The recent Cup Series Daytona race saw it all: chaos, drama, last-minute thriller, cars getting airborne, and cars on fire. Yes, not one, but two cars! Through all these, the lucky ones competed for the checkered flag and out came a winner. Not who you would have expected. It was the 23-year-old Harrison Burton from the Wood Brothers Racing team.

Harrison’s victory was an absolute thriller as he fended off two-time NASCAR champion Kyle Busch. Burton’s victory did not come off easy. How could it be? Busch has taken the chequered flag 63 times in his Cup Series career. Burton led only the last lap of the Daytona race, but the most crucial one. Bypassing Kyle Busch just a half-lap from the finish, he secures his first win of his Cup Series career. Although this wasn’t the only fiery event on track. Ask Daniel Suarez how it felt to be driving a burning car!

Daniel Suarez and the burning #99 car

So here’s what happened: The iconic Daytona race was underway! Stage 1 was won by Josh Berry and was completed wreck-free. As everyone went into pit lanes, so did Daniel Suarez. Soon after his pit stop, Suárez returned to the pit road, only this time with a fire at his tail. Yes, the car’s tail end was quite literally up in flames. Suárez safely exited the car and the Trackhouse Racing crew put the fire out quickly on the pit road. It is tough to imagine it.

While Daniel Suárez’s car initially appeared to catch fire spontaneously, a closer analysis revealed a series of unfortunate events that led to the incident. Suárez was attempting to leave his pit stall when he was blocked by Harrison Burton, forcing him to stop briefly. Denny Hamlin’s stall was right behind that of Suarez. A backfire from the #11 positioned behind Suarez on pit road ignited a spark, which started a fire in Suarez’s trunk which had some fuel dropped on it while refueling. The same was also explained by Suarez in the post-incident interview. 

Per NBC, NASCAR has informed Daniel Suarez and his team that they can rejoin the race if they can get the car fixed. However, it looked beyond repairable, and the Spaniard was out of the race! When videos of the incident went viral, it showed Suarez driving the car in that condition. Many would instinctively jump out. But Suarez did not!

Further, in an interview, Suarez explained what happened. He said, “The other crazy thing is I was able to feel the heat. But because I don’t run a rearview mirror, I run the rearview camera, I couldn’t see it. The rearview camera, as you guys know, is connected in the rear bumper. I can see the smoke, but I couldn’t see the fire. I can feel the heat, but I couldn’t see how big it was.” Suarez’s car wasn’t the only one which was up in flames. In stage 2 of the race, even Shane Van Gisbergen’s car burst into flames, too.

SVG joined the chaos at Daytona

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Shane Van Gisbergen’s NASCAR Cup Series debut at Daytona International Speedway was cut short because of an engine failure during the second stage. Despite avoiding several incidents and running competitively, van Gisbergen’s engine exploded in a dramatic display of smoke. At the same time, Erik Jones and Martin Truex Jr. experienced tire punctures, leading Kaulig Racing to initially suspect that debris from the car ahead had damaged their cars’ radiators.

The Kaulig Racing team has since maintained its stance that a bolt penetrating the radiator was the most probable cause of the punctures. SVG took the car to the pit lane, where it just caught fire! Fire-wise, it was certainly not a good day for Trackhouse drivers, first Suarez and then SVG. His race was cut short too! However, not to worry as will be seeing plenty of him in the next season. The star of the road courses is coming full-time to the Cup.

Trackhouse Racing has expanded its NASCAR Cup Series program for 2025 by acquiring a third charter from Stewart-Haas Racing and adding Shane van Gisbergen to its driver lineup. The 35-year-old Kiwi will pilot the No. 88 car for Trackhouse, joining Ross Chastain and Daniel Suárez as teammates. Stephen Doran will serve as the crew chief for the No. 88 team. Are you excited about watching SVG in the Cup? Can he replicate his Xfinity performance here as well? Let us know in the comments below.