Chase Elliott and Daniel Suarez had a hairy moment toward the end of the Chicago Street Race. Neither driver was ever in contention for the win and was racing for points. In the closing stages of the event, the Hendrick Motorsports star gave the Trackhouse Racing driver a nudge from behind. He then went past the Mexican-born driver who returned the favor. However, Suarez pushed a bit too hard, causing the #9 to spin around.
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The two drivers were seen having a conversation after the event. Elliott seemed quite animated in the beginning but later calmed down. Suarez took the blame for the incident and the interaction ended. Both have won races this season and will be competing in the playoffs later this year.
Contact in the closing moments of the race. #NASCARChicago pic.twitter.com/GQKJEYrHda
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 8, 2024
“He pushed me a little bit and then I pushed him with all my intention and I ended up hitting him pretty good on the very last corner. My bad on that,” the #99 driver said in the post-race media interaction. Elliott finished P21 while Suarez was P11.
Chase Elliott’s teammate finally breaks his winless streak
Following Shane van Gisbergen’s DNF, it was anyone’s race to win. But perhaps no one quite expected Alex Bowman to come up with the performance that he did. Chicago marked Bowman’s first victory on a road course. After the dismal performance of last season, this is a much-needed victory for the HMS star who has confirmed his place in the final 16.
“Man, I broke my back, I had a brain injury, and we’ve kind of sucked ever since. You kind of second guess if you are ever going to win a race again. Last one we won, we didn’t really get to celebrate,” – Bowman said as per USA Today.
Indeed, after a winless season in 2023, this year was always going to be about redemption. Bowman was the last driver from Rick Hendrick’s camp who punched his ticket into the playoffs.
The Cup Series heads to Pocono Raceway this weekend. With his first win of the season secured Bowman would hope to continue his form at the superspeedway style track often referred to as ‘The Tricky Triangle.’
