MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Gaunt Brothers Racing has signed Daniel Suárez to drive its No. 96 Toyota Camry full time in the NASCAR Cup Series.
It will mark Suárez’s fourth year in the NASCAR Cup Series and a return to the manufacturer with whom the Mexican driver has enjoyed so much NASCAR success.
“It’s great to be back with Toyota and back in the NASCAR Cup Series,” said the 28-year-old, who was born in Monterrey, Mexico and now calls Huntersville, N.C. home. “My NASCAR career started off really well and Toyota was a very big part of that. To have them in my corner again gives me a lot of confidence.
“Gaunt Brothers Racing has something to prove and so do I. We’re committed to each other and we’re going to build each other up.”
Suárez won the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship behind the wheel of a Joe Gibbs Racing-prepared Toyota Camry. His title-winning drive earned him a promotion to Gibbs’ NASCAR Cup Series program, where he continued in Toyotas throughout the 2017 and 2018 seasons before joining Stewart-Haas Racing in 2019.
As the 2020 season gets underway, Suárez is happy to be back with the manufacturer who ushered him up the NASCAR ladder and into the NASCAR Cup Series.
“We are pleased that Daniel is rejoining the Toyota family in 2020,” said Ed Laukes, group vice president, marketing, Toyota Motor North America. “He has been a member of the Toyota Racing family throughout the majority of his career and contributed greatly to our shared success, most notably in winning the 2016 Xfinity Series championship.
“We are excited to see Gaunt Brothers Racing move to a full-time entry next season and thrilled to have Daniel behind the wheel. We look forward to this new partnership.”
Just as Suárez knows the possibilities that exist at his new home, Gaunt Brothers Racing realizes the opportunity it now has with an experienced driver coming into his prime.
“We’ve been working toward this moment since Gaunt Brothers Racing joined the Cup Series in 2017,” said Marty Gaunt, president, Gaunt Brothers Racing. “We’ve made steady improvement every year, but bringing Daniel on board allows us to take a giant leap forward. We’re investing in each other. He’s not content to just be here and neither are we.
“We’ve been very strategic in everything we’ve done, and between our partnership with Toyota and the resources now available to us, we can take that next step and deliver for Daniel and all of our partners.”
Dave Winston will serve as Suárez’s crew chief. The NASCAR veteran comes to Gaunt Brothers Racing from Richard Childress Racing, where he was the vehicle performance group engineer and also the race engineer for driver Daniel Hemric.
Winston has served as a crew chief before, spending 2014 at BK Racing with driver Alex Bowman and 2016 at Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing with driver Michael McDowell.
Winston has a degree in mechanical engineering from Florida Atlantic University.
Coca-Cola and CommScope will also continue their respective partnerships with Suárez at Gaunt Brothers Racing.
The iconic Coca-Cola brand has been with Suárez since 2015 when he won the Xfinity Series rookie-of-the-year title, while CommScope – a leader in communication network technology – has been with Suárez through its ARRIS and Ruckus Networks brands since 2014, when he first competed in the Xfinity Series.
“We are excited to continue our partnership with Daniel Suárez and build a new relationship with Gaunt Brothers Racing,” said John Mount, vice president, sports marketing and region assets for Coca-Cola North America. “Daniel is a valuable member of the Coca-Cola Racing Family and he embodies the values most important to Coca-Cola. We’re looking forward to supporting Daniel in this next step of his career at Gaunt Brothers Racing.”
“CommScope solutions deliver power, speed, precision and innovation – just like a race team – and provide fans with an optimal experience as they watch NASCAR through our video, wireless and broadband technologies,” added Eddie Edwards, president and CEO of CommScope. “We wish Daniel Suárez much success this year and look forward to cheering him on at the finish line.”