Daytona is a proving ground, but Daniel Suárez has more than just one race to prove himself heading into the 2026 season. He is focused on making a strong comeback this year, especially after how his term with Trackhouse Racing ended unexpectedly. However, he doesn’t seem disappointed, as this is not the first time something like this has happened to him.

Daniel Suarez reflects on the struggles he faced in his career

“This is not new for me,” he told Jeff Gluck. “Coming from a different country, having to learn the language, having to break this barrier, having to break that one, like it’s not something new for me.”

Coming all the way from Mexico, Daniel Suarez proved to be rather impressive in the junior series. But he struggled to put in consistent performances in the Cup Series. Even in 2205, he finished 29th in the driver standings with 611 points. While he didn’t bag a win, he had 2 top-5s and 7 top-10s with 9 DNFs.

He has won twice with Trackhouse Racing, once in 2022 at Sonoma and the other at Atlanta, in 2024, which was the closest three-wide photo finish in NASCAR history. Despite that, the team split ways with him last year, calling it a mutual decision. However, cracks soon surfaced. 

Suarez cited tension that surfaced when crew chief Matt Swiderski joined the No. 99 group. As per the driver, Swiderski’s coming exposed structural gaps that clashed with his expectations. And once Suarez raised concerns, he felt his words did not land. Losing that voice within the room signaled the start of his exit.

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Eventually, he signed with Spire Motorsports and is not looking back, preparing for a massive comeback.

“I have a chip on my shoulder because I know what, what I can do. I know what kind of value I bring,” the 34-year-old added. “And, I felt that we haven’t even really got to raise for real yet, and Spire Motorsports is already seeing that.”

Daniel Suarez had quite a performance in the junior series. Winning five races in the Mexico Series in 2014 earned him a seat in the Xfinity (now the O’Reilly Auto Parts) Series with Joe Gibbs Racing. He managed to win the championship and earned a full-time seat with the team in the Cup Series in 2017.

However, the Cup Series competition did not fit him well. While he was consistent initially, he didn’t replicate his results from the junior series. Moreover, his consistency also dropped as he moved to Stewart-Haas Racing, Gaunt Brothers, and ultimately Trackhouse.

Understandably, he faced quite a few struggles to move to the US. He finally got his citizenship in June 2024. While this struggle is not new for him, Suarez has quite a lot to prove in the upcoming season. And if he can just repeat his outing at the Daytona 500 from August last year, we might see the 34-year-old bag it this time around.

What made his runner-up finish even sweeter was the announcement of his replacement at Trackhouse Racing on the same day. After starting 12th, Suarez was running 19th with two laps to go, but in a remarkable late charge through the field, he followed Ryan Blaney. As they approached the finish line, Suarez was on the far outside of a four-wide photo finish, ultimately crossing the line in second place, just 0.031s behind Blaney.

Meanwhile, Trackhouse Racing seems to be preparing for a much stronger season.

Trackhouse Racing’s strong lineup for 2026

Connor Zilisch, the rookie who kept the entire Xfinity Series garage impressed last season, is Trackhouse Racing’s latest addition. Previously, he has also been compared to Jeff Gordon. There are high expectations that surround him.

As he takes the wheel of the #88 Chevy, Shane van Gisbergen will move to the #97. Having him on the team is like a complete guarantee of a dominant performance on road courses.

These two drivers make more race wins very likely for Trackhouse Racing in 2026. Moreover, they have Ross Chastain, whose performance was a strong comparison for Daniel Suarez. Chastain had managed to be more consistent on the field against Suarez, which was also one of the reasons for the split.

“It was a lot of relief for me because I have known for several months that it was going to happen,” Suarez had said on splitting up with Trackhouse Racing.

It seemed that he knew it was going to happen, and hence Suarez found himself an early seat with Spire Motorsports.

While Trackhouse prepares for a strong season with proven drivers, Suarez seemed more focused on his personal goals. But will he manage to mark an entry in Victory Lane this year?