In 2020, COVID-19 proved to be a universal curse. Politics, business, entertainment, nothing was COVID-19-proof, and NASCAR was no exception. The season was halted on March 13, 2020, triggering a 10-week shutdown before racing resumed at Darlington under strict protocols, no fans, mandatory testing, and revised schedules. Several events were postponed or reformatted (the Brickyard 400 itself was rebranded in July when Big Machine switched from vodka to hand sanitizer sponsorship), and teams scrambled to secure funding as sponsors pulled back amid economic uncertainty.

Amid that chaos, Daniel Suárez saw his trajectory upended. After four and a half years at Joe Gibbs Racing, with whom “we won races, we won a championship, and a lot of good things,” he later reflected, Suárez felt the Cup Series didn’t offer the same winning environment as his Xfinity and Truck days. JGR’s policy shifts led to key personnel departures, Suárez noted that “it never felt like I had a ‘winning team’… crew chiefs left, engineers left… I did not like that.”

And pandemic-driven sponsor cuts forced Suárez from Gibbs to Stewart-Haas, then a one-off stint with Gaunt Brothers, before finally landing at Trackhouse Racing. Each move tested his resolve and sharpened his focus for the battles ahead. When Toyota’s bold new team project imploded under pandemic pressures, with contracts evaporating and backings slashed, Suárez realized that trust, not just talent, wins races.

Daniel Suarez shares details behind the JGR breakup

The 33-year-old didn’t shy from admitting the timing was all wrong on the Dale Jr. Dirty Mo podcast. “I wanted to do this project for Toyota because when I was with Toyota, I and Gibbs, you know, we had a great ride. We had a great journey together,” he told Dale Jr. “But in 2020, the pandemic hit. Every single sponsor we had planned went down… we ended up running with three where we budgeted for ten.” That candid confession reveals how quickly a manufacturer’s commitment can unravel when global crises strike, leaving drivers trapped in cars that lack competitive funding.

By 2020, NASCAR’s sponsors pulled back industry-wide, and overall series sponsorship revenue plunged nearly 16% as teams struggled to replace withdrawn backers. Iconic outfits like Germain Racing lost GEICO support, and Leavine Family Racing folded entirely amid the funding squeeze. The Toyota-backed startup had budgeted for ten primary partners at roughly $1 million each, but by mid-2020, only three remained, forcing the operation to soldier on with less than a third of its intended funding. Those departures signaled to Suárez that his path to contention would require a fresh start elsewhere.

Even in the Gaunt Brothers test, Suárez treated every lap as an exam. “I told the team, we’re going to have competition meetings… I pushed the team to squeeze the lemon as far as possible,” he recounted. Though the effort couldn’t overcome a shoestring budget, it exemplified Suárez’s refusal to let circumstances dull his edge. That mindset, battle-tested through JGR’s upheaval and Toyota’s collapse, set the stage for his next chapter at Trackhouse.

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Future with Trackhouse remains uncertain

Suárez has called Trackhouse his “best home in the Cup Series,” yet even that relationship hangs in the balance. His contract expires at year’s end, and after a lone win in Atlanta (February 2024), he sits 27th in points outside the playoff cutline. Teammates Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen have each notched victories and secured provisional playoff berths, heightening the pressure on Suárez to deliver results or risk open-market uncertainty.

Despite the anxiety, Suárez maintains a measured outlook. “It’s gonna be, maybe in a few months, we see what happens. There is still a lot of things on the air right now. That is just something that I’m just uncomfortable in a few areas and a few things, but I love Trackhouse, and I love this team, and this team for me is being my best home in the Cup Series,” he said on the Dirty MO podcast, insisting he wants future success both for himself and for Trackhouse, even if that means parting ways.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who recently served as Connor Zilisch’s crew chief at Pocono, praised Suarez for his upbeat attitude despite the uncertainty. “I like that attitude, man,” Earnhardt said. “Always try to keep that same attitude. Things will find a way to sort themselves out in a place where I’ll be happy sitting around.” For the Mexican, the coming months will determine whether he can translate the resilience forged in JGR’s collapse into sustained competitiveness under the Trackhouse banner.