Daniel Suárez has received one of the best birthday presents for any NASCAR driver in recent memory. On Monday, the 27-year-old Monterrey native announced he would be joining Stewart-Haas Racing‘s #41 Ford Mustang for the 2019 Monster Energy Cup Series season.
“This is the best birthday present I could ask for,” he stated in a press release. “We’ve all seen how competitive Stewart-Haas Racing is – all of their drivers won last year and all of them advanced deep into the playoffs. This is the opportunity every driver wants, and now I have it. I want to deliver for this team, our partners in Haas Automation, ARRIS and Ford and, ultimately, for me. We have everything we need to be successful.”
“In each series Daniel has raced in, he’s advanced quickly from rookie to race winner,” team co-owner Tony Stewart said. “In four years, he went from the K&N (Pro) Series to the NASCAR Cup Series. In between, he won an Xfinity Series championship (in 2016), and he did it all while learning a new language and a new culture. He’s dedicated, he’s talented and we’re proud to have him as a key part of our race team.”
Suárez moved to the Cup Series in 2017 with Joe Gibbs Racing, driving the #19 Toyota Camry in place of the retiring Carl Edwards. In seventy-two career Cup races, he has twenty-one top-ten finishes, four top fives, and a best finish of second at Pocono Raceway in July 2018, a race that he also won the pole for.
The 2016 Xfinity champion lost his ride with JGR when 2017 Cup champ Martin Truex Jr. was announced as his replacement in the #19, moving over from the now-defunct Furniture Row Racing. For Suárez, he succeeds Kurt Busch in the #41; Busch will race for Chip Ganassi Racing in the #1 in 2019.
“We’re in racing to win and we believe Daniel Suárez can win in the NASCAR Cup Series,” Gene Haas added. “Haas Automation is a global brand and our success is directly attributable to how we’ve leveraged the Haas name in racing. We use motorsports to showcase our latest technology and to attract the best talent in engineering and design. Daniel allows Haas Automation to strengthen its ties to the Mexican community by racing the No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang.”
SHR’s other three drivers — Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, and Aric Almirola — will remain in their rides for 2019. On Twitter, Almirola posted, “Looking forward to working with you, @Daniel_SuarezG!”
