2024 Trackhouse Racing Advance – Darlington – Speedway Digest – Home for NASCAR News

Suárez Notes Adrián Fernández/Quaker State Throwback Paint Scheme: Daniel Suárez’s No. 99 Quaker State Chevrolet will carry a special throwback paint scheme in Darlington this weekend celebrating the 20-year anniversary of Adrián Fernández driving the No. 5 Quaker State IndyCar to victory lane at Kentucky, Chicago, and Fontana in 2004. Mexican Icon: Fernández is from Mexico City and an 11-time winner in the CART/ IndyCar Series over a 13-year career (1993-2005). He also won 10 Rolex and ALMS sports car races and has competed around the world including four appearances in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He was the inspiration for Suárez and nearly every Mexican driver setting the bar for on and off the track performance. Suárez recalls watching him as a kid when CART raced in Monterrey, Mexico. Fernández Familiar to NASCAR fans: Fernández drove for Hendrick Motorsports in 10 Xfinity Series races 2005-2008. He posted two top-10 finishes in three Mexico City Xfinity races.  Atlanta Victory: At Atlanta, he and runner-up Ryan Blaney were separated by 0.003 seconds at the finish line. It was the fourth-closest finish in series history, and with third-place Kyle Busch just 0.007 seconds behind the winner, it also stands as the closest finish among three cars in the history of auto Racing. Trackhouse Victories: Atlanta marked Trackhouse Racing’s seventh win in the NASCAR Cup Series, and first at Atlanta. Chastain owns four victories, Suárez two and one for Shane van Gisbergen. Mexico Series: Suárez won the 150-lap Mexico Series race at the Los Angeles Coliseum on Feb. 3. It was his 11th victory. First Mexican to Win in Cup: Suárez became the first driver from Mexico (Monterrey) to win in the NASCAR Cup Series on June 12, 2022, at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway. International Driver: He is one of six drivers not from the United States to win a NASCAR Cup Series race: Shane van Gisbergen (New Zealand), Marcos Ambrose (Australia), Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia), Earl Ross (Canada) and Mario Andretti (Italy). Ambrose, Montoya, and Suárez own two victories each. Cup Career Highlights: Suárez owns two victories (Sonoma 2022 and Atlanta 2024) and three Busch Light Pole Awards – Pocono (Pa.) Raceway July 2018, Kentucky Speedway July 2019, and on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway August 2023. English is a Second Language: Suárez came to America to race. He did not speak English when he arrived in Buffalo, New York. He is the only Spanish-speaking driver in the NASCAR Cup Series. Suárez Passes Citizenship Test: The Monterrey, Mexico native passed the United States Citizenship test on April 29 in Charlotte and will take the Oath of Allegiance at a naturalization ceremony in the next few weeks when he will become a dual citizen of Mexico and the United States. Racing-reference.info%2Fdriver%2FDaniel_Suarez%2F&cf=57335&v=36898593c78edb6aabd7626e47f9f07c700990b318e1fb7525be485dc6719655″ target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Daniel Suárez Career Statistics   Suárez Quotes:Would you ever believe you would be Racing in NASCAR and driving a Quaker State paint scheme celebrating Adrián Fernández?“Growing up in Mexico, Quaker State was a brand that I saw in every mechanic shop, so it is very special to be a part of this brand that I’ve recognized from such a young age. When I first became a Racing fan, I rooted for Adrián Fernández, a Mexican race car driver, specifically because he had that famous green Quaker State paint scheme. I remember watching him race in Monterrey in a CART race.”We have become friends over the years and it’s so cool we can honor him this weekend in Darlington. Adrián was excited about it when I called him a few weeks ago and told him what we were doing. He is Racing in Europe this weekend or I know he would be here in Darlington with us. I know he’ll be watching on television.” Suárez on the throwback weekend at Darlington Raceway: “It’s special because it’s the only weekend of the entire year of almost 40 races that we get to play around with throwbacks to recognize not just all the generations of drivers, but teams, paint schemes and everything, really. It’s a lot of fun to celebrate the history of NASCAR, teams and drivers. I enjoy it a lot.”What makes Darlington Raceway so tough? “Darlington (Raceway) is one of the toughest racetracks. The reason for that is because it’s tough on tires. It’s only one lane, maybe two at times, in (turns) three and four, and one-and-a-half in one and two. It’s a tricky one. You have to be very precise. It’s a long race, as well. 400 miles, 500 miles, 600 miles – whatever that may be, Darlington is a long race. It’s way different to run 500 miles at Daytona (International Speedway) than it is to run 500 miles at Darlington. At Darlington, it feels like it goes forever. “It’s a tough task, but I enjoy it. I enjoy the challenge. We’ve run well there in the past, and we’re looking forward to putting a very special paint scheme upfront – honoring Adrián Fernández with his Quaker State IndyCar scheme from 20 years ago. Hopefully, we can have a good run with it.”