In the third closest finish in NASCAR history, Daniel Suarez beats Ryan Blaney to the line by .003 seconds, earning his second career win in the Cup Series.
The Mexican-born driver and Xfinity Series Champion has bounced around with many upper-level teams. He had his breakout season in 2022, beating Chris Buescher at Sonoma for his first win. Suarez has been under immense pressure after his winless 2023 season. Many say he is on the hot seat at Trackhouse, but after this race and finish, Suarez beat two champions in a drag race to the line, a contract renewal might be in his future.
Cautions come out early:
The Atlanta Motor Speedway saw the yellow flag on lap two when the outside lane of drivers stacked up at the start-finish line. The stack-up caused Austin Dillon to spin, wrecking sixteen cars, including eventual race winner Suarez. Many had minor damage, but Christopher Bell and Noah Gragson had terminal damage. Repairs were made but it would not make a difference.
Cautions breed cautions and twenty-five percent of the race was run under the yellow flag. The average green flag run was only 17.7 laps. A red flag was shown on lap 241 for a wreck between the #11 and #14 cars. This set up a fifteen-lap run that was interrupted by another wreck between Josh Berry, Chase Elliott, and Carson Hocevar. The last green flag run was five laps with Blaney and Suarez dueling for the lead of the race.
How did Suarez win this race?
Looking at the first stage results, you would be astonished to see that Suarez won the race. He was involved on the lap two caution, with damage to the hood. The Trackhouse pit crew repaired the car, and he would finish fourth in the second stage. The #99 would avoid the wrecks while staying in a position to capitalize and win the race. When the last wreck happened on the backstretch, Suarez would beat Blaney to the scoring loop to get the lead and control the restart.
The blue-oval power of Blaney would be too much for Suarez, as Blaney would regain the lead. Blaney would lead the field to the white flag with big runs from both Suarez and Busch forming. Not being able to block both, Busch would have the run and make the race for the win three wide. Keeping the cars straight and with minimal contact, Suarez would beat Blaney by .003 seconds, and Busch by .007 seconds.
Celebrating with his team and a taco pinata, Suarez got the win for Trackhouse and his teammate Ross Chastain would finish in seventh, both cars inside the top ten.
Can Suarez keep the momentum going and be a title contender for Trackhouse Racing in 2024? Stay posted to Last Word on Motorsports to stay updated on all the NASCAR news.
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