“Uh, I don’t know…” Kyle Busch’s spotter, Derek Kneeland, was completely clueless as the checkered flag waved at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2024. The finish had been too close to call. Three cars of Daniel Suarez, Ryan Blaney, and Busch came barrelling toward the line in a three-wide and crossed it almost together. While the crowd erupted in thrill, the garage fell silent as every crew member glued to the timing screen.

Then came the official announcement—Suárez had won. By just 0.003 seconds. The reaction was electric as Suarez’s crew celebrated with his signature taco piñata. It was the kind of moment that defined a season. The photo finish was the closest in Atlanta history and the third closest in NASCAR Cup Series history. Fast forward to 2025, NASCAR is set to host the second race of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

While the stage is set for another thriller, last year’s winner Suarez has dropped a bombshell. Ahead of the event, the Trackhouse Racing driver claimed that Atlanta is a better racetrack than NASCAR’s crown jewel Daytona. He believes that Atlanta now delivers better racing than iconic super speedways like Daytona and Talladega.

Daniel Suarez triggers a massive debate!

After a chaotic and rain-filled week at Daytona International Speedway, the NASCAR caravan has reached Atlanta for the next round of the season. NASCAR fans hope for another thriller, especially after the last-lap finish at Daytona 500. However, ahead of the event, last year’s winner, Daniel Suarez, reflects on the chaotic last laps of his Atlanta triumph. He explains why this track stands apart from the traditional superspeedways.

“In the last couple of days, people have asked me, ‘Daniel, what is the difference between Daytona, Talladega, and Atlanta?’ and I tell people the easiest way to describe it is that if you’re watching a video and it’s in normal speed, that’s Daytona. In Atlanta, it’s almost like you put it at 1.5x speed. Everything happens quicker—runs quicker, blocks quicker, the corners are quicker. That’s why, mentally, you’re exhausted after that race, because everything’s happening so quickly,” Suárez told Andrew Kurland.

While his comments might not please some NASCAR fans, honestly, he wasn’t exaggerating. In recent years, super speedways like Daytona and Talladega have become the home of strategic racing. Teams and drivers often look to save fuel as there are very less overtaking opportunities. On the other hand, Atlanta has everything a NASCAR fan craves for. In 2024, it saw 48 lead changes by 14 drivers. The Ambetter Health 400 also had 11 cautions keeping fans on edge.

Notably, Suarez’s comments come when Daytona and Talladega are facing huge criticism. While Atlanta has embraced high-speed battles and dramatic finishes, Daytona has gone in the opposite direction. With the introduction of the Next Gen car, drivers have had to shift their focus from raw racing to fuel strategy. NASCAR veterans like Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Denny Hamlin have voiced their criticism too.

Following this year’s Daytona 500, the NASCAR Hall of Fame openly criticized the current state of superspeedway racing. On his Dale Jr. Download podcast, he broke down why Daytona has lost its magic. “The problem is we’ve slowed these cars down to keep them from flipping. We’ve got too much drag and not enough horsepower. We need to reimagine superspeedway racing. Right now, it’s about survival, not racing,” Dale Jr. said.

Denny Hamlin echoed these thoughts on his Actions Detrimental podcast. “These cars are too easy to drive. We have way too much grip and way too much drag. It looks great on TV, but nobody’s passing anybody. We’re just riding, saving fuel.” While the contrast between the two tracks is clear, fans are disappointed with the lack of initiatives from NASCAR. With more drivers speaking about it changes seem closer. While Daniel Suarez fuelled a massive debate, his seat at Trackhouse Racings seems under threat.

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Is Suarez’s Seat in Trouble?

While Daniel Suarez aims to repeat his 2024 performance in the upcoming Ambetter Health 400, his drive at Trackhouse isn’t safe. Well-known NASCAR analyst Spider recently reported that Trackhouse Racing might look for a driver change. He believes that Pitbull’s departure from the Trackhouse Program made his seat far from guaranteed.

“It depends on the quality of the win. Last year at this very race, we saw Daniel Suarez win in the three-wide photo finish at Atlanta—and that seemingly didn’t quiet the concerns about his security. Given the drama at Trackhouse with Pitbull’s departure and their new investment coming in, it sounds like Daniel Suarez has his work cut out for him if he’s going to be returning next year,” said Spider.

Despite two career wins, Suarez still has doubters. He has shown flashes of brilliance, including his first career win at Sonoma in 2022 and his historic Atlanta triumph. But in a sport where consistency matters, questions about his long-term security at Trackhouse Racing continue to swirl. Given his records at Atlanta, Suárez would be keen to shut his critics with another strong finish. Do you think Suarez can repeat his 2024 heroics?