NASCAR: Obvious decision takes top free agent off the market
By Asher Fair
It’s officially official: Daniel Suarez has signed a contract to stay at Trackhouse Racing Team for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season.
One of the top remaining free agents in NASCAR Cup Series silly season is no longer on the market, as Trackhouse Racing Team and Daniel Suarez have officially agreed to terms on a deal to keep the latter behind the wheel of the #99 Chevrolet through the 2023 season.
It’s a decision that should surprise absolutely nobody, considering the comments that have been made by both the team and Suarez over the last few months.
Early on, there was some rumblings of Suarez perhaps being replaced next year, especially after first-year teammate Ross Chastain won two early races, giving him the first two victories of his career.
Meanwhile, in year number two with the Justin Marks and Pitbull-owned team, Suarez was still seeking career win number one.
Suarez finally earned his first win — and playoff berth — in six seasons at the Cup level at Sonoma Raceway back in mid-June, and the team stated afterward that there was a “100% chance” of him signing a deal to continue with the organization in 2023. Team president Ty Norris added that his win didn’t even have an impact on that decision.
However, in this day and age of motorsport silly season, it’s smart to wait for formal confirmation from all parties involved, as we’ve found out specifically in IndyCar in Formula 1.
Even though more than two months had passed since the 30-year-old Mexican earned his first win, that’s exactly what we got ahead of Saturday’s regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway.
It is worth noting that Suarez’s deal runs through only the 2023 season, so as of now, he is slated to become a free agent after next year. That doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t re-sign with Trackhouse Racing Team again, however.
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With one race remaining in the 2022 regular season, Suarez sits in 12th place in the point standings and 14th in the provisional 16-driver playoff picture.