In a move that many saw coming even before the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season began, Trackhouse Racing and Daniel Suarez have confirmed that they will be ending their partnership at the end of the year.
Suarez was the original driver for the Justin Marks-owned team when they first entered the Cup Series in 2021, and he has been behind the wheel of the No. 99 Chevrolet ever since. He secured his first career win, and thus his first career playoff berth, at Sonoma Raceway in 2022, and he added another victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway last year.
But Suarez has struggled to find consistency otherwise, and when he entered the 2025 season without a deal to compete in 2026, the writing was on the wall. Unfortunately for the 33-year-old Mexican driver, his results this year haven't done anything to change his career outlook.
Daniel Suarez out, Connor Zilisch in?
He sits in 29th place in the point standings, and while he is higher than teammate Shane van Gisbergen, van Gisbergen is a rookie and has found victory lane this year. In fact, van Gisbergen has twice as many Cup wins as Suarez since 2023, despite having only started competing full-time this year.
Additionally, Ross Chastain has six wins since joining Trackhouse Racing in 2022, including this year's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and has finished as high as second place in the standings during that stretch.
While Suarez's replacement has not yet been confirmed, it's obvious that Connor Zilisch is in line to take over alongside van Gisbergen and Chastain in 2026. Zilisch was signed by Trackhouse Racing as a development driver last year, and he has made select Cup Series starts this year.
Additionally, he has found immediate success in the Xfinity Series with JR Motorsports, establishing himself as a championship contender with multiple wins so far in 2025 after winning on debut last season.
Suarez's future plans remain unconfirmed, though it may be difficult for him to remain in the Cup Series, given how few seats are slated to open up at the end of the 2025 season.
Prior to joining Marks' team in 2021, Suarez spent the first two years of his Cup career (2017 to 2018) with Joe Gibbs Racing before moving to Stewart-Haas Racing for 2019 and Gaunt Brothers Racing for 2020.