BRISTOL, Tenn – His performance wasn’t a repeat of April at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, but Daniel Suarez’s fifth place finish in “Thunder Valley” was good enough for the driver of the No. 18 Juniper Toyota Camry to win the fourth round of the XFINITY Dash4Cash $100,000 incentive program.
With his fifth top-five effort of the season, Suarez is also entered to win another $100,000 bonus in the final installment of the Dash4Cash program on September 5 from the famed Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.
Suarez’s run on Friday night didn’t come without some strategy, as the former Drive for Diversity driver utilized a late-race two-tire call to help enrich his team.
“That was a difficult race,” said Suarez. “I felt like our Juniper Networks Toyota Camry was strong, very strong actually in the long runs, but for some reason I was struggling a little bit on the short runs. With cold tires I wasn’t as good as some of the guys at the front. Track position was super important so we gained a lot in the last pit stop when we changed those right side tires and some of the guys changed four tires.
“I felt like that worked out very good for us and I just want to thank everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing for the hard work and all the effort they’ve been putting together for me.”
The Joe Gibbs Racing rookie has been on a tear lately in XFINITY Series competition.
While some may think that opportunity to cash in on a $100,000 payout would be somewhat of a priority, the NASCAR Next alum said he wasn’t even thinking about it until the last caution, when he realized he was the top eligible driver.
“We were focused on the race to try and just get better and the last caution I was say man, I think we’re in the spot right now,” Suarez said with a chuckle. “You don’t have time to think about it. You have some much things going on about the race car, the laps and everything. Our 100 percent focus was to be better and better during the race and it’s how we finish. In the first half of the race we were running 12th, 11th, 10th, eighth, with hard work and thanks to all the team with the hard work we end up in the top-five.”
Touted as one of the sport’s most talented Hispanic athletes, Suarez quickly noted post-race that tonight’s influx of cash wasn’t just about him, but it was about his team, a group that has stood behind him through the thick and thin during his inaugural season of competition.
Despite some bumps in the road at the road course races of Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, the Monterrey, Mexico native has racked up five top-10 finishes in the last seven races, including a pole at Iowa Speedway and best third-place effort at Indianapolis Motor Speedway during that stretch.
As the season has marched on, Suarez’s progression has excelled ten-fold. Suarez’s ability to work his equipment, communicate with his team and bare no expense behind the wheel has seen the question shift from if he will win, but when will he win?
11 races remain in Suarez’s XFINITY Series schedule and there’s plenty of tracks during that stretch, including short tracks, intermediate tracks and yes, even the Monster Mile, a track Suarez considers one of his favorites.
Suarez’s recent stretch of success has also propelled him in the XFINITY Series standings from seventh to sixth overtaking Darrell Wallace Jr, but a distant 103 points behind leader Chris Buescher.
Joining Suarez at Darlington for the final $100,000 instant payday are Ty Dillon, Brian Scott and defending XFINITY Series champion Chase Elliott.
“That was great. I’ve never been to Darlington before, but it looks like the first time every time for us,” Suarez said. “Every race track has been new and good. I want to thank everyone – Juniper Networks who came on board for this race, ARRIS for the great support, Telcel, Toyota for the great support and the great organization of Joe Gibbs Racing.”
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
