When one door closes, another opens. But before another opens for Daniel Suárez, he is ensuring the exit from the first one is spectacular. The Mexican driver is currently riding in uncertainty in the NASCAR Cup Series. On July 1st, Trackhouse Racing ended a four-year-long bond with Suárez. The memories of his victories – Sonoma (2022) and Atlanta (2024) – felt heavy. So, Suárez is now determined to add one last memory.
The No. 99 Chevrolet driver’s 2025 season has been lackluster. From incurring 6 DNFs to regularly falling behind his stellar teammates, Daniel Suárez has been straddling several problems. However, with Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International, the racer took a step in the right direction.
Daniel Suárez proclaims his golden intentions
The last 12 Cup Series races have been dismal for the No. 99 team. Daniel Suárez has not finished in the top ten in those events, as Texas marked his last time finishing 10th or better. That is why his improvement in Watkins Glen was even more remarkable. The No. 99 crew chief, Matt Swiderski, called a three-pit stop strategy. Suarez pitted on Lap 15, finished 23rd in the opening stage, and gained 10 spots throughout the second stage to maneuver to 13th. In a caution-free final stage, Suarez pitted for the last time on Lap 57. The fresher tires helped the No. 99 car at the checkered flag, as he jumped to seventh, nearing the top five.
In doing so, Daniel Suárez finally broke a deep slumber of poor finishes. The Watkins Glen result also marked his best since finishing runner-up to Josh Berry at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the fifth race of the 2025 season. However, the Mexican speedster is really eyeing a Victory Lane chase. In a post-race interview, Suárez indicated that he wants to end it with Trackhouse on his own terms. “Well, this one is actually a racetrack I really like a lot…For me, the playoffs are important. But the most important thing for me is to win. I don’t care if it’s before the playoffs or after the playoffs, I just want to win and end my cycle with Trackhouse on a high.”
“I just want to win and end my cycle with Trackhouse on a high.” –@Daniel_SuarezG earns a top 10 at Watkins Glen.#NASCAR pic.twitter.com/BUzMbHkmS6
— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) August 10, 2025
The playoffs are still a distant dream for Daniel Suárez, as he only gained two spots in the championship standings after Watkins Glen. Nevertheless, his 29th place spells some optimistic realities. The 7th-place finish was his fourth top-10 finish of the season, more than the likes of Josh Berry (three) and the same amount as Austin Cindric. Considering that both are drivers who are locked into the postseason via a win, this is a good look for Suárez. What is more, the No. 99 Chevrolet driver led 93 laps at Richmond Raceway last year and finished 10th. With a best finish of 7th back in 2017, Suárez is banking on the short track: “Hopefully, we can take this to a new momentum next week.”
Meanwhile, however, the conversation about his future goes on without certainty.
A rivalry in his battle for the future
As Daniel Suárez prepares to bid adieu to Trackhouse, he also gets ready for a storm. He is the top free agent in the Cup Series at the moment, but he will have to fight for a chance. Although fans fear his scaling down to Xfinity, the 2016 Xfinity Series champion may still have hope in Cup. That hope is fueled by Justin Haley’s disappointing performance this season. According to Jordan Bianchi, the Spire Motorsports driver needs to make “considerable improvement” on track. If this does not happen, Spire could move on from Haley, with Bianchi noting “maybe even before the season is out.”
With Justin Haley‘s seat getting uncomfortable, Daniel Suárez may be looking to snag his place. The potential addition of a driver like Suárez would add another winning veteran to the Spire lineup, complementary to that of Michael McDowell in the No. 71. However, there are certain caveats here. On a surface level, Suárez may have a leg up on Haley with an Xfinity title and two Cup Series wins. However, Haley is still no stranger to Victory Lane, tying Suárez with four Xfinity Series wins and a Cup Series win in a rain-shortened race at Daytona. In 2025, Haley has struggled mightily and lost a crew chief, and yet the No. 7 team has outperformed the No. 99 in both average finish and average starting position.
Hence, things are going to be far from easy for Daniel Suárez. Nevertheless, the Cup Series is a very unpredictable place, so let us see what the Mexican speedster can pull off.
The post Daniel Suárez Eyes Memorable Trackhouse Send-Off Amid Future Uncertainties appeared first on EssentiallySports.