Summertime in Florida Where the Humidity Is Beautiful

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.