Suárez at Sonoma: Nothing to "Wine" About!

 

credit: Debbie Ross for Skirts and Scuffs

On his 195th NASCAR Cup start, Trackhouse driver No. 99, Daniel Suárez, became only the fifth driver born outside of the U.S. to win a race in the series, and the sole driver of Mexican birth.

Suárez is a former member of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program. Before going to Cup, Suárez spent a good deal of time in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (now the ARCA Menards Series East.)

On Saturday, Suárez was tapped to take over for the previously injured Carson Hocevar in the DoorDash 200 Camping World Series truck race. Despite going two laps down during the driver change, Suárez impressively managed to finish sixth.

Sunday's race started with Hendrick's No. 5 Kyle Larson on the pole. Suárez had the eighth position and managed to lead 47 laps of the 110-lap event. Larson, who was the 2021 winner at Sonoma, managed to win Stage 1 but was hampered by losing a right front wheel after his final pit stop. The loss will result in a four-race suspension for Larson's crew chief Cliff Daniels, starting with the June 26 race in Nashville. Larson managed to end the race in the 15th position. 

Chris Buescher, returning after a one-race absence due to testing positive for COVID, placed second in the No. 17 RFK Racing Ford. Michael McDowell in the No.34 finished third, marking his best finish since his Daytona 500 win in 2021. Kevin Harvick's No. 4 was fourth, and the 2022 Daytona 500 winner Austin Cindric rounded out the top five.

As one of the most well-liked drivers in the series, Suárez celebrated his victory by doing a burnout with a taco-shaped piñata, which he then punched open in triumph. His fan club of "Amigos" cheered wildly.

Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images

The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series returns after a week off for Father's Day weekend. The Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway will be broadcast by NBC on Sunday, July 26 at 5pm.