Daniel Suarez is locked in. With the 2025 season on the horizon, the Mexican-American racer is placing high expectations on himself in the upcoming Cup Series campaign. After all, the racer has spent eight full seasons at NASCAR’s highest level, four of which have been at Trackhouse Racing. Given his stature and experience, it’s time the 33-year-old begins to make his mark in the racing series and potentially challenge for the title at Phoenix Raceway. However, results in the last few years haven’t painted a convincing picture to improve his odds.

Speculation is rife about Suarez’s future after the driver signed a one-year extension with Justin Marks’ team. However, the Nuevo León native is unconcerned about his seat hanging in the balance and is simply focused on performing to the best of his ability.

Daniel Suarez wants to let his performances do the talking

Inconsistent. The word can pretty much sum up Daniel Suarez’s stint at Trackhouse Racing so far. The driver has made 144 appearances while driving the No. 99 Chevy in the Cup Series, securing just two wins in the process. One of them came at Atlanta Motor Speedway last year, with the Mexican-American racer finishing 0.003 seconds ahead of Ryan Blaney at the 2024 AmBetter Health 400. However, results after the second race of the campaign left much to be desired as the racer managed to get only four top-five results to finish 12th in the drivers standing.

With question marks being raised about his place at Trackhouse Racing, Daniel Suarez made a confident, yet selfish claim, saying, “At the end of the day, I’m only worried about myself. I worry about how can I bring myself to have the best opportunity possible to win multiple races a year. That’s my main goal. Trackhouse has been nothing but great to me. We’ve been working together very hard to bring Trackhouse to the next level. That has been my goal.”

In a sport like NASCAR where fine margins can make all the difference, Suarez isn’t wrong to focus on his results. The 33-year-old is one of three drivers at Trackhouse Racing, with Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen serving as his teammates for the upcoming season. However, 18-year-old Connor Zilisch is lurking on the sidelines and will make his Xfinity Series debut with JR Motorsports this year. Hailed as a ‘generational talent’, the youngster is a legitimate contender for a future Cup Series seat and could replace Suarez if results don’t improve.

Justin Marks is not afraid to make tough decisions, as Zane Smith was forced to make way for Shane van Gisbergen last year. Trackhouse Racing is an ambitious team that is hoping to become regular playoff and title contenders in the future. Considering these factors, Daniel Suarez’s focus on his results isn’t selfish but necessary since he is fighting for his Cup Series future this year.

Even multiple race wins might not be enough to convince his team’s hierarchy, especially with Connor Zilisch being a potential replacement. However, the Mexican-American might do enough to convince another team to take a gamble on him in the future. Making a deep playoff run along with a top-10 finish can be considered attainable targets for the No. 99 Chevy driver this year, but it remains to be seen if he can live up to the expectations in 2025.

Suarez is optimistic about his chances in 2025

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Trackhouse Racing has fallen off in recent years. In 2022, Daniel Suarez secured a triumph at Sonoma Raceway while his teammate Ross Chastain secured two wins and finished second in the standings. However, results since then have left much to be desired, especially from the Nuevo León native who was winless in 2023 while his teammates entered Victory Lane. Despite inconsistent performances, the 33-year-old remains positive about the upcoming campaign, even though his future hangs in the balance.

Suarez signed a one-year contract extension in August 2024, which means the stakes are higher than ever going into the season ahead. Shedding light on the circumstances before he put pen to paper, the racer said, “No, I mean, at the time when we made this deal, there were a lot of unknowns about performance mainly. There were a lot of things I was not happy about, a lot of question marks. I felt like right now we are a little bit in a different position, right now we have a little bit better direction. I feel good about it honestly. I’m not too concerned about it. My main thing is to continue to get better.”

Daniel Suarez will know better than anybody that the pressure is on ahead of the Daytona 500. After a busy off-season, the driver will be aiming to get Trackhouse Racing where it belongs but will need the support of his team to have a breakthrough year. Will the racer rise to the challenge ahead to make his mark at the highest level, or wilt under the pressure and jeopardize his Cup Series career? Time will tell.