Daniel Suarez’s Cup Series transition aided by Carl Edwards’ tutelage

Daniel Suarez understood being Carl Edwards’ successor would come with high expectations, and there would inevitably be some bumps as he ascended to the Monster Energy Cup Series after winning last year’s Xfinity Series championship.

And four races into his rookie campaign, Suarez is experiencing those ups and downs, opening the season with three consecutive finishes of 20th or worse. But that transition to Cup has been aided by an unlikely figure — the guy who he replaced as driver of Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 19 Toyota — and the improvement is noticeable with Suarez recording his first career top-10 finish (seventh) last week at Phoenix International Raceway.

“The momentum and confidence at this level is super important,” Suarez told SB Nation in a phone interview. “Hopefully we can take this and continue to move in the right direction.

When Edwards unexpectedly announced he was retiring from NASCAR on Jan. 11, he maintained he would still have a presence in the sport. Among those duties, he’s acting as Suarez’s de facto mentor. In this capacity, Edwards was present when Suarez took his first laps in a Cup car during a late January test at Phoenix, he attended the first day of practice for the second race of the season earlier this month at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and the two communicate weekly.

“Learning from Carl is so helpful,” Suarez said. “He’s helping me to understand the system; the process of the No. 19 team and how everything works. Usually you learn as you go, but when you have someone like him, it helps you think and learn a little bit faster.”

Although he won the 2016 Xfinity title, Suarez was set for a third full season in NASCAR’s No. 2 division before Edwards surprisingly walked into Joe Gibbs’ office in December to inform his team owner he was done racing. Suarez was at dinner with his girlfriend and her family when he received a phone call about his promotion.

Who would fill Edwards’ seat was never really up for debate within JGR, which also fields Cup cars for Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Matt Kenseth. Gibbs quickly went about informing Edwards’ main sponsors, Arris, Stanley, Subway, and Toyota, with all three agreeing to continue their commitments.

That Edwards’ sponsors sticking with Suarez has meant Edwards has needed to provide tutelage in another area — this one off the track.

During his career, Edwards was widely regarded as one of the best corporate spokesmen, renowned for his ability to seamlessly mix in a sponsor mention during an interview, as well as his telegenic charm. It’s this aptitude he passed onto Suarez, who is starring in a national television commercial for Subway that debuts during Sunday’s Auto Club 400, the first of four races Subway will serve as primary sponsor for on the No. 19 car.

“Having Carl help me with this was very, very cool,” Suarez said. “If you know Carl, you know how good he is at this stuff. He’s one of those guys who can just give you all sorts of advice.”