Talladega and the Charlotte Roval can be cause for concern for a lot of drivers but not Daniel Suarez. The Trackhouse Racing driver might not be in the strongest points position heading into the round of 12 but he seems to have faith in his team.
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The #99 driver does not want to be in a position where he has to race for points in Charlotte but said that a road course race always brings a smile to his face. His goal will be winning either at Kansas or at Talladega.
Suarez has won once so far this season at the Atlanta Motor Speedway earlier. It was a thrilling three-wide finish but the Mexican-born driver has not been in Victory Lane since. It has been rare for him to run at the front as well.
Qualified P10 in our @WWEXGroup Chevy here in Kansas. Our @TeamTrackhouse group has put in a lot of hard work to make our cars faster and we’re ready to battle tomorrow 💪🏽 #TeamChevy pic.twitter.com/ERRjl8q3QH
— Daniel Suárez (@Daniel_SuarezG) September 28, 2024
Kansas will be a tough place to win given how tight the racing is there but there is a speedway race on the horizon. Anyone can win at Talladega and the Trackhouse man’s last victory also came at a similar track.
“I’m excited for Kansas. I think we can compete there. A superspeedway, as we all know, anything can happen. And a road course in there always puts a smile on my face. It’s going to be interesting. Kansas is a high-speed track where we run just inches from the wall. The restarts are pretty wild there and should make for some close racing. Talladega is a huge wildcard. Anything can happen,” he said in a recent media interaction.
The #99 driver is not as prolific a race winner as some of the other playoff drivers this season but good points finishes can also solidify his position as he looks to qualify for the Round of 8 for the first time in his career. It would be an incredible achievement for a man whose future seemed to be in doubt earlier this year.
Suarez won’t be on the defensive in the round of 12
While he has made clear that he will be racing for wins, that doesn’t mean Suarez will disregard his points position entirely. That would not be the smartest thing to do either. The 32-year-old will be aggressive in the upcoming races but won’t take any reckless chances. It will be a tough ask for sure but making it through to the next round will give him a lot of confidence.
“I think everyone in the playoffs is points racing, to some extent. But that doesn’t mean we are on defense. I can’t be on defense. We have to be on offense. We aren’t going to take any crazy chances or anything like that but we are going to race hard,” he added.
Unfortunately, the 2017 Xfinity Series champion does not have the best record to boast of at Kansas. He has only finished twice inside the top 10 at the track and was only able to muster a P27 finish in the season’s first race here.
