he stated, does not move the needle.
“At the end of the day, we have to get better as a team because if we don’t get better, guess what? Trackhouse won’t want to have me back. And I won’t be happy staying anyway. So we want to be better,” said Suarez in an interview with Beating and Banging.
He acknowledged that in 2022, the breakthrough year for the team, its drivers consistently fought inside the top five and top 10, chasing victories. Chastain finished the season in second place with two wins, while Suarez wrapped up the year in P10. This season, they reach the top 10 only when a large portion of the field is wiped out. So, what does he think is going wrong?
Does @Daniel_SuarezG feel like he’s on the hot seat? The @TeamTrackhouse driver is incredibly candid with his answer. pic.twitter.com/7DJYfZpPkV
— Kyle Dalton (@kdsportswriter) May 14, 2025
“We are lacking a lot of speed. We don’t have a lot of speed. We’re working very hard to try to find it, but we’re behind. Normally, when you’re behind, you pay the price, right? And, right now, I believe that we’re paying the price a little bit of being behind,” he said.
Suarez added that success only comes when both parties pull their weight. If the effort becomes one-sided, the foundation begins to crack. And, with the addition of Shane van Gisbergen, the three-car operation has faced its share of setbacks this season.
Still, Suarez praised his #99 crew and credited the team for putting in solid work across several areas. The hard truth, according to him, is that the team currently lacks the pace needed to consistently run at the front. And the only way forward is to keep their heads down and stay the course.
