Silly Season 2020

https://www.jayski.com/2020/01/28/daniel-suarez-joins-gaunt-brothers-racing/

Great to see it official. I think Daniel is going to be solid. Coca Cola and Toyota in his camp? I think he'll run Top 15, Top 20 most of the time.
I don't know, GBR has not been a full time team, he has funding and TRD on his side so that should help a lot, but Imagine there is going to be some growing pains for GBR moving up to full time. Running top 15 would mean he was running about the same as he did at SHR, GBR is not on the same level as SHR.

I am not ****ting on Daniel,I like him and he has a ton talent, and I hope he is successful this year, but he is basically in a back marker team right now.
 
I have a feeling it just got a lot tougher for Suarez. He might be the nicest guy in Nascar but he had to run at least top 15 and he didn't.
Barely he averaged 17th
 
Suarez will be lucky to be 25th in points. They'll be hovering around 28th-31st all season.
 
So with Rick Ware Racing acquiring the closed FRM team charter to have 3 charters, there will likely be 38 or 39 teams showing up every week, minimum 37 with the 96 team not acquiring a charter. 27 - Premium (Chastain?), 66 - MBM, 96 - Suarez/Gaunt would make it 39. Beard 62 and possible Rick Ware / MBM to have another car.
 
Obviously it’s better then being unemployed but to go from Gibbs and SHR to a backmarker team is probably a career killer. Once you’re associated with one of these teams that’s usually all she wrote. Guys like Bowman & Chastain are the exception
 
Matt DiBennidetto, a driver of equal if not less talent than Suarez, was easily running Top 20 once they had things figured out after Charlotte. If you don't think Daniel can do the same in another TRD car with A+ sponsorship, I don't know who would. I think he's easily gonna outrun guys like Austin Dillon and Wrecky Stenhouse.
 
Matt DiBennidetto, a driver of equal if not less talent than Suarez, was easily running Top 20 once they had things figured out after Charlotte. If you don't think Daniel can do the same in another TRD car with A+ sponsorship, I don't know who would. I think he's easily gonna outrun guys like Austin Dillon and Wrecky Stenhouse.

No I don't think he can do the same as Chastain and DiBennidetto, there is a whole different economic skill set involved (don't wreck, save tires), and I do think he will be running with Dillion and Stenhouse back in the pack. Maybe others have, but I have been watching Suarez for three years driving front runner cars and I never saw him make a move that was impressive in qualifying or on the track.
 
Another team with funding and OEM support that otherwise wouldn’t have it. I see only positives to this.
Sadly they will only recieve engines from TRD, but its a start. Maybe Daniel can build something with the 96 team and help develop over time. He has to qualify on speed in every race until they attain a charter.


Daniel is eligible for the clash, but will not race in it to focus on the 500:

 
Suarez is in backmarker world, and it isn't high end backmarkers, it is scrape and claw to make the field. He has his work cut out for him to even make all of the races much less finish well.
 
Yup. No longer at the main table, but still in the banquet room.
Oh he's about as low as he can go. The only thing he can do is just improve. Use this opportunity to help build something with GBR or get back into the playing field of the more competitive rides.

You never know in this day and age. Not to mention, the pressure of a SHR and JGR seat will be null and void with GBR.
 
Daniel can do the same in another TRD car with A+ sponsorship,
Can you explain how you know it is a A+ sponsor?
JGR had no problem getting rid of Daniel and this sponsor.
SHR had no problem either.
I think the sponsor was not all that great money wise.
 
If that’s the case, I wonder why those two stalwart organizations agreed to take it?
 
Can you explain how you know it is a A+ sponsor?
JGR had no problem getting rid of Daniel and this sponsor.
SHR had no problem either.
I think the sponsor was not all that great money wise.

Coke wasn't a major sponsor back then.
 
Sadly they will only recieve engines from TRD, but its a start. Maybe Daniel can build something with the 96 team and help develop over time. He has to qualify on speed in every race until they attain a charter.


Daniel is eligible for the clash, but will not race in it to focus on the 500:


Will they be expecting more than 40 entries for many races? I think I've seen 42 for the 500 but outside of that I think they should be a lock most weeks.

I think he will do fine, may have to adjust a bit as far as dialing down his aggression level a little but I still believe he has talent and just the TRD engines every week will be a benefit. Not expecting huge things but if he can land some solid results and help the team's operations ratchet up as they go full-time it'll be a solid season overall.
 
Will they be expecting more than 40 entries for many races? I think I've seen 42 for the 500 but outside of that I think they should be a lock most weeks.
An excellent point. A quick glance at Racing Reference shows there were only three races last year with more than 40 qualifiers.
 
TRD engines are a huge plus, but not getting chassis from JGR is also a huge blow. I truly believe that FRR and JGR figured out something in the chassis engineering that was their advantage in the low downforce cars, which became even more important in the new neutered engine package they use now. Just a fraction more corner speed translates to huge gains when the horsepower is this "low." Just my uneducated $.02.
 
How much of TRD engines are a plus when they have already been running them and rebuilt Triads? It should be interesting

 
Guess it's confirmed that MBM Motorsports (Carl Long) will be running the 66 full time with Timmy Hill at the 500 and probably Chad Finchum in others. With the 66 & 96 running full time with no charter, 38 cars will show up every week.
 
Suarez has a tall order ahead of him in getting the Gaunt Brothers organization up to speed. He has some support, but I won't be surprised to see him languishing around as last of the Toyota's on most race days. The goal is probably going to be a very modest one compared to Daniel's first three years in Cup - retain GBR's status as top of the "open" organizations.
 
Suarez is making the 500, no doubt. After that, gotta agree with @StandOnIt on the next two, Gaughn is decent at speedways and Haley, well, yeah. I think I'd go with Yaley as, what, the last spot I think?
 
I’ve followed Bell, JHN, and Poole since they started out a few years ago. I look forward to watching them all in cup even though two are in bad rides lol
 
In the interests of equal brand opportunity, MBM motorsports is a leader in the field (about the only thing they are going to lead )
 
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