Daniel Suárez, left, and NASCAR President Steve Phelps at the naturalization ceremony.

-- Alejandro Alvarez/Nascar Digital Media

This has been a great year for Trackhouse Racing driver Daniel Suárez, whose No. 99 Chevrolet will be sponsored by Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge and feature the Broadway honky-tonk’s lavender paint scheme.

NASCAR’s first Mexican driver secured his Cup Series playoff berth early, winning in Atlanta Feb. 25, then became a United States citizen June 18, sworn in at a brief naturalization ceremony in Charlotte with 48 others from 28 countries.

Suárez says his incredible 12-year journey from leaving his family’s small two-bedroom home in Monterrey, Mexico, to becoming one of NASCAR’s most popular drivers is a real-life “American dream” story that he hopes inspires others.

“Honestly, being part of this journey in the last few years has really taught me a lot,” Suárez says. “I really hope that a lot of people have the experiences and the opportunity to go through something like this, because it really teaches you a lot of things in life.

“I feel that I won’t take this for granted. Maybe some people take some things for granted and for me, I will never take this for granted because I know how much it cost me to get here and to get these opportunities and to be able to work hard and to be part of this group of people that they were able to accomplish the same thing that I did is very special.”

While the Trackhouse team’s garage is in Concord, North Carolina, team owner Justin Marks lives in Nashville. His partner in the venture is rapper Pitbull.

Sunday’s fourth annual Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway will be Suárez’s second race as a U.S. citizen. This past Sunday at the USA Today 301 at New Hampshire Speedway, the newlywed Suárez finished 21st. The Nashville race kicks off the second half of the season and the final push toward the Cup Series playoffs which begin on September 8 in Atlanta and conclude November 10 at Phoenix.

Kyle Larson, one of four drivers with three wins this season, leads in the Cup Series points standings. After Nashville, only seven races remain until the playoffs and 10 drivers have already qualified for the 16-driver field. Playoff spots automatically go to the points champion and race winners, with remaining berths based on the standings.

Suárez’s Trackhouse teammate, Ross Chastain, the defending champion of the Ally 400, stands a good shot at making the playoffs. Chastain finished 10th at New Hampshire and was 12th in the playoff standings before.

Here’s a look at others with Nashville connections:

Josh Berry, Stewart-Haas Racing: A rookie on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit, the Hendersonville driver’s roller-coaster ride has gone from the high of last year being named full-time replacement for retiring driver Kevin Harvick to the low of last month’s stunning announcement that the team would cease operations after the 2024 season.

Berry, who likely needs a win to make the playoffs, says he hopes to share some good news soon about his 2025 plans. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender was one of four Stewart-Haas drivers left without a ride for next season. In recent developments, owner Gene Haas announced he’ll field a team in 2025. Team drivers and partners will be named later.

“I feel pretty good about being in the Cup Series next year. We’re still working on everything and trying to exactly what that looks like, but I feel like our performance has spoken well for myself and even our whole team,” says Berry, who drove the No. 4 Ford to a third-place finish at New Hampshire and currently is 20th in the point standings. “Hopefully we get something finalized in there the next few weeks or so.”

Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing: The driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet has a fondness for both Nashville and the Superspeedway. His wife Whitney is a Chattanooga-area native and was a cheerleader at UT-Chattanooga and for the Tennessee Titans before their marriage.

“Nashville is an awesome track to come to for us at this point,” Dillon says of the 1.33-mile concrete track. “I’ve got experience there and some success and having some fast race cars and won a truck race there (in 2011, before the track being shuttered for the next decade).

Dillon, who finished 33rd at New Hampshire, says his only route to the playoffs is via a victory. “One win and you’re in, so we’ve got to focus on winning and trying to get track position and put ourselves in a good place to capitalize.”

Travis Geisler, Team Penske: A 2003 Vanderbilt graduate in mechanical engineering, Geisler has been Team Penske’s NASCAR competition director since 2010. He credits Vandy for jump-starting his career.

“Nashville was kind of a stopping point along the way to Charlotte, which is where I knew I wanted to be at the end of it,” the Pittsburgh native says. “I was able to gain some good experience there with (Vanderbilt’s) mechanical engineering program.”

Team Penske drivers Austin Cindric and Ryan Blaney have won their way into the playoffs while Joey Logano is just outside the standings cutoff in 17th.