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Daniel Suarez pulled off a dramatic win at Atlanta last weekend, and it may not have come at a better time. With a crowded stable at Trackhouse and an expiring, what does the future now hold for Daniel Suarez after his big win?
Justin Marks was directly asked by the media about Daniel Suarez’s future after the Atlanta race. Marks admitted that 2024 is a “Contract year” for Suarez, but, was Suarez ever truly on the Hot Seat?
You could look at what we have right now, and you could look at the drivers we have signed, but you don’t know what we are working on behind the scenes. Yes, this is a contract year for Daniel [Suarez] . Does that mean this is Daniel’s audition? No. We’re working on growing this company and making Trackhouse one of the powerhouse perennial Championship contending companies in this sport. On the Hot Seat? [Suarez] just didn’t have the year that he wanted last year. We know that he can get it done. He’s a guy that can get it done. I don’t envision a situation where Daniel [Suarez] is not a driver with Trackhouse Racing…It’s validation for the work that we’ve done this offseason to put him in a position to showcase his talent.
Justin Marks
That’s quite the vote of confidence from Marks, and he certainly feels validated for investing in Suarez. There was a contract extension for him just before the 2023 season, and Trackhouse shuffled crew chiefs around with Kaulig Racing to pair Suarez up with Matt Swiderski. It’s obvious that Trackhouse made every effort possible to allow Suarez to succeed.
Marks also seemed to push back on Suarez being on the “Hot Seat”. Now, being a contract year, could that have changed if Suarez continued to struggle throughout the 2024 season? What if he missed the Playoffs again, or what if he failed to win a race?
Maybe or maybe not. Regardless, Suarez seems all but guaranteed to stay at Trackhouse beyond 2024. It may be a bit premature to say that he saved his career, but, it is safe to say that he removed most if not all doubt about his future.
However, perhaps the more revealing of Marks’ comments was what was weaved in between his thoughts on Suarez. He referred to “Growth” multiple times, and he alluded to the slew of drivers that Trackhouse has signed. We broke down the entire lineup in the article below.
Marks and Trackhouse also will field a MotoGP team starting in 2024. They also started alliances with Spire Motorsports and Kaulig Racing to field all of the drivers under contract with Trackhouse. Marks alludes that something is brewing at Trackhouse.
The easiest thing to look at is expanding their Cup Series operation. However, with all 36 charters accounted for and no one actively selling any of them, that becomes a tough proposition, or is it?
Last August, Marks said James Pavey of Supercars.com last August that Trackhouse’s expansion is not, “100% dependent on us and our ability to buy a charter.” Could they be looking at fielding more Cup Series teams without a charter?
If they do, then that could open up an entirely new can of worms. If they can succeed without a charter on one or maybe two of their race cars, it will be interesting to see what teams could follow suit. Then again, this is ultimately speculation.
Daniel Suarez’s win at Atlanta may have saved his future. However, the story is bigger than just the future of Suarez.
