“OFFICIAL” Daniel Suarez Said Goodbye After Five Years with Trackhouse Racing After the 2025 Season Ended and Announced His Retirement from Racing, Leaving Fans in Mourning

In a heartfelt announcement that rippled through the NASCAR community like a sudden checkered flag drop, Daniel Suarez, the trailblazing Mexican driver who became the first from his country to conquer the Cup Series, bid farewell to Trackhouse Racing and the sport he loved after the conclusion of the 2025 season. The news, confirmed in an emotional post-season press conference on September 27, 2025, marked not just the end of a five-year partnership but the close of an illustrious career, leaving fans worldwide in a state of collective mourning. Suarez, at 33, revealed his decision to retire immediately following the finale at Phoenix Raceway, citing a desire to step away on his terms after a journey filled with triumphs, trials, and unbreakable spirit.

Suarez’s tenure with Trackhouse, which began in 2021 when the upstart team burst onto the scene under owner Justin Marks, was nothing short of transformative. As the organization’s inaugural Cup Series driver piloting the No. 99 Chevrolet, he embodied the grit and ambition that propelled Trackhouse from an unknown entity to a perennial playoff contender. “Trackhouse and I have mutually agreed to part ways at the end of the 2025 season,” Suarez stated in a July 1 announcement that initially hinted at new horizons but ultimately foreshadowed his full exit from racing. Reflecting on those early days, he added, “We took a team nobody had even heard of in 2021, and in just a couple of years, we were winning races and running up front on a weekly basis. I’ve had some of the best years of my Cup Series career here. We had great successes as a team, and I gained some incredible friends.”

The highs were indeed electric. Suarez etched his name into NASCAR history with his maiden Cup victory at Sonoma Raceway in 2022, a rain-soaked masterclass that made him the first Mexican-born driver to claim a checkered flag in the premier series. The celebration that followed—complete with a sombrero-clad podium and chants of “¡Viva México!” echoing through Wine Country—ignited a firestorm of national pride south of the border. He doubled down the following year with a dramatic win at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2024, delivering the closest 1-2-3 finish in modern NASCAR lore alongside teammates Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen. Those triumphs propelled him to the playoffs in 2022 and 2024, where he consistently punched above his weight, amassing 305 career starts across stints with Joe Gibbs Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing, Gaunt Brothers Racing, and Trackhouse. Off the track, Suarez’s charisma shone through in initiatives like the “Suarez Speed Tour,” which brought NASCAR to underserved communities in Mexico and the U.S., fostering a new generation of diverse fans.

Yet, the 2025 season painted a more somber portrait, one that tested Suarez’s resolve and ultimately influenced his retirement. Entering the year on a one-year contract extension, he grappled with inconsistencies that saw the No. 99 languish in 29th place in the points standings. Winless through 36 races, Suarez notched just three top-5s and seven top-10s, a far cry from the podium heroics of prior campaigns. Whispers of internal friction surfaced mid-season, with Suarez vocal about organizational tweaks needed under new crew chief Matt Swiderski. “I’ve been very vocal with the team on what needs to be addressed,” he admitted in a July 5 interview in Chicago, expressing a sense of relief post-announcement but no bitterness. “No hard feelings—Trackhouse will always be special to me.” The team’s pivot toward youth, exemplified by promoting 18-year-old phenom Connor Zilisch to the full-time Cup ride in 2026 after his stellar Xfinity campaign, underscored the shifting sands. Zilisch, who impressed in three Cup starts for Trackhouse this year, represents the next chapter, but for Suarez, it was the final signal that his era had crested.

Suarez’s path to NASCAR stardom was a testament to perseverance, a narrative that now culminates in retirement rather than relocation. Born in Monterrey, Mexico, he honed his skills in open-wheel racing before storming the Xfinity Series, where he clinched the 2016 championship in dramatic fashion. Thrust into the Cup spotlight in 2017 with Joe Gibbs Racing after Hall of Famer Carl Edwards’ abrupt exit, Suarez navigated a nomadic early career marked by single-season stops and funding hurdles. Trackhouse provided stability, but broader challenges—racing’s grueling schedule, the pressure of representing a nation, and personal reflections on family—tipped the scales toward hanging up the helmet. “Racing has given me everything, but it’s time to give back in new ways,” Suarez shared in his retirement statement, tears welling as he addressed a packed media room. “I’ve got a beautiful family waiting, and adventures beyond the track calling. The best is ahead, just not behind the wheel.”

The outpouring of grief from fans has been profound, transforming social media into a digital wake of tributes. Hashtags like #GraciasDaniel and #SuarezLegacy trended globally, with messages from Mexico City to Daytona Beach lauding his role as a cultural ambassador. “Daniel didn’t just race; he inspired a whole country to dream bigger,” tweeted Chastain, his soon-to-be former teammate. Marks echoed the sentiment: “The role Daniel has played in the Trackhouse origin story and its first five years will remain a valued part of the company’s history forever.” Even rivals like Chastain and van Gisbergen paused post-Phoenix to honor him, forming an impromptu honor guard in victory lane—ironic, given Suarez’s season-long pursuit of that elusive win.

As the garage area buzzes with Silly Season speculation, Suarez’s void looms large. Who will carry the torch for international drivers in a sport increasingly eyeing global expansion? His retirement closes a chapter but opens doors to mentorship, broadcasting, or even a return to his roots in Mexican motorsports. For now, though, the NASCAR world pauses to mourn the loss of a warrior whose smile lit up ovals and whose heart beat for the checkered flag. Daniel Suarez didn’t just drive cars—he drove change, and in doing so, he leaves an indelible skid mark on the sport’s soul. Farewell, amigo; the track will never be the same.