Even before he won his first NASCAR Cup Series race Sunday at Sonoma Raceway, Daniel Suarez’s job security wasn’t really in doubt at Trackhouse Racing.
But a few days after the race, team president Ty Norris said there is “a 100% chance” the 30-year-old Suarez will re-sign with the team.
Suarez “is not going anywhere,” Norris said Wednesday on NBC’s NASCAR America MotorMouths show Peacock.
Norris said he had begun negotiations with Suarez’s agent, Gustavo Arenas, in April and had a verbal agreement by the Coca-Cola 600 weekend.
“That win Sunday, quite honestly, has no bearing on whether or not we were going to extend him,” Norris said. “We were already in that conversation. What it did for him was just completely give him the confidence that he’s in a fantastic spot. He’s where he needs to be. This is his home.”
Suarez, in his sixth full-time Cup season, is in his second year of a two-year deal with Trackhouse Racing. Sunday’s race was Suarez’s 195th on NASCAR’s premier circuit.
Suarez is 17th in the standings, which matches his career-best result from 2019.
Both Suarez and his teammate, Ross Chastain, are locked into the playoffs via wins. Chastain won at Circuit of The Americas and Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.
“Elite” Testing Rules
Speaking of Trackhouse Racing….
On Wednesday, NASCAR published an update to its rulebook that is effectively inspired by Trackhouse’s PROJECT91, which was announced in May.
The project aims to bring International motorsports stars into the NASCAR Cup Series for one-off events. The first experiment will be with 2007 Formula 1 champion Kimi Raikkonen in the Aug. 21 race at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International.
NASCAR, which has a ban on testing, issued new guidelines for a type of test that would allow drivers with “elite credentials from the highest forms of motorsports in the world” to test. This would allow someone like Raikkonen the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the car ahead of their intended debut.
NASCAR will allow a test of a driver with elite credentials from another form of racing to get familiar with the car. They must be entered for a Cup race to do the test. The rules: pic.twitter.com/RCRLndiOOS
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 15, 2022
Raikkonen’s venture with Trackhouse is expected to be the only appearance of PROJECT91 and the No. 91 car this season, with more attempts coming in 2023.
The race at Watkins Glen will be Raikkonen’s first start in the Cup Series, but it will be his third NASCAR race. In 2011 he made two starts, one in the Xfinity Series and one in the Truck Series. Both came in the same week at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Johnson Releasing Photographic Biography
Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson announced this week the forthcoming release of a book documenting his life and racing career.
Titled “One More Lap: Jimmie Johnson and the #48,” the photographic biography book was made in collaboration with Ivan Shaw, a producer of art photography books. It will also feature a forward written by pro basketball Hall of Famer and 23XI Racing co-owner Michael Jordan.
The book is scheduled to be released in September 2022.
Exciting news! Chani and I have been working on this project for a long time now. It's something that's been close to my heart, and I am proud to finally share it with all of you. Preorders for "One More Lap" are available now. pic.twitter.com/FQlGaoj4tQ
— Jimmie Johnson (@JimmieJohnson) June 14, 2022
TV Ratings
The Fox portion of the NASCAR Cup schedule came to an end with Sunday’s race at Sonoma.
The Toyota / Save Mart 350, which aired on Fox Sports 1, had a 1.3 rating and averaged 2.235 million viewers. That’s down from a 1.49 rating and an average of 2.494 million for the race last year.
According to Fox Sports PR, overall ratings for its portion of the Cup season was up 6% over the 2021 season and averaged 4.5 million viewers. The 10 races that aired on Fox were up 10% from 2021. This can largely be credited to the Daytona 500 broadcast. The 2021 edition of the races was delayed by rain.
That’s a wrap! FOX Sports concludes its portion of the 2022 @NASCAR Cup Series season up +6% in average viewership over 2021. The 10 races on FOX averaged 4,590,000 viewers, an increase of 10% over 2021 (4,159,000). pic.twitter.com/jg9wt6OAaE
— FOX Sports PR (@FOXSportsPR) June 14, 2022
After the off-weekend, the NBC portion of the schedule begins next weekend at Nashville Superspeedway.
The second annual Ally 400 will air on Sunday, June 26 at 5 p.m. ET on NBC. The four Cup races after that will air on the USA Network.