Daniel Suarez makes his DGM Racing debut this weekend on the streets of Chicago.
Unlike teammate Ross Chastain, Suarez doesn't have familiarity with DGM Racing and team owner Mario Gosselin. However, he has respect for what the team has done with fewer resources than the Xfinity juggernauts like Joe Gibbs Racing or JR Motorsports.
"(Team owner Mario Gosselin) is a very good person, and they try very hard with the stuff that they've got," Suarez said last weekend at Nashville Superspeedway. "As you know, the Chicago race is very different. The way you race a street course is completely different than if you were racing in (Circuit of the Americas) or Watkins Glen."
DGM Racing has consistently been on the Xfinity grid since the 2015 season while working with a variety of drivers. The team has 38 top-10 finishes in 613 races. It has three top-four finishes, all of which were on road courses.
Suarez is one of nine drivers pulling double duty this weekend in Chicago. Some are chasing trophies, such as Shane van Gisbergen and AJ Allmendinger. Others are getting some extra laps to figure out potential trouble spots before their points-paying race. Last season's races showed that Turns 4 and 6 were particularly problematic.
Suarez has a different reason for joining DGM Racing and competing. He has an opportunity to compete in something that is a rarity in NASCAR while getting some extra laps.
"I feel like I'm already good at (Chicago)," Suarez said. "I feel like I can be better, and I feel like practice will make me better. And I won't get to do many street courses, so an extra race won't hurt."
This race with DGM Racing is not the same as some other instances of Cup drivers making one-off starts in Xfinity. Trackhouse Racing didn't build a Chevy Camaro and then simply put a DGM Racing number on the side.
According to Suarez, Gosselin and his team at the DGM shop built the car for Saturday's race. Trackhouse Racing just worked on some of the interior details for the 2016 Xfinity champion.
"The only thing that Trackhouse did was to install the seats," Suarez said. "The seats, the belts, the safety part for the driver. Just to make sure that the safety part was done to the standards of Trackhouse."
The car is complete and in Chicago. Now, it's time for Suarez to get behind the wheel for a very busy Saturday in the Windy City.
He will practice and qualify in the Xfinity car on Saturday morning before moving over to his Cup car for practice and qualifying. Suarez will close out Saturday with the Xfinity race (3:30 p.m. ET on NBC).