“I'm not sad for this”: Daniel Suarez breaks silence after announcing Trackhouse exit next year

Daniel Suarez clarified that he has no hard feelings over mutually parting ways with Trackhouse Racing. The Mexican-American driver is instead relieved that the news is out, saying he can now move forward with his plans for the foreseeable future.

Suarez, 33, became Trackhouse Racing's first driver after they acquired Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021. He has been driving the #99 Chevrolet Camaro alongside Ross Chastain. This year, the team signed Shane van Gisbergen after expanding its operations to three cars.

In an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (via Jeff Gluck on X), Daniel Suarez assured everyone listening that he wasn't sad with the announcement.

“I want to make sure that you guys and all the people listening (know) I'm not sad for this. This is just a new chapter. That's all it is. This is not a sad moment, it's just a change,” Suarez said.

While the NASCAR nation is just learning about the driver change, the Chevy pilot has known about it for quite some time now. As such, he wasn't surprised when the team broke the news, saying:

“This is not something new for me. I have known about this for a while. It just happens to be official today. I'm actually a little bit relieved it's already out and people know about it and we can talk about it and we can move forward with future plans.”

Suarez, who said he didn't know what's next with a smile on his face, added:

“Things change. People change. Companies change. And it's part of life. There are certainly no hard feelings about that.”

Trackhouse Racing didn't specify the reason for the driver change. However, Daniel Suarez has been having a tough season in his fifth year with the team. He has only amassed one top-5 and three top-10s, putting him 29th in the points standings, which narrows his chances to qualify for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs with eight regular-season races remaining.

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“I'm proud of him as a friend”: Trackhouse Racing boss on Daniel Suarez's five-year stint with the team

Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks commended Daniel Suarez for contributing to the team's growth since 2021. Marks said he is proud of Suarez's achievements not only as a team owner but also as a friend.

The Mexico-born driver took the #99 Chevrolet to the victory lane twice. His first win came at Sonoma Raceway in 2022, where he led the most laps and finished ahead of runner-up Chris Buescher by 3.849 seconds. He followed it up with a win at Atlanta Motor Speedway last year, which saw the closest three-wide photo finish in NASCAR Cup Series history.

In an X post, Justin Marks said (via Trackhouse Racing):

“We are proud of his wins, his successes, the growth of his brand, and his emergence as a valuable athlete in America's greatest motorsport. But, most of all, I'm proud of him as a friend.”

Outside of Cup racing, Daniel Suarez found success in the Xfinity Series. He won the Rookie of the Year award in 2015 before securing the series championship the following year. His last NASCAR win was in Mexico City a couple of weeks ago, where he drove the #9 JR Motorsports Xfinity car to victory.

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Edited by Riddhiman Sarkar