Daniel Suárez accomplished his mission at Talladega. (Photo: Riley Thompson | The Podium Finish)
LINCOLN, Ala. – As Lefty Gomez of the New York Yankees said, “I’d rather be lucky than be good,” a saying that Daniel Suárez may agree with after Sunday’s YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.
Make no mistake that the 30-year-old Monterrey, Mexico native is a competitive frontrunner on a weekly basis. Likewise, Gomez was lucky and good with a career record of 189-102 and an Earned Run Average or ERA of 3.34 and five World Series titles.
However, like Gomez’s tough competition in the diamond, Suárez contended with a crapshoot at the 2.66-mile superspeedway.
Talladega deals fates that can be kind or cruel to the best drivers in NASCAR.
Rolling off the grid from the 14th starting position, the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion remained in this spot in Stage 1 before leaping to a fourth place result in Stage 2.
All things considered, Suárez’s mission was to breakeven given how “The Big One,” a multi-car accident, occurs at this tantalizing speed arena.
Beyond the threat of a race altering crash, Suárez dealt with engine issues toward the final laps of Sunday’s race.
Suárez duked it out amongst the savviest superspeedway racers at Talladega. (Photo: Riley Thompson | The Podium Finish)
“We got very lucky today, man,” Suárez said. “The engine blew up with 15 laps to go and I was barely hanging in there.
“On that restart, I couldn’t go and the 24 (William Byron) helped me a lot to get going, but the engine was killed. So I guess we had a little bit of luck today because it was definitely killed and we were about to not finish that race.”
Rather than dealing with a crushing Did Not Finish or DNF, Suárez finished eighth after a relatively competitive but calm, for Talladega standards, race.
Moreover, Suárez remains above the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs cutline, ranked seventh and 12 markers ahead of ninth place Chase Briscoe.
Upon reflection, the mild mannered driver counted his blessings and an opportune drafting partner.
“The vibration was so loud and the engine was holding on,” he recalled. “I think the engine was fine, but we didn’t have any power. The 24 was pushing me and if it wasn’t for that, I wasn’t going to be able to stay there.
“A decent day for the No. 99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Camaro ZL1 team. We were able to get a couple of points. We are looking forward to the ROVAL.”
Overall, Suárez showcased his agile racing skills as a driver more than adept at the road courses.
Teamwork made the dream work for Suárez along with luck. (Photo: Riley Thompson | The Podium Finish)
In this case, he may be a sneaky title contender if he can remain above the cut after next Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte (2 p.m. ET on NBC).
In four previous starts, Suárez has finishes of 21st, 34th, 25th and 13th. Certainly, he looks to channel some of his road course prowess at Trackhouse Racing’s hometown race.
“I feel very good about it,” he said. “My goal today was to at least break even. I haven’t seen the points to know, but I think we did that. Heading to the ROVAL, I feel very confident that we can contend for it.”