Daniel Suarez has once again come onto the radar of the fans after his critical remarks concerning Katherine Legge being permitted to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series despite her limited experience in stock car racing. While Suarez’s frustration was justified — he was strongly running for a top-5, or at the very least, a solid top-10 finish before Legge’s wreck compromised his run — fans contend that Suarez, whose recent performances have been distinctly average, has no grounds to question Legge’s participation.
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At the NASCAR Cup Series event, Suarez was running comfortably in P6 place until Legge spun out beneath Josh Berry. Opting to take the high line proved costly for the driver of the #99 car, resulting in his involvement in the crash. Though Suarez managed to recover to finish in P23, there’s no escaping the fact that the incident significantly curtailed what might have otherwise been an impressive performance.
Following the incident, Suarez addressed the matter in a vlog video he posted on his YouTube channel. Rather than placing blame squarely on Legge, Suarez took aim directly at NASCAR for permitting her to race at Phoenix.
Clearly asserting his position, Suarez stated, “There’s nothing wrong with her. What is wrong is NASCAR. They cannot allow somebody with no experience to run in the Cup Series. Plain and simple.”
In Suarez’s estimation, if someone with Legge’s experience arrived at such a fast, unforgiving track like Las Vegas, things could get dangerous. “You go to Las Vegas, to a fast track, it’s freaking dangerous. You cannot do that. And then here, honestly, this is not a so slow pace. Like, I hit her, and I was running 100 MPH slowing down already,” he said.
He explained that he anticipated Legge spinning toward the inside lane; however, contrary to his expectations, she remained in the racing groove. Suarez attributed this costly misjudgment solely to her lack of experience handling Cup cars during a spin.
From Daniel Suarez’s vlog: He didn’t take fault with Katherine Legge so much as with NASCAR for letting her race Cup with little experience in stock cars.
“There’s nothing wrong with her. What is wrong is NASCAR. They cannot allow somebody with no experience to run in the Cup… https://t.co/ECkyWEwP0d pic.twitter.com/L6xHud8LVw
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) March 11, 2025
However, the Trackhouse driver’s remarks drew the ire of NASCAR fans, who were swift to voice their displeasure. One fan criticized him, remarking, “People in glass houses shouldn’t be throwing stones. He makes dumb ass moves all the time. And it’s not like this one thing is going to be mail in his coffin. He’s had how many years to get it together?”
Another fan offered a pointed reminder, referencing Trackhouse’s own initiative, “Ask him what Project 91 is – surely he knows as it’s his team behind it. This is the ravings on an under pressure driver in my opinion.”
Further adding salt to Suarez’s wounds, a fan sarcastically recalled his recent mishap at COTA, in which Suarez spun and inadvertently collected debutant Connor Zilisch, quipping, “Didn’t Daniel do the exact same thing the week before to his teammate? “
These criticisms intensified in the wake of Suarez’s latest incident, where at the onset of the third and decisive stage last weekend, he lost control on the inside curb before sliding into Zilisch’s path. Both drivers were forced into early retirement due to severe car damage.
While Zilisch refrained from assigning blame to Suarez, fans are increasingly vocal that Suarez must elevate his performances — or risk losing his seat to Zilisch, who exhibited stronger promise in just his maiden Cup race.
