Suarez participated in Sunday’s race with the aim of securing a spot in the 16-driver playoff based on his performance, as he has yet to win a race in the 2023 season.
Suarez aimed to capitalize on his recent success at Atlanta, where he finished in second place, and his 16th-place finish at New Hampshire last weekend, as he looked to gain momentum at Pocono.
Both he and his teammate Ross Chastain encountered difficulties during Saturday’s practice and qualifying sessions, which did not bode well for the rest of the weekend.
On Sunday in the race, the situation only got worse.
Joey Logano, the winner of Stage 1, faced a setback when the second stage began as he got spun around. As a result, both Suarez and Noah Gragson became involved in the ensuing chaos.
Suarez’s No. 99 Chevrolet suffered significant damage, and despite his team’s efforts to restore it for the race, an oil line leak forced him to retire to the garage. He ultimately finished in 36th place, completing 37 out of 160 laps.
“I’m not sure – I lost control of the car’s right-rear tire while on a high-speed straightaway. Thankfully, we avoided a major accident, but unfortunately, we couldn’t continue racing,” explained the 31-year-old driver from Monterrey, Mexico, referring to the incident.
“At the conclusion of the day, it is our responsibility. We should not be in that position with those individuals. We struggled with the car’s stability during the initial stage. We lost a significant amount of track placement. We managed to regain some of it later on.”
“I had a sense that once we achieved the right equilibrium, we would have the capability to advance to the front. However, we were not given the chance and ended up being involved in a collision beforehand. Although it was an incident that commonly occurs during racing, we should not have been competing with those individuals in the first place.”
Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Racing, Jockey Chevrolet Camaro
Photo by: Ben Earp / NKP / Motorsport Images
Suarez’s position in the series standings fell to 18th after the race, leaving him 23 points behind Michael McDowell. McDowell currently holds the 16th and last spot in the playoffs.
There are five races left until the group of 16 is determined, and if Suarez wins one of them, he will secure a spot in the playoffs. However, there is still a chance to close the gap of 23 points.
“It’s not excellent; it’s not perfect. However, I must focus on what I can influence, and there are certain individuals beyond my control,” he expressed. “As I mentioned before, I believe we shouldn’t be competing in that position.”
“We simply need to improve. I am certainly frustrated because I believe we are capable of performing at a higher level. It is also frustrating to witness others causing accidents while I, who had no involvement in their chaos, ended up being the one unable to continue racing.”
“However, there are times when you experience favorable outcomes and times when you face unfavorable outcomes. Regrettably, today I found myself in the latter situation.”
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