June 12, 2022 | By Lee Spencer

Let the fiesta begin: Daniel Suarez scores his first NASCAR Cup win

With his amigos waving him on, Daniel Suarez scored his first Cup win on Sunday at Sonoma Raceway.

In his 195th start on NASCAR’s top tour, and his second season with Trackhouse Racing, the 30-year-old driver led a race-high and a career-best 47 laps in the Toyota/SaveMart 350.

Over the final 24 laps, Suarez extended his advantage over Chris Buescher by 3.849-seconds en route to the company’s third win of 2022.

“Bring the (freakin’) piñata boys,” Suarez screamed over the radio before joining his team on the front stretch.

“So many emotions, so many people have helped me to this point—it’s just crazy,” Suarez added. “The amigos have followed me through the good times and bad and the good times are back.

“This is the first one of many.”

Suarez became the fourth first-time winner of 2022 joining Austin Cindric, Chase Briscoe and his Trackhouse teammate Ross Chastain.

Second-place Buescher scored his first top-five finish of the season since returning from Covid protocol.

“This team did a great job and put a really fast Fifth Third Bank Mustang underneath me this weekend," Buescher said. "What a way to return and come back to the race track, but I didn’t get the job done there at the end. I feel like we should have had the win and I didn’t get it. We were close, just needed more. I needed to make it happen on that restart and I didn’t.

"But if we can keep getting cars like this then a win will come. It was an awesome run, and I should be happy, but I am disappointed to be that close and not get it.”

Michael McDowell finished third followed by Kevin Harvick, Austin Cindric, Ryan Blaney, Chastain, Chase Elliott, William Byron and Brad Keselowski.

"We just fired off a little on the slow side but we were really good on the long run," McDowell said. "We started to reel the leaders in there the last five laps but it just took a little too long to get going. I am proud of the entire team. This was a really solid weekend for our Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang.

"You have to run second, third, fourth, and fifth consistently to put yourself in a position to win a race and we were close today. We just needed a little more on the front end to challenge. I am really proud of everybody’s effort. We are getting closer. We are doing it week in and week out so I am really proud of everybody.”

Polesitter Kyle Larson led the first 26 laps to win Stage 1. Bubba Wallace was the race’s first casualty when his engine failed before completing 10 circuits into the contest.

Elliott trailed Larson throughout the first stage then inherited the lead when the No. 5 car pitted on Lap 27. Elliott led the next 26 laps before disaster struck in the pits. The No. 9 pit crew failed to secure the left rear lug nut and Elliott asked to back his car up. When he didn’t park his entire car in the box, he received a penalty for the crew servicing the car outside of the box on Lap 52.

“So I didn’t back up far enough, that was the deal,” Elliott asked crew chief Alan Gustafson, who replied, “I didn’t catch it.”

Buescher, who ran second and two seconds behind Elliott, also pitted on Lap 52. He initially received a penalty for removing a fuel can from the pits but after further review, NASCAR rescinded the sanction.

Joey Logano won the second stage on Lap 56. After he pitted along with Aric Almirola—the only two cars not to pit before the end of the segment—Buescher assumed the lead. On the Lap 61 restart, Buescher locked up the wheels entering Turn 4 and Suarez seized the point with McDowell and Harvick in tow. Buescher dropped to fourth but worked his way up to second on Lap 70. On the same lap, Tyler Reddick was forced to pit after his wheel hub failed.

Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin pitted from 17th and 18th, respectively on Lap 73. Elliott came in for service three laps later. Reddick returned to the race on Lap 79. Buescher and Harvick pitted from second and third, respectively on Lap 81. Harvick’s pit crew had an issue with the jack and had to raise the car again.

“Our Gearwrench Ford Mustang was good," Harvick said. "We had our minimum of once-a-week catastrophic failure on pit road and got back as far forward as we could, as usual. It is what it is, I guess. We didn’t finish where we should have.”

On Lap 82, Suarez pitted from the lead along with McDowell, Larson and Chastain. As Larson entered Turn 2, the right front tire came off of the No. 5 Chevrolet. He went off course and triggered the fourth caution. Larson restarted 32nd and finished 15th.

Keselowski, who had assumed the lead, was forced to pit with Austin Dillon, Logano, Joey Hand and Almirola. Suarez regained the point with Buescher alongside. When the race returned to green on Lap 88, Kyle Busch, who restarted fifth, spun in Turn 7 and into Alex Bowman but the race continued under green.

Suarez had extended his advantage over Buescher by three seconds coming to the white flag when AJ Allmendinger slid off the track in Turn 3 while running 11th. NASCAR elected not to call the caution—but not before a few tense moments from the No. 99 Trackhouse team.

With the lead secure, Suarez held serve to the checkered flag to become the first Mexican driver—and just the fifth foreign-born competitor—to score a victory on NASCAR’s top tour.

"It's a crazy day. I have so many thoughts in my head right now. I mean, it's been a rough road. It's been a rough journey in the Cup Series. These guys believe in me --Trackhouse Racing, Justin Marks, Ty Norris. Everyone that helped me to get to this point. A lot of people in Mexico: Jay Morales, Carlos Slim. My family, they never give up on me. A lot of people did, but they didn't.

"Just very happy we were able to make it work."

Suarez held back tears as he reflected on the opportunity afforded him by Marks and others at Trackhouse Racing. He said their energy has been a game-changer.

"They believed in me since day one," Suarez said. "They believe in me. All the people, all the resources to make it happen.

"We have Daniel's Amigos over there. (Expletive) yeah!"

Elliott continues to lead the standings with a 16-point advantage over Chastain.