Daniel Suárez’s stock continues to rise just like his confidence with his No. 99 team. (Photo: Logan Skidan | The Podium Finish)
After a much anticipated maiden NASCAR Cup Series win at Sonoma Raceway, Daniel Suárez entered Sunday’s Kwik Trip 250 at Road America with plentiful confidence.
Despite placing 15th at Nashville Superspeedway, the sixth year Cup veteran liked his chances at the 4.048-mile road course, even after qualifying 17th.
Although the Monterrey, Mexico native did not earn any points in stages 1 and 2, his No. 99 Jockey Chevrolet Camaro had incredible pace.
Much like Trackhouse Racing teammate, Ross Chastain, Suárez was competitive and smooth, particularly in the final stage.
While Suárez did not win at Road America, he placed fifth, taking his fourth top five result of the season.
Notably, Suárez rounded out Chevrolet’s top five sweep at the Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin speed arena. Certainly, it further illustrated Bowtie Brigade’s dominant ways at the road courses.
As Suárez continues to solidify his Playoff position, the confident racer praised the organization, particularly with their efforts producing competitive Camaros.
A top five finish for Suárez seemed apropos for one of the top five paint schemes of 2022. (Photo: Mike Moore | The Podium Finish)
“I think that it’s not just Ross and myself,” Suárez said to NASCAR on NBC pit reporter, Parker Kligerman. “It’s everyone at Trackhouse. Every man and woman that is working very hard to put fast racecars every single weekend, we have a lot of great people, man, and the greatest sponsors.
“It was good. I also felt like Ross and I were doing a decent job. We didn’t have the best car. We were probably a top 10 to top seven car. And that worked kind of like what we finished. So, we have to go back home and try to see where we can keep improving.”
Undoubtedly, Suárez and his team are capitalizing on race days. Although wins are always the priorities of drivers and teams, it is not always a bad thing when a top five finish leaves a driver like Suárez wanting more.
“For some reason, my car was swinging too much,” he recalled. “The back was just never with me. We tried a few things from yesterday to today and actually, we made it a little bit worse. So, we just have to continue to improve our package. Everyone is working. If we stay with the same stuff from three months, ago, everybody is catching up or even getting better. So, we just have to continue to work.”
From crew chief, Travis Mack, to every man and woman at the shop and track, Suárez has confidence in his team’s abilities to challenge the established guard like Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing.
The next road course race is not until the Verizon 200 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 31. That said, Suárez knows he’ll be one of the top contenders at Speedway, Indiana.
Perhaps Suárez’s statement to the field echoes the title of a famed Bachman Turner Overdrive song. (Photo: Mike Moore | The Podium Finish)
“I can tell you something,” he said. “Everyone at Trackhouse is doing an amazing job. I have one of the best teams I’ve ever had. These guys work extremely hard. I have zero doubts that we’re going to come back to the next road course with one of the best cars again.”
In the meantime, Suárez continues to showcase his prowess with the team that believed in him when he was named as their inaugural driver in late 2020.
By all means, the popular racer cannot be dismissed at the usual offerings of Cup, the ovals, given how unpredictable this Cup season has been after 18 races.
