Suarez and his team, driving the No. 99 Chevrolet, earned a spot in the playoffs last year after his first-ever win at Sonoma Raceway in California. However, they have not been able to win a race this year.
He is currently 34 points behind the cutoff line to qualify for the 16-driver playoff field, with four races left in the season.
Suarez, who is 32 years old, maintains that now is not the moment to become anxious.
“He mentioned that there is still a significant amount of racing remaining. I advised my team that it is crucial for all of us to remain calm and enjoy ourselves. This is when we excel the most,” he stated.
“We have an exciting lineup of upcoming races ahead. Trackhouse Racing has a strong program for road courses, and we have performed exceptionally at Daytona and Michigan.”
William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports, Axalta Chevrolet Camaro, Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Racing, Quaker State Chevrolet Camaro
Photo by: John Harrelson / NKP / Motorsport Images
Suarez and his teammate Ross Chastain achieved their inaugural victories in the Cup series on road courses last year. Additionally, they have both displayed impressive performances on superspeedways. Notably, Suarez secured a second-place finish at Atlanta just over three weeks ago.
If Suarez wins any of the four upcoming races, he will secure a spot in the playoffs. However, there is still a possibility for him to potentially recover from the 34-point difference.
The upcoming race at Michigan International Speedway presents a great chance for a successful performance, potentially resulting in a strong finish or even a victory.
Suarez was the frontrunner for 33 laps during the Michigan race last year. With 45 laps remaining, both Suarez and Chastain were in the top two positions when they made a planned pit stop under green flag conditions.
During their attempt to recover from being a lap behind, Chastain unintentionally collided with Christopher Bell, resulting in a caution and causing both drivers to fall a lap behind.
Suarez expressed his disappointment, stating that he believed both Ross and himself had impressive cars on that day. The unfortunate accident occurred at the most inconvenient moment, resulting in both of them losing their chance to win. Suarez acknowledged the exceptional performance of his team in the previous year and expressed his hope for a similar speed on Sunday.
There are still several ways to reach the playoffs.
Suarez, the first Mexican-born driver to ever win a Cup race, said he remains convinced no path to the playoffs is out of reach.
“There are countless possibilities that may arise. My aim is to concentrate solely on the aspects within my control,” he expressed. “I am uncertain about the necessity of winning, but time will reveal the outcome.”
“We need to approach each race individually.”
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