Entering Atlanta Motor Speedway, it had been 57 races since Daniel Suarez last visited Victory Lane in the NASCAR Cup Series. Since then, Trackhouse has won races with Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen, and almost the 2022 title as well.
Suarez was not part of the 2023 playoffs, but after a dramatic win on Sunday, his position in the 2024 NASCAR postseason is nearly guaranteed. A margin of 0.003s is all that stood between him and Ryan Blaney, but that was enough to completely change the conversation around the driver of the No. 99 Chevrolet.
But for team co-owner and founder Justin Marks, there was never any doubt in his mind.
"Daniel was employee No. 4 at Trackhouse, and we're huge fans of him and believers in his talent and ability and believe that he can do these things. He can win these races.
"We made a couple changes during the off-season, and to be able to punch our ticket to the playoffs week two is a great feeling."
One of those changes came atop the pitbox with Matt Swiderski coming over from Kaulig Racing and taking over the role of crew chief from Travis Mack. The two men essentially switched places.
"It's not an emotional thing, it's a pragmatic thing," said Marks, speaking on the change. "It's like tools and it's people and all that kind of stuff. Travis Mack is a huge part of our company and a dear friend of mine and an amazing human being, and we just decided we needed a different type of crew chief for Daniel.
"It was very, very hard to make that change emotionally and personally, but it was one that we felt like was necessary to give Daniel what he said he needed."
Never on the hot seat
Trackhouse recently signed both van Gisbergen and Zane Smith, and as a two-car team where Chastain was consistently outrunning Suarez, questions began to arise over his future with the organization.
Despite the media speculation, Marks asserts that Suarez was never on the hot seat.
"Yes, this is a contract year for Daniel. Does that mean that this is Daniel's audition? No. It means that basically we are working on growing this company and making Trackhouse one of the powerhouse perennial championship-contending companies in this sport.
"On the hot seat? He just didn't have the year that he wanted last year. But we know that he can get it done, and he's a guy that can get it done," said Marks.
"I don't envision necessarily a situation where Daniel is not a driver for Trackhouse Racing. There's a lot of things going on behind the scenes, and this is why we made a change at crew chief. This is why we made a change with some of the people around him and the processes is to put him in a position where he can win because Trackhouse is a winning company.
"I would say that it's validation for the work that we've done this off-season to be able to put him in a position where he can showcase his talent. We have a lot of exciting and important things happening for the future of this company, and I guess that's what I'll say about that. It's just nice to be in the playoffs in week two."
He later added: "Daniel is my guy. I love Daniel, and he's got incredible talent, and he's a guy that just needs good people around him and a good process around him, and he can be very successful."
Marks hinted at the fact that there are plans in the works to accommodate their growing driver roster, which also includes rising star Connor Zilisch.
"Like I said, we've got big plans for growth in the future and big plans for everybody that we've got under contract. It's pretty simple. It's that love this sport more than anything in the world, leave no stone unturned and work hard and dedicate yourself to being the best that you can be, and you've got a place in our company."
