(Photo Credit: Logan Riely/Getty Images)
By Adam Carabine & Logan Morris
This year, in preparation for the 2024 NASCAR season, we present our Team Previews Series. Each day until the end of January, a new Team Preview will be live on our website. Check back every day to see what we have to say about your favourite team!
Adam Carabine: Welcome back, let’s dive right into it. Today’s Team Preview is all about TrackHouse Racing! Is it safe to call them one of NASCAR’s most fun teams? There’s a certain energy in the way they present themselves. It’s infectious. Tell us Logan, can they keep up the energy in 2024?
Logan Morris: They can and I believe they will. They’re picking up major sponsorship in Busch Beer, Wendy’s and others. We all know that funding is the name of the game. Combine that with the talent of their drivers, it’s a major recipe for success. They have a certain mojo. I expect big things for them this season.
AC: You’re certainly right when it comes to their funding. I imagine that has to translate to results on the track. Ross Chastain likely isn’t going anywhere any time soon, especially since he helped nab that ever-lucrative Busch sponsorship. But what about Daniel Suarez? What does his future with TrackHouse (or even NASCAR) look like?
LM: It’s a pivotal year for him, no question. The momentum for TrackHouse is real and he’s a part of that. I think he gets back in victory lane this season.
AC: I know he was disappointed in his season last year. When I spoke with him in at the championship race in Phoenix last year, he said that he actually had cancelled his off-season vacation plans so he could get back to the shop sooner. He said there was a lot of work to be done. Certainly an influx of funding can’t hurt that, but you’ve got to think it’s a high-pressure year for Suarez. How many wins does he need in ‘24 to call it a successful year? Is just one enough?
LM: His commitment to getting back to the grind shows me he’s going to have a strong season. As far as how many wins makes the season a success? Just one is all he needs. However, the emphasis is on needs. Two or more is gravy. But, he needs to find victory lane at least once in 2024, or his seat is likely going to get warm. SVG and Zane Smith are waiting in the wings.
AC: That’s true, there is the added pressure of two guys who would be more than happy to slot into that 99 car. I agree that it might only take one win, but he’s going to need multiple seasons of consistently finding victory lane if he wants to continue in the Cup Series. What about Ross Chastain? Since he broke into the win column two years ago, he’s been hitting two wins a season. Does he need three this season to show improvement? What makes a successful season for Chastain this year?
LM: Given the increased funding and another year of experience, I’m going to say he needs three wins to live up to hype. He’s consistently in contention for wins, but has had trouble closing the deal, usually because he doesn’t have many friends out there. If he can find a way to stop making enemies, the sky could be the limit.
AC: That may be true, but there’s also the school of thought that his attempts to ‘clean up his act’ actually neutered his performance on the track. Do you think he needs that nasty streak in order to get back to victory lane consistently? Or will the rivalries he builds along the way come back to bite him?
LM: It’s like most things in life, balance. He has to find a balance between his wreckless win-at-all-costs attitude and the more hesitant version of Ross Chastain that we saw after the infamous Rick Hendrick press conference.The great ones find a way to ride the lighting bolt, so to speak.
AC: I think you’re right. Killer instinct is one of those intangibles that’s hard to learn. It seems like we’ve both got pretty high expectations for TrackHouse this year, it should be interesting to see if they can live up to them.
Stay tuned for another edition of our Team Preview Series tomorrow, where we unpack Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing.
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