BROOKLYN, Mich. – On the heels of his career best finish in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series last weekend at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, rookie Daniel Suarez said Friday at Michigan International Speedway that he’ll compete in both the NASCAR XFINITY and Cup races next weekend at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.
Suarez who finished third at Watkins Glen returns to Michigan International Speedway, site of Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 looking for his first Cup win at the site of his first XFINITY Series win last June edging Kyle Busch with a last-lap pass.
Bristol will be Suarez’s 11th XFINITY race of 2017 and first since Daytona in July. Suarez has five top-10 finishes this season, including a best of third, three times, most previously at Dover (Del.) International Speedway in June.
The reigning XFINITY Series champion said he wished he raced more in the XFINITY Series but realizes that his primary attention is zoned on the No. 19 Cup car with crew chief Scott Graves.
“For sure, I miss racing XFINITY full-time,” said Suarez. “I wish I could do more races, but actually, I have Bristol coming up and I look forward to that one.”
“Thunder Valley” has been particularly kind to the Monterrey, Mexico native. In five XFINITY races at the 0.533-mile short track, he has achieved three top-five and four top-10s, including a track best of second in his debut in 2015.
Before the 25-year old takes on the “World’s Fastest Half Mile” next week, Suarez on the strength of four straight top-10 finishes in Cup says his team is willing to gamble in hopes of earning a spot in the post-season playoffs.
“Right now we are at the point where we have to do a little more gambling,” said Suarez. “Based on what we find out last weekend, maybe we had enough fuel to go maybe a lap before, a lap in a half. If we had one more lap into the race, we were not going to make it. I think that was the right call for my team to tell me to slow down as much as I could right there at the last five laps or so, but that’s part of racing.
“Right now we have four more opportunities to try to do something. We know that by points it’s going to be almost impossible. We are not in bad shape, but with so many drivers with victories, that puts us pretty much in a box where we have to win. It doesn’t matter what we do. I don’t feel like I said, I don’t feel like we are horrible in points, but the base that so many drivers have won races, that just puts us in a difficult position. Right now we are in the point where we have to gamble a little bit more and hopefully, we can catch a break.”
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