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DANIEL SUÁREZ – 2019 Watkins Glen Race Report

Event:               Go Bowling at The Glen (Round 22 of 36)
Series:              Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International (7-turn, 2.45-mile road course)
Format:             90 laps, broken into three stages (20 laps/20 laps/50 laps)
Start/Finish:      18th/17th  (Running, completed 90 of 90 laps)
Point Standing:  18th with 521 points, 330 out of first

Race Winner:    Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-20):

  • Daniel Suárez started 18th and finished 18th.
  • Suárez reported the No. 41 Haas Mustang was very tight and that his brake pedal was going to the floor.
  • He pitted during the Stage 1 break for fuel, four tires, track-bar and air pressure adjustements, along with pulling tape to help with the brakes.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 21-40):

  • The No. 41 driver started 29th and ended the stage in 24th.
  • The Mexico native had worked his way up to the 23rd position when the first caution was displayed on lap 33. He pitted for fuel, four tires and more adjustments to help with the Mustang’s handling.
  • The Ford driver restarted 28th on lap 35.
  • After the restart, Suárez received right-rear fender damage after contact from another car. The Haas Automation driver pitted during the Stage 2 break.
  • Suárez received fuel, two right-side tires and fender repairs to start the final stage in 32nd.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 41-90):

  • The Haas Automation driver started 32nd and finished 17th.
  • The 27-year-old worked his way forward and was in the 21st position on lap 55.
  • On lap 60 Suárez pitted for fuel and four tires.
  • The next caution was displayed on lap 63 with Suárez in the 26th position, and he didn’t pit.
  • He restarted 17th and, as the rest of the race continued under the green flag, ultimately finished in the same position.

Notes:

  • This is the first time Suárez has finished outside the top-five at Watkins Glen. In his two previous starts at the track, he finished third (2017) and fourth (2018).
  • Chase Elliott won the Go Bowling at The Glen to score his fifth career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his second straight at Watkins Glen. His margin of victory over second-place Martin Truex Jr. was .454 of a second.
  • There were four caution periods for a total of 13 laps.
  • Twenty-nine of the 37 drivers in the Go Bowling at The Glen finished on the lead lap.
  • Kyle Busch leaves Watkins Glen as the new championship leader with a 13-point advantage over second-place Joey Logano.

Daniel Suárez, Driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing: 

“Obviously 17th is not the result we wanted, but we had some issues with the brakes. It was hard for me to out-brake people, and then we had the issues with the right-rear fender and had to come in and work on that. Overall, it wasn’t the best day, but everyone kept working at it.” 

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Consumers Energy 400 on Sunday, Aug. 11 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. The race starts at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.