Pit This Time may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. It never affects our coverage. Learn more.
Daniel Suárez said a late spin at Homestead-Miami Speedway could have ended much differently between him and Noah Gragson, but a top-10 finish kept things calm.
With 15 laps to go in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race, Gragson’s No. 4 made contact with Suárez’s No. 7 while both were running inside the top 10, spinning Suárez and bringing out the caution. Suárez drove up to Gragson’s door on the caution lap to let him know he wasn’t happy.
https://x.com/NASCAR/status/2119567489218613757
After the final pit stops and the last eight laps, Suárez finished eighth and Gragson ninth. The two met on pit road after the race, won by Ryan Blaney, and the conversation looked more friendly than heated.
‘It Could Have Got Ugly Very Quickly’
Suárez said Gragson was the faster car, and that the finish was the only reason he wasn’t upset.
“I mean, there was not really a conversation, but he was faster,” Suárez said. “I was doing a good job holding him off.
“And he just got a little impatient on everything, and he spun me out. We ended up- the only reason why I’m not mad is because we finished ahead of him and we finished in the top 10.
“But that could have got ugly very, very quickly, right? If I hit a wall, if I got a lap down. I had a flat tire right there.
“I damaged my car a little bit. So luckily we finished well, but it could have got ugly very quickly.”
He did not put all of it on Gragson.
“So, I mean, he’s a good driver. I have never had an issue with him. He just got a little impatient,” Suárez said. “He was faster. So I don’t blame him 100%, but he could have been a little smarter.”
He was also clear about what might have happened if the day had ended in a crash.
“As I said, if we crashed, probably I would give him a couple knuckles, but we finished top 10, so that’s fine.”
Suárez: ‘The Most Fun I Have Had in the Cup Series’
The eighth-place run capped Suárez’s first season with Spire Motorsports. He finished 13th in the final Chase standings. Teammate Carson Hocevar also made the Chase.
Suárez said the year has been the most enjoyable of his Cup career.
“I’m super proud of this group, man. This is the most fun I have had in the Cup Series,” Suárez said. “I have an amazing team. The entire weekend, we were a top-10 car. Practice, qualifying, race.
“Very proud of this group. I can’t wait to go back home, relax a little bit, and continue to build with this amazing group of people.”
Gragson drives the No. 4 for Front Row Motorsports.
Leave a Reply