The consensus following the Cup Series race in Atlanta was that Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez was now out of danger of being replaced in the #99 Chevrolet Camaro. The driver had largely underperformed last season which fueled rumors of him being substituted with Shane van Gisbergen or Zane Smith going forward. However, former driver Jeff Burton has expressed his belief that Suarez was never under such pressure.
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Opinioning that team owner Justin Marks has always had strong trust in Suarez’s abilities, he emphasized, “I think Justin Marks is a believer in Daniel Suarez. I think Justin Marks is trying to figure out how to have more race teams, right? I don’t think that Justin Marks is saying, ‘Well, who’s going to replace Daniel Suarez?”
Burton backed his words with the claims that Suarez was still a young racer who could contend for the win every week. Furthermore, he believes that Suarez is the one putting pressure on himself, not Marks. “It’s professional sports, that’s what you should do if you’re a professional athlete. You should worry about your job every day because that’s the motivation that makes you better,” he added.
Suarez did mention before the season that the #99 team had been working hard at fixing their mistakes and performing better. While he did not acknowledge being under pressure, the driver was aware of Trackhouse’s ambitions and what that demanded from him.
Justin Marks reiterates that the 2024 season is NOT an audition for Suarez
Following Daniel Suarez’s emphatic victory in Atlanta, Marks spoke to the media and clarified the rumors of 2024 being a final chance for the driver to prove himself. He said, “He just didn’t have the year that he wanted last year but we know that he can get it done and he’s a guy that can get it done. So I don’t envision a situation where Daniel is not a driver for Trackhouse Racing.”
2024 is the final year of Suarez’s contract and he hasn’t been offered a renewal as of yet. However, Marks does not agree that it is something that ought to be worried about. He added, “Yes, this is a contract year for Daniel. Does that mean that this is Daniel’s audition? No. It means that we’re working on growing this company.” He went on to make the goals clear by stating that he wanted to make Trackhouse Racing a “perennial” championship-contending team and a powerhouse in NASCAR.
