Ross Chastain / #1 Busch Light Chevrolet
2024 Crew Chief: Phil Surgen
2024 Season Grade: B
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | 2024 Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 1 | 6 | 14 | 1 | 19 |
Looking to recapture the magic of the previous two seasons, Chastain and his #1 Trackhouse team had eyes on a run to the Round of 4 in 2024. Armed with new anchor sponsor Busch Light, the team was primed to be a contender.
The season started strong for Chastain, with four top 10 finishes in the first six races. Following this strong start (and as with many other drivers this season), the bottom seemed to fall out during the pre-summer grind. Having to fight for a spot in the top fifteen most weekends, the switch finally came back on in May at Charlotte, where Chastain would finish 8th.
Following a top five in Sonoma a few weeks later, the roller coaster of finishes began again. This inconsistency kept Chastain floating around the bottom of the playoff field as it began to form. As the official playoff season began, Chastain was back on track ripping off a string of strong finishes, but these were hampered by several finishes towards the back of the field. Although too late to put Chastain in the playoff field, the Trackhouse driver led the final 21 laps en route to his solo win of the season in Kansas.
The 2024 season would wrap for Chastain with only two more top ten finishes, locking him into 19th in the final standings to end the season.
2025 Outlook: Chastain and his #1 Trackhouse team begin 2025 with one of the more established teams in the field. With driver, crew chief, and sponsors all returning for the new season it is reasonable to expect another solid run. The biggest chances for Chastain to reach victory lane again are at the mile and a half tracks, where he has a reputation for being a serious threat to win.
Daniel Suarez / #99 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet
2024 Crew Chief: Matt Swiderski
2024 Season Grade: B-
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | 2024 Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 12 |
Daniel Suarez and Trackhouse eyed the 2024 season as one to finally reach the top of the mountain. As Suarez and his team continued to evolve and grow, performance improved over the last season. Appearing towards the front of the field more frequently in 2024, the team proved they had the speed. However, the finishes and luck were not always to be had.
The Daytona 500 did not start the season well for Suarez, as he would finish 34th due to an accident. Atlanta the following race however, would be Suarez’s biggest highlight for the season. Scoring his second career win, Suarez was part of the thrilling three-wide finish edging out Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch by .003 seconds. This win turned heads, with the 99 crew finally looking to be a possible playoff threat. As the season went on however, the Trackhouse team slowly slipped out of contention.
Similar to teammate Chastain though, the rest of the season was marked with inconsistency, with any momentum derailed shortly after it was started. Some of Suarez’s best performances the remainder of the season though came on the typical ovals. These included top five finishes in Texas and Las Vegas, along with a second place finish in the series return to Atlanta. Suarez’s season would end in Phoenix with a top ten finish to close a dramatic 2024.
2025 Outlook: Suarez enters his fifth season in 2025 as driver of Trackhouse’s #99 Chevrolet, with expectations heightened each season for the former Xfinity Series champion. The 2024 season was an odd one, as the team progressed in higher finishes, but also regressed in average finishes. Suarez certainly can improve to be a playoff contender, but the team will need to improve weekly results to run up front more. Reeling in Suarez’s semi-aggressive driving at times will also help to break the occasional self-induced bad races.
Shane van Gisbergen / #88 WeatherTech Chevrolet
2025 Crew Chief: Stephen Doran
2024 Season Grade: N/A (New Team)
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | 2024 Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | n/a |
Former Australian V8 Supercar standout Shane van Gisbergen will make the full-time move to the Cup Series in 2025. Starting a brand new team, Trackhouse has put faith into what SVG can do on a weekly basis as he continues to learn and adapt.
Running in a partnership with Trackhouse in 2024, SVG drove a full Xfinity Series slate for Kaulig Racing, along with a dozen Cup Series starts for Kaulig Racing. While the Cup Series schedule was rough for van Gisbergen, there were certainly glimpses on road courses of what he is capable of. These results included a second at Watkins Glen, and a 7th on the Charlotte ROVAL. SVG also has three wins to his credit on the Xfinity Side in Kaulig’s #97 Chevrolet.
2025 Outlook: While it is difficult to put any high expectations on what is a rookie Cup Series year with a newly-formed team, owner Justin Marks will no doubt put the right people around SVG to make the team competitive. A playoff run may be out of the question for 2025, but SVG’s #88 can be considered a threat at road courses, and possibly some surprise superspeedway results.