Atlanta Raceway has been an evolving loop of asphalt that has undergone many changes since it was opened for racing. The most recent one came in 2022 when the Cup Series drivers were once again forced to tweak their setup according to the new surface. Daniel Suarez from Trackhouse Racing seems to have figured out the secret recipe for conquering the quad oval track. A nail-biting three-wide finish last year in the spring race saw the Mexican driver snag the win in thrilling fashion.

Has the No. 99 Chevy team worked out a trick that helps them at Atlanta? Or is it just pure luck that has seen Suarez collect a bunch of solid finishes at the racetrack? Well, the racing has turned into superspeedway drafting style, with the entire field bunched up together, so luck does play a role at drafting tracks. However, if we are to go by Suarez’s admission, his team does have a trick up their sleeve whenever they visit the 1.5-mile quad-oval track.

Daniel Suarez explained how his team prepares for Atlanta races

With the latest configuration, the banking on the racing surface of Atlanta was increased from 24 to 28 degrees in the turns. Moreover, the width of the racetrack was reduced from 54 to 40 feet. This change saw drivers resort to pack races and using the draft as they do at tracks like Daytona and Talladega. Although Atlanta is an intermediate racetrack in length, it started using the superspeedway package due to these changes.

In six Cup Series races after the reconfiguration, Daniel Suarez has two runner-ups, a victory, and a top-10 finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway. So how does the #99 team prepare their car for this racetrack? “I can’t tell you all my secrets, but we’ve been working really hard with my team. With every year we have to make a small adjustment. Even though we’ve been great here the last few trips, the car is not going to be the same; we have to make some tweaks to it because we know the racetrack every single winter gets pretty cold… So it is very important to keep up with it.” Suarez said this to Frontstretch.

Suarez also added that the style of racing will be the same, and he certainly likes the challenge the track throws in front of the drivers. “I believe the racetrack has definitely changed; it has less grip… Well, that’s great because that creates more opportunities, and the racing is going to continue to be the same. What is going to change is the build of the cars and the way that we make the setup in the cars… So I think the racing product is going to be just as good; the difference is what we’re going to do at the shop in preparing for the race.”

The win at Atlanta early in 2024 helped Suarez to secure his playoff spot. But apart from that and success at a few intermediate racetracks, they didn’t deliver the goods. The No. 99 car was the only Trackhouse entry in the playoffs, as Ross Chastain couldn’t make it. Yet, they just couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity.

Suarez and the #99 team went overboard with experimentation

A win in the bag in just the second week of the season is a huge relief for any NASCAR team. This win was monumental for Daniel Suarez, as he was on the hot seat with rumors about his future making all the noise. Thanks to this victory, Suarez was able to sign a one-year extension and was able to focus and try new things before the playoffs.

However, the team’s on-track performance just plummeted as they felt secure and tried a bunch of different things. From COTA to New Hampshire, in a ten-run stretch, the driver had eight finishes outside of the top 20, and that did come to bite them during the playoffs. Without a win and the backup of the playoffs points, Suarez crashed out in the first round itself.

Reflecting on the season, the Mexican driver stated, “To be able to win early in the season is a big deal. You get the opportunity to try the things if you didn’t have the win you probably wouldn’t do. But that being said, you also have to gain points and stage points and things like that. I feel like that was one of the mistakes that we made in the middle of last year. There were a lot of things we wanted to try and see, but we lost a lot of momentum. So it’s amazing to win early, but you have to put in the balance, as regular season points and stage points are really important.”

Well, the good news is that he and his team will be able to start from scratch at the start of the new season. Moreover, it will be interesting to see if the #99 team once again delivers a big performance at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.