Determined Driving at Dover

Daniel Suarez started his weekend in the Xfinity series in a speedy Interstate Camry.  He was 8th and 7th fastest in practice.  Then he ran through the three qualifying rounds in 3rd, 5th, and 2nd, snagging a starting spot on the front row.

And the speed stayed with him throughout the race, as well.  During the first 60 laps, he maintained either 2nd or 3rd, finishing stage 1 in 3rd place.  With a car tight center but not too bad overall, he ran between 3rd and 5th over the next 60 laps, ending stage 2 in 4th.  And then with a car that got too free, he continued to run in the top five, only dropping back in the last 7 laps to finish the race in 7th place.

In the Cup series, Daniel's Comcast Business Toyota was just as speedy.  All three practice sessions had speeds in 9th or 10th.  And once again, he zipped through all three rounds of qualifying in 14th, 4th, and finally 5th for a top five starting position.

Once the race got underway, Daniel maintained a spot in the top ten through the first 80 laps, until green-flag pit stops got underway.  But before they cycled all the way through, a caution came out.  He found himself in 16th place one lap down.  He did not pit, allowing him to take the wave around and get back on the lead lap.  He restarted in 14th on lap 91.  During the remaining 29 laps in stage 1, he ran between 14th and 16th, eventually finishing the stage in 15th place.

Stage 2 was a chapter of maintenance.  They pitted for four tires and fuel and restarted in 13th.  He ran as high was 10th and as low as 14th, eventually ending the stage in 13th.

But stage 3 was an episode of improvement.  After pitting for four tires, fuel, and adjustments, the 19 team restarted in 12th.  On the first lap, they moved up to 11th, holding that spot until the second round of green-flag pit stops about 90 laps later.  This time the race stayed green until everyone cycled through, when Daniel found himself in 7th.  And although he slipped back one spot, he did maintain that 8th position through to the end of the race, earning the best finish by a rookie and the 11th top ten finish of his freshman season.

He earned 29 points in this race, bringing his season total up to 653 and holding on to the 20th spot in the drivers' standings.  He finished 3 positions ahead of Erik Jones and earned 4 points more than him.  He trimmed Erik's lead down to 75 points.  Daniel finished 14 spots ahead of Ty Dillon, earning 14 points more than him and extending his lead to 180 points.  At this point it seems likely that Ty is out of the rookie picture, leaving the race to Daniel and Erik.

Here are the separate rookie standings:

• Erik Jones --254
• Daniel Suarez -- 242
• Ty Dillon -- 182
• Corey LaJoie -- 155
• Gray Gaulding -- 140

Tenth Top Ten

In New Hampshire, Daniel's car showed good speed in practice.  He was 12th, 6th, and 4th fastest, showing improvement as the weekend went on.  Plus he was 8th and 7th fastest in ten-lap averages, showing good long-run speed.  But in qualifying he was 25th in the first round, so he did not advance and ended up with a starting spot on the inside of the 13th row.

Fortunately for us, a poor starting position combined with a fast car allowed us the pleasure of watching Daniel weave his way through the field.  He was inside the top 20 by lap 4 and the top 15 by lap 23.  When stage 1 ended on lap 75, he was running in the 12th position.

Speeding on pit road during the stage break caution saw him restarting at the tail end of the longest line in 23rd on lap 82.  Stage 2 was once again an opportunity for Daniel to work his way forward.  It took a while for him to advance his position because he first had to work his way through the cars that were one or more laps down.  But once he got back up to the lead lap cars, stage 2 looked a lot like stage 1.  By lap 113 he was back inside the top 20.  And at the end of the stage, he was running 10th.

Stage 2 ended with a multi-car crash that brought out the red flag to get the track cleaned up.  Thankfully Daniel managed to maneuver through the melee without getting caught up in it.  When the race resumed on lap 159, he was running in 15th.  And guess what he did throughout stage 3?  That's right, he once again advanced through the field.  First one position, then another, then another.  It took more than 100 laps before he cracked the top ten, but when he came off pit road following the caution on lap 263, he lined up in 8th.  Although he slid back as far as 11th during the last segment of the race, he did manage to regain the laps he lost before the race came to an end.  He finished in 8th place, his tenth top ten of the season.

He earned 29 points in this race, bringing his total to 624 and maintaining the 20th spot in the drivers' standings.  He finished 2 positions behind Erik Jones and earned 16 fewer points, so he fell to 79 points behind him.  But he finished 14 spots ahead of Ty Dillon, earning 7 more points than him and increasing that gap to 166 points.

Here are the separate rookie standings:

• Erik Jones --253
• Daniel Suarez -- 237
• Ty Dillon -- 181
• Corey LaJoie -- 154
• Gray Gaulding -- 140

Steady in Chicago

Daniel rolled into Chicagoland with double duty on his mind.  In the Xfinity series, he logged the 9th and 3rd fastest times in practice.  Then he grabbed a top five time during each of the three qualifying round (5th, 3rd, and 2nd) and snagging a starting spot on the front row.

Once the race got underway, he struggled with an extremely loose car.  He fell back a few spots, finished the first stage in 5th place.  His pit crew gained him a couple of spots, allowing him to restart in 3rd.  But once again he slipped back, ending stage two in 6th place.  Another stellar pit stop once again gained him a couple of spots, and some bad luck for his competitors saw him restarting in 2nd.  Now with a car too free on the bottom and too tight on the top, he lost a couple of spots but held onto 4th.

But then, about 40 laps after the stage break, Daniel felt a vibration.  He brought his car down pit road for 4 new tires and fuel.  Back on the track he found himself in 18th place one lap down.  But he was still feeling a vibration.  In the meantime, the rest of the field went through a cycle of green-flag pit stops.  Once they were complete, Daniel was running in 5th place.

Almost immediately the caution flag flew again, and this time he lost a few spots on pit road.  When the race went green again, he restarted in 9th.  Over the next dozen or so laps, he pulled forward a few spots, all the way up to 6th.

Another dozen laps, and Daniel was the one who brought out the caution flag.  He spun out but kept the car off the wall.  After pitting for 2 fresh tires, he restarted in 19th one lap down.  But with only 15 laps left in the race, he did not have enough time to get back onto the lead lap.  He was still in 19th one lap down when the race concluded.

Over in the Cup series, Daniel and crew snagged the 2nd fastest time in the first practice session, but that was based on being set up for mock qualifying runs.  In the second and third sessions, he was 17th and 18th fastest.  In qualifying, he was 15th in the first round and 13th in the second.  That was one spot shy of advancing to the third and final round, so he started the race from the 13th spot on the grid.

Once the green flag dropped on Sunday afternoon, Daniel managed to hold a spot in the low teens.  He was in 12th when the green-flag pit stops got started on lap 39.  When they wrapped up on lap 48, he was in 11th.  Ten laps later he cracked the top ten for the first time, then finished stage 1 in 9th place.

He ran in the top ten (9th or 10th) during the first 25 or so laps of stage 2.  After another cycle of green-flag pit stops, he slipped back to 12th.  That is where he was running when stage 2 came to an end.

He restarted stage 3 in 12th.  A quick caution with some nimble driving saw him climb back up into 9th place.  But a loose car had him losing a few spots, back to 12th when it was time for more green-flag pit stops on lap 200.  For the remaining laps of the race, he ran between 11th and 13th.  When the checkered flag flew, he crossed the finish line in 12th place.

This was a good, steady race for Daniel.  He was not up there challenging for the lead, but he was outrunning several of the playoff drivers.  Other than during green-flag pit stops, he was never further back than 13th.  For his first Cup start at this track, that is a more than respectable performance.

This finish netted Daniel 27 points, bringing his total to 595 and holding him in 20th place in the drivers' standings.  He was the best finishing rookie by far, finishing 21 spots ahead of Erik Jones and 16 spots ahead of Ty Dillon.  He earned 23 more points than Erik, trimming the difference to 63 points.  And he earned 18 points more than Ty, increasing that difference to 152 points.

Here are the separate rookie standings:

• Erik Jones --246
• Daniel Suarez -- 233
• Ty Dillon -- 180
• Corey LaJoie -- 153
• Gray Gaulding -- 139

The Conclusion of the Regular Season

This weekend in Richmond, Virginia, was the last chance to win a race and grab a spot in the playoffs.  The ARRIS Camry unloaded with the 17th fastest speed in the first practice session, then the 3rd fastest in the second and final session.  It looked like they found some speed, especially when he logged the 5th fastest time in the first round of qualifying.  But then he was ranked 16th in the second round and failed to advance.

Once the race got underway, he maintained his position in the top 20 for the first 20 laps.  But by the first caution on lap 34, he had slipped back to 22nd.  The pit stop adjustments helped him get back inside the top 20.  He was running in 17th when the caution came out again 50 laps later.  When stage 1 concluded, he was in 18th place.  Stage 2 was more of the same.  He restarted in 25th, got as far forward as 19th, and ultimately finished the stage in 23rd.

Daniel started stage 3 in 18th place.  By the time the next caution flag flew about 50 laps later, he had worked his way up to 13th place, his first peek into the top 15.  As a result of a speedy pit stop from his over the wall crew, he restarted 10th.  He could not hold that position, though, and slipped back little by little.  By the time green-flag pit stops started 60 laps later, he was running in 14th.  It took over 35 laps, but once everyone was done with their green-flag pit stops Daniel found himself running in 6th place.

Over the remaining 45 laps, young Mr. Suarez never fell out of the top ten.  And during the melee that was the final restart, he ended up piloting his #19 Toyota to a 7th place finish, his ninth top ten of the season.  He earned 30 points, bringing his season total up to 568, and maintaining the 17th spot.  Now that the regular season is over, though, the points reset for the playoffs.  Because three drivers behind him in points had previously won races, he falls to 20th in the standings.

He finished 1 spot behind Erik Jones, earning 13 fewer points than him, and falling to 86 points behind him in the drivers' standings.  He finished 15 positions ahead of Ty Dillon, earning 15 more points, and increasing his lead over him to 134 points overall.

Here are the separate rookie standings:

• Erik Jones --245
• Daniel Suarez -- 231
• Ty Dillon -- 178
• Corey LaJoie -- 152
• Gray Gaulding -- 138

Darlington Tamed Daniel

After a weekend off, Daniel Suarez rolled into Darlington for his first Cup experience at the Track Too Tough to Tame.  His car did not show great speed right off the truck, though, with practice speeds that ranked 19th and 10th.  Then, in qualifying, he was 22nd in the first round and just barely advanced to the second round.  He did a bit better with 19th place but not close to what he needed to move on to the third and final round.

Once the race got underway, he spent most of the first stage running near his starting position.  He fell back to 22nd by lap 4.  His stellar pit crew gained him a few spots on pit road during the first caution of the night.  During the second caution he slid through his pit box and had to back up.  As a result he lost a few spots, back to 22nd again.  But then he started picking his way through the field.  By the time stage 1 came to an end, he was running in 16th.

His pit crew got him a couple more spots during the stage break caution, so he restarted in 14th.  His car seemed to be coming to him, as he gained a position or two over the next 7 laps.  And then Darlington bit him.  On lap 124 he blew his right front tire, sending him into the outside wall, doing so much damage to the car that he was unable to continue  He would end his evening with a 38th place finish.

He earned 1 point, bringing his total up to 538 points, still sitting in 17th place in the drivers' standings.  He finished 33 spots behind Erik Jones, earning 36 fewer points, now 73 total points behind him.  And he finished 25 spots behind Ty Dillon, earning 23 fewer points, but is still ahead of him by 119 points.

Here are the separate rookie standings:

• Erik Jones --238
• Daniel Suarez -- 226
• Ty Dillon -- 177
• Corey LaJoie -- 151
• Gray Gaulding -- 137

Back to Bristol

Daniel Suarez rolled into Bristol with two teams.  He was slated to drive the #20 Xfinity car as well as his regular #19 Cup car.  On the Xfinity side of the garage, his car did not unload with a lot of speed, posting the 17th fastest and 10th fastest times in the two practice sessions.  Rain delayed the start of qualifying, so it ended up consisting of a single 20-minute session.  Daniel logged the 7th fastest time to grab a starting spot in the fourth row.

Once the green flag dropped on the Friday evening Xfinity race, Daniel ran in the top ten throughout the race.  He cracked the top five by lap 24 and was permanently there by lap 44.  He finished stage 1 in 4th place and stage 2 in 3rd place.  Initially he was happy with the handing of the car, but then it began to tighten up.  It was good on the short runs but would get too tight in the center so he had trouble turning the car.  As the race wound down he found himself running in 2nd, but by that time he had used up too much of his tires to reel in the eventual winner.  But his top notch run netted him a second place finish and plenty of experience for the next day's Cup race.

Meanwhile, over in the Cup garage, he logged the 12th and 14th fastest times in practice.  During qualifying, he advanced through all three rounds, with the 10th, 5th, and 12th fastest times.  He lined up on the outside of row six to start the Saturday evening race.  As the race got underway, he shot forward, gaining 4 spots on the very first lap.  He got as far up as 7th place before his car got tight.  He fell back to 12th by the first caution on lap 61, but the adjustments during the pit stop did not seem to improve the handling of the car.  By the end of stage 1 on lap 125, he had fallen back all the way to 18th.

He seemed to be locked in the teens through stage 2, never further back than 19th place, never further forward than 14th place.  That is where he found himself at the conclusion of the stage. 

Stage 3 showed a bit more promise.  He restarted in 9th, running between there and 13th for the next 100 or so laps.  Following a caution on lap 352, he restarted in 10th and moved forward, as far up as 7th place.  He stayed in the top ten for the next 25+ laps before once again falling back into the mid teens.

When the race concluded he crossed the start/finish line in 15th place.   He earned 22 points, bringing his total up to 537 and maintaining 17th place in the drivers' standings.  He finished 13 spots behind his chief rookie rival, Erik Jones, earning 28 fewer points.  He is now 37 points behind him.  Even though Daniel lost more ground in the points to Erik, at least Erik did not pull off the race victory.  That would have been more damaging to Daniel's run at the rookie title.  But Daniel did finish 21 positions ahead of Ty Dillon.  Those 21 additional points have now given Daniel a lead over Ty of 142 points.

Here are the separate rookie standings.  Note that Daniel has fallen behind Erik.

• Erik Jones --229
• Daniel Suarez -- 225
• Ty Dillon -- 175
• Corey LaJoie -- 149
• Gray Gaulding -- 135

For the second time in the last four races, one unsecured lug nut was found on Daniel's car.  There is no point penalty, but crew chief Scott Graves was fined $10,000.

Taken Out in Michigan

When Daniel Suarez pulled into Michigan International Speedway, he was returning to the track where won his first race in one of NASCAR's three national series.  Last year he wheeled his Xfinity car around Kyle Busch to drive away and snag his first win, which propelled him into the playoffs and toward his championship.  When his hauler arrived, it dropped off a Cup car that got progressively better throughout the practice sessions, logging times that ranked 20th, 14th, and 9th.  Qualifying was just okay, with a 19th in the first round and a 16th in the second round.  That was not enough to move him into the third and final round, so he ended up with a 16th place starting position for Sunday's race.

During the initial laps of the race, Daniel's car was free in the corners with chattering front tires.  He ran in the mid teens throughout stage 1, crossing the start/finish line in 14th on lap 60.

Instead of pitting, Scott Graves left the 19 car out on the track during the stage-break caution, so Daniel restarted stage 2 in 1st place.  He fell back to 2nd on the first green-flag lap but maintained that position for over 20 laps.  Then, on lap 89 green-flag pit stops began.  Two laps later the ARRIS Surfboard Toyota pitted for four tires, fuel, and a chassis adjustment.  Once green flag pit stops cycled through on lap 113, he found himself back in 2nd place.  He fell back a few spots during the final laps of stage 2, claiming a 5th place position and the extra points that go with it.

During this stage break caution, Scott Graves did bring Daniel down pit road to the attention of his over-the-wall crew.  It was a quick stop, changing only 2 tires, adding fuel, and making a slight adjustment.  When stage 3 got underway, Daniel restarted in 12th place.  He was struggling with his car and fell back 3 spots within 4 laps.

And then Kasey Kahne cut in front of Daniel, clipping the left front corner of the 19 car.  Daniel ended up out of control, hurtling toward the inside fence.  He hit the wall, bounced off, and hit it a second time.  His day was over.  I can't say that I am surprised that Kasey is out of his ride for next year. 

Daniel ended the day in 37th place, earning a mere 7 points, and bringing his season total up to 515.  He dropped to 17th place in the drivers' standings.  He finished 34 spots behind Erik Jones, earning 40 fewer points, now positioned 9 points behind him.  And he finished 16 positions behind Ty Dillon, earning 9 fewer points, reducing Daniel's lead to 121 points.

This is what the separate rookie standings look like now:

• Daniel Suarez --224
• Erik Jones --217
• Ty Dillon -- 174
• Corey LaJoie -- 147
• Gray Gaulding -- 133