Steep Learning Curve

This weekend NASCAR turned away from the hype of Daytona to the reality of the rest of the season when they headed to Atlanta.  As a whole, the drivers love the slippery, tire-eating surface of the Atlanta track because they can run high, low, or just about anyplace in between.  The many options are precisely what makes this track so challenging.

Atlanta was expected to provide a steep learning curve for the rookie, Daniel Suarez.  But who did we see there in the 19 garage?  None other than Carl Edwards himself. He came to Atlanta to share his knowledge of the track.  Carl had found great success at this track, beating Jimmie Johnson to the finish line when he was just a rookie, so his input could prove to be invaluable.  And because Carl did not have his own car to deal with, he could put his complete attention on Daniel.  To his credit, Daniel seemed thrilled with the opportunity to learn all he could from Carl.  And it was fun for his fans to get a chance to see him relaxed and smiling.

Atlanta did prove to be a challenge for Daniel.  He finished the practice sessions in 16th and 21st.  In the first round of qualifying, he was 12th fastest and easily advanced to the second round.  But in the second round he was only 21st fastest and failed to advance to the third and final round, so he started the race in 21st.

Once the race got underway, it ran caution-free for quite some time.  Daniel struggled, falling back into the 30s 3 laps down.  It was well into the third segment of the race before he found his foothold and began running lap times equivalent to the cars in the top ten.  But the limited number of cautions prevented him from getting back onto the lead lap.  When the day ended, he was in 21st place, right where he started, 2 laps down.  He earned 16 championship points, bringing his season total up to 25 points.  He sits in 31st place, 65 points behind the leader.

I come at this from an interesting perspective.  Being accustomed to Carl Edwards' experience and success, his fans came to expect qualifying spots and race finishes in the top ten or better.  It is not fair to expect that of Daniel as he first dips his toes into the Cup series.  So now I am going to have to try to come to understand what is reasonable.  Should I cheer for a top 20?  Top 15?  I guess I am a bit of a rookie myself!  What do other Daniel Suarez fans think is reasonable at this stage of his career?