Michigan International Speedway (MIS) in Brooklyn is one of the fastest tracks on the NASCAR circuit.
Pole speeds on the two-mile, D-shaped oval climbed over 203 mph in 2018. While the current Next Gen cars won’t turn speeds like that this weekend, the four- and sometimes five-wide racing at MIS should be spectacular in Sunday’s 400-mile race.
Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suárez knows there’s two keys to crossing the finish line first at Michigan: Get there fast and get there safely.
That is the same strategy employed by Trackhouse Racing’s newest partner, Dallas-based freight and logistics giant Worldwide Express. Suárez will introduce the blue-and-white Worldwide Express paint scheme for his No. 99 team in Michigan this weekend.
Trackhouse announced in April the global logistics provider will serve as the primary sponsor of Ross Chastain’s No. 1 Chevrolet and Suárez’s No. 99 in several races over the next two seasons. Chastain has raced a Worldwide Express paint scheme in 2022 while Suárez carries the livery for the first time Sunday.
He arrives at MIS after finishing 28th on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Suárez raced in the top seven throughout the event and ran as high as third in overtime before damage forced him to pit lane on the final lap.
With just four races remaining before the NASCAR playoffs, Suárez and his Travis Mack-led crew would like to notch their second victory of the season Sunday and build momentum for the Sept. 4 playoff opener at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.
USA Network will televise Sunday’s race in Michigan at 3 p.m. EDT.
Suárez’s First Xfinity Victory Came at Michigan on June 11, 2016
Michigan International Speedway holds a special place in the heart of Daniel Suárez.
In June 2016 the Monterrey, Mexico native won his first Xfinity Series race at MIS when he overcame an early speeding penalty then took the lead from Kyle Busch with two laps remaining.
At the time he became the first Mexican-born driver to win in any of NASCAR’s three national series. He also became the Xfinity tour’s sixth foreign-born winner in his 48th career start.
Suárez went on to win at Dover (Del.) International Speedway and Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway later that season as well as the capture the Xfinity Series championship.
Suárez made history again on June 12, 2022 when won at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway. It was the 30-year-old’s first win of his Cup Series career. He became the first Mexican-born driver and fifth foreign-born driver to win a Cup Series race.
Daniel Suárez, Driver of the No. 99 Worldwide Express Chevrolet
What do you expect at Michigan this weekend?
“I don’t think any of us really know what to expect. The new cars race good everywhere so I expect a good race. But Michigan is different than really everywhere else we have raced. It looks like Auto Club Speedway, but that track is bumpy where I expect Michigan will have more grip. It will be interesting.”
Describe what it takes for success at Michigan?
“Michigan is the kind of racetrack where you have to have a lot of straightaway speed and try to be as good as possible in the corners. You have to have a good downforce car in combination with drag to be able to go fast in the straightaways.”
What is your favorite Michigan memory?
“Michigan is where I got my first Xfinity win, so it’s special to me. You don’t forget moments like that. I just remember I didn’t have any words to describe how i was feeling at that moment. Nothing in Spanish or English.”
No. 99 Trackhouse Team Roster
Founder: Justin Marks, Rocklin, California
President: Ty Norris, Sumter, South Carolina
Driver: Daniel Suárez, Monterrey Mexico
Crew Chief: Travis Mack, Louisville, Kentucky
Car Chief: Eddie D’Hondt Jr., East Islip, New York
Spotter: Frank Kimmel II, Jeffersonville, Indiana
Engine Builder: ECR Engines, Welcome, North Carolina
Engine Tuner: Jason Watkins, Ridgeway, Virginia
Fueler: Milan Rudanovic, Wantage, New Jersey
Front Tire Changer: Corey Baldwin, Severn, Maryland
Rear Tire Changer: Jerick Newsome, Memphis, Tennessee
Jackman: Josh Appleby, Athens, Alabama
Tire Carrier: Jeremy Kimbrough, Decatur, Georgia
Engineer: Jose R. Blasco-Figueroa, CDMX, Mexico (Mexico City, Mexico)
Engineer: Dustin Zacharyasz, Berea, Ohio
Mechanic: Griffin Rider, Lawson, Missouri
Mechanic: Alex Lacognata, Scarborough, Maine
Mechanic: Tony Barkman, Rio Vista, California
Truck Driver: Glenn Shano, Toronto, Canada
Truck Driver: Ben Prince, Denver, North Carolina
About Worldwide Express:
Worldwide Express, LLC is a full-service, non-asset-based logistics provider offering more than 115,000 customers access to industry-leading small package, truckload and less-than-truckload shipping solutions. With an annual systemwide revenue approaching $5 billion through a network of company-owned, franchise and agent locations, Worldwide Express, combined with its sister brands of GlobalTranz and Unishippers, is the second-largest privately held freight brokerage in the country. As the largest non-retail UPS® Authorized Reseller in the US, the company is a local partner for the global supply chains for shippers of all sizes, from small- to medium-sized businesses to enterprise organizations. This, coupled with a selective portfolio of 65+ LTL and tens of thousands of truckload carriers, provides clients with an unmatched range of options and flexibility to meet their shipping needs. To learn more, visit www.wwex.com
Learn more about the sponsorship at wwexracing.com.
Notes of Interest
Suárez becomes the first driver from Mexico (Monterrey) to win in the NASCAR Cup Series on June 12, 2022 at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway.
He became the fifth different driver all-time not from the United States to win a NASCAR Cup Series race; joining Marcos Ambrose (Australia), Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia) Earl Ross (Canada) and Mario Andretti (Italy).
In 2016, Suárez became the first Mexican driver to win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, claiming three victories at Michigan, Dover and the championship finale at Homestead-Miami.
Suárez owns 84 Xfinity Series starts posting three wins, 33 top-five and 55 top-10 finishes.
Suárez owns 28 Camping World Truck Series starts posting a win (Phoenix, Nov. 11, 2016) 10 top-five and 16 top-10 finishes.
In the Cup Series, Suárez owns two poles (Pocono, July 16, 2018), (Kentucky, July 12, 2019.)
Trackhouse founder Justin Marks competed in six Cup Series races with a best finish of 12th-place in the 2018 Daytona 500. He made 35 starts in the Xfinity Series posting a win, three top-five and seven top-10s. He won the Xfinity Series race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Aug. 13, 2016 driving for Chip Ganassi Racing.
Marks competed in 39 races in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series posting four top-10s and capturing two pole awards. He started eighth and finished 31st at Mid-Ohio on July 9, 2022.
He joined four co-drivers in winning the 2009 Rolex 24 in the GT division.
Before turning a wheel in 2021, Trackhouse Racing became one of the more popular teams in NASCAR when it announced GRAMMY® Award-winning global superstar Pitbull had become a partner. Not only is he an active partner on the Trackhouse executive team, but Pitbull also serves as a brand and philanthropic ambassador.
The Trackhouse team won the 2021 NASCAR Diversity Team Award.
Marks won the 2022 “Byrnsie Award” from Fox.
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
