mobile app bar

“Ran Out of Talent”: Daniel Suarez Faces Tough Critics After Making Race-Ending Contact With Kyle Larson

Gowtham Ramalingam
Published

“Ran Out of Talent”: Daniel Suarez Faces Tough Critics After Making Race-Ending Contact With Kyle Larson

The Cup Series race at the Iowa Speedway on Sunday had a massive twist in the initial laps of the final stage when Daniel Suarez spun out pole winner Kyle Larson on the frontstretch. While neither driver has blamed the other for the incident, fans have already drawn a verdict as to who was in the wrong and the fingers are pointed at Trackhouse Racing’s Mexican hero.

Larson’s #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet went three-wide between Brad Keselowski and Suarez before the contact off Turn 4. Suarez hit his right rear forcing him to the outside wall and into the path of Denny Hamlin. Talking to the press in the aftermath he tried justifying the contact by stating that Larson and Keselowski had run a bit tighter to him than they ought to have.

He told Bob Pockrass, I just saw the replay for the very first time, and I noticed that the 6 (Keselowski) was the one that was on the outside, he had like a quarter of a car from the wall because he was trying to pinch down the 5 (Larson), and then the 5 had another quarter of a car to the 6, trying to pinch me down, and I was expecting those two guys to be closer to the wall like everyone else.”

Larson, on the other hand, said that he could’ve avoided the scene by not moving three-wide in the first place. But that meant running in sixth place going to Turn 1 and that wasn’t a position he wanted to be in. End of the day, he finished in 34th place 36 laps down. Suarez, able to continue with his race, finished in ninth place. It was his third top 10 finish of the season.

Fans don’t take well to Daniel Suarez’s justification for contact with Larson

Larson had led 80 laps till that point before the contact and won Stage 2. He could’ve potentially secured another victory hadn’t it been for Suarez’s intervention. His words to Pockrass in the pit road did not seem to appease fans enough to cut him slack. One fan wrote that his reasoning just reflected how he has run out of talent to race in the Cup Series.

Another wrote, Bro it was your fault Daniel”, and yet another provided their verdict, “They were lower than I was expecting” bro they were on the wall lmao.” For a few others, Suarez’s time in the premier tier is already done. A comment that he would certainly not enjoy read, “Hey mi amegos enjoy your last half year in cup.” It is no news that there have been numerous rumors of Suarez losing his seat in 2025.

One particular comment, that is nowhere near reasonable, was, “Suarez is only in his ride bc he’s a minority. There I said it bc no one else will and it’s the truth.” Regardless of whose fault the incident at Iowa was, Suarez has proven himself to be one of the worthiest drivers in the Cup Series. His team owner Justin Marks has reiterated the same on multiple occasions.

Post Edited By:Srijan Mandal

About the author

Gowtham Ramalingam

Gowtham Ramalingam

Gowtham is a NASCAR journalist at The SportsRush. Though his affinity for racing stems from Formula 1, he found himself drawn to NASCAR's unparalleled excitement over the years. As a result he has shared his insights and observations by authoring over 350 articles on the sport. An avid fiction writer, you can find him lost in imaginary worlds when he is not immersed in racing. He hopes to continue savoring the thrill of every lap and race together with his readers for as long as he can.

Read more from Gowtham Ramalingam

Share this article