At this second visit of the year to Pocono, NASCAR decided to test a two-day weekend, with practice sessions on Saturday and qualifying plus the race on Sunday. Because of the short time between the end of qualifying and the start of the race, pit stalls were selected based on the qualifying results from last week.
During the practice sessions Daniel was the 6th fastest (with a mock qualifying run) and 23rd. He had a good qualifying session, with the 2nd fastest time, then 5th fastest, then 8th fastest, locking in a top ten starting position for the race.
When the green flag dropped, Daniel gained one position on the first lap. But the first lap also generated a caution. When the race resumed 5 laps later, he restarted in 12th. Green flag pit stops ran from lap 15 through lap 46, and when they concluded he was running 20th. He gained 2 positions before the end of stage 1, crossing the start/finish line in 18th on lap 50.
To regain some of the lost track position, his crew chief, Scott Graves, called for fuel and only 2 tires during the stage break caution. When the race resumed on lap 55, he was in 6th place. Except for one brief lap in 11th place, he maintained a spot in the top ten for over 40 laps. Then with 3 laps left in stage 2, Scott Graves called him down pit road to the attention of the 19 crew. That resulted in a 24th place finish for stage 2, but gave him the option of staying out once the race resumed.
And the plan worked. When stage 3 got underway on lap 195, Daniel was in 5th place. Except for cycling through green flag pit stops, he held a position in the top ten, eventually crossing the finish line in 7th place for his third consecutive top ten finish and his seventh overall.
He earned 30 points this race, bringing his season total up to 464 points, maintaining 18th in the drivers' standings. He finished 1 spot ahead of Erik Jones, grabbing 1 more point than his closest rookie rival. He has closed the gap to a mere 5 points. And he finished 10 positions ahead of Ty Dillon. Those additional 10 points have now stretched his lead to 104 points.
This is what the separate rookie standings look like now:
- Daniel Suarez --212
- Erik Jones --202
-
Ty Dillon -- 171
- Corey LaJoie -- 142
- Gray Gaulding -- 133
Points update: Following the race, Erik Jones car was found to have an illegal suspension piece. As a result, his team was docked 25 points, and his crew chief was suspended for two races and fined $50,000. Erik Jones' drop in points moved him behind Daniel in the standings. Daniel is now the highest ranking rookie in the drivers' standings as well as the separate rookie standings. This shift moves him into 17th place, 20 points ahead of Erik Jones.
Up in the lake country of New Hampshire, Daniel Suarez started the weekend with a car that was 11th fastest, 15th fastest, and 7th fastest in the three Cup practice sessions. He ran similar speeds in qualifying, grabbing the 12th best time in the first round, easily advancing. In the second round, he could do no better than 15th and failed to continue on to the third and final round. But once qualifying was over, one of the cars ahead of him had its time disallowed, so Daniel ended up starting the race in the 14th spot.
Once the race got underway, he battled a loose-handling car. Gradually he fell back until he finished the first stage in 21st on lap 75. Since
he had pitted for 4 tires during a caution just 8 laps before the stage
break, he stayed out and restarted 13th on lap 83. Within 4 laps, he
cracked the top ten in 9th place. During the rest of stage 2, he ran
as far forward as 8th place and as far back as 13th. That is where he
was running when stage 2 ended on lap 150.
During the stage break, a slow pit stop saw him coming off pit road in 21st. Over the next 60 laps, he made minor gains, advancing to 17th place. Green-flag pit stops covered the next 30 laps, and as they cycled through, Daniel found himself running in 10th place. He fell back 2 spots during the next 12 laps. Following a caution on lap 261, the 19 ARRIS Toyota pitted, then restarted in 11th place.
And that was the last time Daniel would run outside the top ten. Little by little, he picked up one position after another. When the checkered flag flew, he crossed the finish line in 6th place, tying his best finish in the Cup series. Oh so close to a top five!!
He earned 31 points this race, bringing
his season
total up to 404 points. He maintained his 18th spot in the drivers'
standings. He finished 33 spots ahead of Erik Jones, earning 30 more points than his closest opponent, closing the gap to only 23 points. He finished 10 positions ahead
of Ty Dillon, gaining 10 points on him, now putting him 82 points
ahead.
As I suspected, Daniel's top-notch performance allowed him to regain the lead in the separate rookie standings. This is what they look like now:
- Daniel Suarez -- 198
- Erik Jones -- 194
-
Ty Dillon -- 168
- Corey LaJoie -- 133
- Gray Gaulding -- 117
Following the race, it was discovered that Daniel's car had one unsecured lug nut. Crew chief Scott Graves was fined $10,000 for the infraction. No point penalty.
When
the 19 team arrived in Kentucky, they unloaded an Arris Camry that
posted the 14th and 18th fastest times during practices. During
qualifying, he easily moved out of the first round with the 16th fastest
lap time. The second round was better for Daniel, with a 9th place
time. Then lightning rolled in, cancelled the rest of qualifying, and
the results from round 2 set the starting grid for the race.
So
as the race got underway, Daniel rolled off 9th. Driving up front with
the big boys, he did himself proud. During the first ten laps, he
gained 3 positions, advancing up to 6th place. During the competition
caution on lap 30, he pitted for only 2 tires, allowing him to maintain
6th place for the restart.
But
starting in the outside lane proved to be challenging. The lack of
grip contributed to Daniel sliding all the way back to 20th place within
4 laps. And then 25 laps later, he tapped the wall in turn 4. He was
struggling with a car that was tight in the center, with the back out of
control. He finished stage 1 in 19th place.
During
the stage-break caution, the 19 team pitted for 4 tires, fuel, and a
chassis adjustment. When the race resumed, he restarted in 16th.
During stage 2, he ran as high was 12th place and as far back as 20th. He reported his car too free in turn 1, tight on the exit of
turns 2 and 4. He finished stage 2 in 14th place.
During
the stage-break caution, they pitted for fuel and just 2 tires, gaining
11 positions. He came off pit road in 3rd. With two cars staying out,
he restarted in 5th place. He spent the next 40 or so laps running in
the top ten, as high as 4th and no further back than 8th. Green-flag
pit stops ran over the next 15 laps, with Daniel reporting that his car
was loose getting into the corner.
Once
the green-flag pit stops cycled through, he found himself slipping
out of the top ten. About 25 laps later, he was put a lap down while
running in 12th. He continued to struggle with a car so loose he could
hardly drive it. Then, during the final lap, he got caught up in a
wreck that happened directly ahead of him. As a result he wheeled his
ARRIS Toyota home in 18th place 1 lap down.
He earned 19 points this race, bringing
his season
total up to 373 points. He maintained his 18th spot in the drivers'
standings. He finished 12 spots behind Erik Jones, losing another 21
big points to him, now 53 points behind. He finished 15 positions ahead
of Ty Dillon, gaining 15 points on him, now putting him 72 points
ahead.
While
Daniel has been leading in the separate rookie standings throughout the
season, his lead had been whittled down to just a couple of points. I suspected that his bad luck in this race would see him lose his lead, and that is exactly what happened:
- Erik Jones -- 193
- Daniel Suarez -- 189
-
Ty Dillon -- 166
- Corey LaJoie -- 124
- Gray Gaulding -- 109
This weekend was the third time this year that NASCAR indulged in their ridiculous fascination with dangerous superspeedways. i always hope that Daniel Suarez has a good finish, but that becomes secondary when the restrictor plates go on. Instead this is the time i pray that he will leave the track healthy and in one piece.
As another double duty weekend, Daniel's responsibilities started with the Xfinity series. His zippy racecar logged the 6th fastest time in the first practice session. To ensure that the car would stay in one piece for the race, they elected to sit out of the second and final practice session. During qualifying, he was 8th in the first round, advancing to the second and final round. Then another 8th place finish determined his starting position for the race.
During the first 7 laps of the race, he ran between 3rd and 8th place. But then the raince came and stayed. And stayed. And stayed. Eventually NASCAR postponed the race to Saturday afternoon, a red flag that lasted for 16 hours and 15 minutes.
Daniel indicated that he was driving the best superspeedway car he has ever had, so everyone was eager for the race to get back underway. He restarted in 4th on lap 13. He fell back, running between 9th and 16th, eventually finishing stage 1 on lap 30 in 15th place. When stage 2 got underway he ran between 15th and 22nd until Mother Nature intruded again. This time it was lightning that delayed the race for 2 hours and 29 minutes.
When the race resumed, he restarted in 19th. Within 5 laps he had gained 7 spots. But then, on lap 51, he was involved in a crash that ended his day with a 39th place finish.
On the Cup side of the garage, his car was 14th in the first practice session. Just as they decided to do in the Xfinity series, they did not go out during the second and final practice session. Qualifying was rather blah. He logged the 20th fastest time in the first round, so he did not move on. That destined him to start the race in the middle of the pack.
Thankfully the weather was more cooperative for the Cup race. Stage 1 was fairly uneventful for Mr. Suarez and the Subway car. He ran between 14th and 28th, finishing lap 40 in 18th place.
Stage 2 saw him move closer to the front of the field. He started the stage with a pit stop for fuel and only 2 tires, gaining him valuable track position. He came off pit road in 4th place. With one car staying on the track, he restarted in 5th place. But 3 laps later he made contact with another car. With a smart, head's up move, he was able to save it and keep it out of the grass by shooting down pit road. He was able to get right back onto the racetrack, but by the time he got back up to speed he was in 35th place.
The next of many cautions popped up just 8 laps later. This gave the 19 team the opportunity to visit pit road twice, once for the usual tires and fuel, then again to check for tire rubs. He restarted in 34th on lap 63. Throughout the remainder of stage 2, he steadily moved forward through the field. By lap 70 he was up to 12th, and when the stage ended 10 laps later he was in 14th.
And then, the ultimate in gaining track position . . . they stayed out. When stage 3 went green, he restarted in 3rd place on lap 85. Another quickie caution, and 5 laps later he restarted in the lead, a spot he held for 10 laps. It was a thrill to watch him lead the race!
But then he got left high and dry on the inside lane and plummeted all the way back to the dangerous middle of the pack in 23rd place. He picked up 5 positions in just 2 laps, but then he was involved in contact on lap 106. He pitted for 4 tires and fuel, then restarted in 19th place.
The next 20+ laps saw 3 more cautions, and he stayed out each time. During the restart on lap 129, he found himself in 5th place. And 4 laps after that, he put his Subway Camry in the outside lane and barreled past the cars ahead of him, claiming and holding the lead for 1 lap. This was not him grabbing the lead because someone else messed up. This was a power move, as he mowed down the lead cars, and it was beautiful to behold.
Unfortunately Daniel could not hold his position near the front of the field. Over the remaining 25 laps, caught on the inside lane, he dropped back, bit by bit, until he eventually crossed the start/finish line in 17th place, the best finish from the Gibbs stable of drivers. He earned 20 points this race, bringing his season
total up to 354 points. He moved up 1 spot in the drivers' standings, from 19th to 18th.
He finished 8 spots behind Erik Jones, losing 8 points to him, now 32 points back. And he finished 1 position behind Ty Dillon, losing 4 points to him, but maintaining a healthy lead of 57 points. And on the separate rookie standings, here are the current numbers:
- Daniel Suarez --185
- Erik Jones -- 183
-
Ty Dillon -- 163
- Corey LaJoie -- 124
- Gray Gaulding -- 101
Next up is the intermediate track in Kentucky, where Daniel will be focused exclusively on the Cup race.
