“I won’t sit here and tell you that it doesn’t really matter. It’s definitely a distraction, but I’m trying to be as smart as possible and to put all this stuff on the side and to just do my thing on the track.” These ominous words came from Daniel Suárez ahead of NASCAR’s Mexico City debut. It reflected that he already knew the spiraling nature of his career at Trackhouse Racing. According to a NASCAR insider, it also concealed a crucial part of NASCAR’s contract system.
Daniel Suárez became the first domino in the annual “Silly Season” shift of personnel. A few days ago, he reached a ‘mutual’ decision with Trackhouse to part ways after five long years in the Cup Series. Both Trackhouse’s owner, Justin Marks, and Suárez stressed the ‘mutual’ clause. But apparently, the rift was the result of spiraling stats.
NASCAR insider lets slip contract complication
Ever since the sport came into existence, drivers have worked for teams on a contract. It is the rock-solid agreement that clears doubts about rewards, exposure, and performance bonuses. Whenever a driver falters in their performance, they lose their team’s faith and thereby carve their own downfall. The same happened with Corey LaJoie, who could not cope with rookie Carson Hocevar’s performance at Spire Motorsports. Then, Hailie Deegan lost her Xfinity seat at AM Racing after a string of miserable finishes. Now, Daniel Suárez is next in line. His average finish was 17.86 in 2024, and now it is hovering at 20.65. Yet have you ever wondered why all the heartbreaking announcements have usually been made mid-season? A NASCAR insider explains why.
Parker Kligerman, who retired from full-time Xfinity racing last year, explained on ‘The Money Lap’ podcast. “If anyone, if you’ve ever signed a one plus one contract…usually, the period in which the option ends is somewhere around July 1st. The point being, the timing is not unusual…halfway through the season. This is where everyone gets excited, this is where I’ve gone down the path talking about, like, the Netflix show they did, where they just completely missed the most compelling story is that, like, 50% of your field, probably give or take, it’s on one plus one contracts, which means they basically have six months to prove themselves to get resigned or less than that, as the season usually starts in February.”
It’s very rare that we hear about how driver contracts work so this segment from @pkligerman on @themoneylap explaining “one plus one” structured deals was very insightful.
The explanation also taught me that my own mechanic/pit crew contracts weren’t terribly different. pic.twitter.com/LtIaDNLW8x
— Bozi Tatarevic (@BoziTatarevic) July 3, 2025
That is what Daniel Suárez failed to accomplish in 2025. His teammate Ross Chastain has performed consistently well with the same Trackhouse equipment, and clinched the Coca-Cola 600 victory. Even Shane Van Gisbergen, who sat outside the top 30 in points, won the Viva Mexico 250 race. Meanwhile, Suárez has only 3 top tens and 1 top five, sitting 29th in points. Hence, he could not fulfill his expectations as Kligerman continued: “So, you know, you’ve got basically five months to prove yourself to get re-signed for next year. And we talk about May, that’s only a couple of months in the season. And it does because you’re rumbling towards July 1st, which is normally the time period of which the option ends.”
What is more, Daniel Suárez is making way for the future. That involves both his and a young gun’s prospects.
Why the rift makes more sense
Well, Daniel Suárez has spent five long seasons at Trackhouse Racing. He fetched two wins for the team; one at Sonoma (2022) and then in Atlanta (2024). After that, it has been a steady slide for the Mexican speedster. Presently, Connor Zilisch is a developmental driver for Trackhouse, on loan to JR Motorsports in Xfinity. And the way the 19-year-old is dazzling every weekend, a Cup Series upgrade in 2026 seems mandatory for him. Zilisch won his debut Xfinity race at Watkins Glen in 2024 and he already owns two victories in his rookie season. Meanwhile, Daniel Suárez dazzled Dale Jr after fetching a JRM victory at Mexico City, during the Chilango 150 race.
Hence, former NASCAR crew chief and race analyst Steve Letarte justified the rift. He said that Trackhouse had to part ways with Daniel at this time: “I think this was a business decision. Why now? I actually applaud the parties involved for a couple of reasons. Trackhouse has to move forward with their plan. I think we can all assume what it is. They have a bunch of drivers in the pipeline. One being Connor Zilisch… If something was going to happen, Daniel has to go out and find a ride.” He added, “I think this is the way to do it because I think this is the only way this 99 has success to finish this year off. If this happens, in the shadows and in the whispers and doesn’t become official, how does Daniel move forward? How does Trackhouse move forward without the relationship becoming more sour?”
Clearly, Daniel Suárez’s departure did not happen suddenly. And neither did the other drivers’ untimely exits from their teams, as Parker Kligerman enlightened us.
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