DOVER, Del. — Matching his career-best finish across NASCAR’s national series platform, Daniel Suárez finished second in Friday afternoon’s Lucas Oil 200, once again proving that the former NASCAR Next driver is on the verge of scoring his first career victory.
Suarez a protégé from the NASCAR Mexico Series moved to a full-time campaign in the NASCAR XFINITY Series this season, while also dabbling in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports.
Almost since the inception, the popular driver has enjoyed immediate success.
“My ARRIS Toyota Tundra was strong,” said Suarez. “I felt like it was strong enough to finish in victory lane, but something that was very important here was traffic. I feel like it was difficult to pass in traffic. It would just depend where you caught traffic. I felt like we were a little bit back because of traffic. Somewhere between the 19 (Tyler Reddick) and myself there was traffic. I have to thank everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing and Kyle Busch Motorsports for the great truck, for the great performance.”
While Suarez’s brilliance has flickered at times, Suarez has exceed expectations and excelled in both divisions making him a viable threat each time he hits the racetrack. And the Monterrey, Mexico native pointed out the ability to compete in both series has paid dividends in the progression of his career.
“Talking about the whole 2015 season, it has been different from my 2014 with what I was racing in Mexico and K&N races,” added Suarez. “It’s definitely a big step – a big, big difference. Racing with Joe Gibbs Racing and Kyle Busch Motorsports, it’s a great opportunity and I’m very lucky. To have fast race cars every weekend is just great. I feel like we have a shot every single weekend and I feel like I’m learning a lot. Every single weekend we learn something new. Kyle (Busch) has been on our side a lot, helping us as well. I feel like we are getting closer and closer. We are learning a lot and hopefully we can get one win soon.”
With the NASCAR XFINITY Series off next weekend, Suarez will head to Texas Motor Speedway and compete in the series’ first stand-alone race of the season. The 23-year old finished 18th after starting fourth in his XFINITY ride in April.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
