Daniel Suárez began the Pocono race seventh and finished the stage in 12th. The No. 41 Haas Automation Mustang was free on entry and tight on exit before Suárez pitted from the sixth position for a scheduled green-flag stop on lap 24. Suárez returned to the track in 24th and worked his way up to 12th before the conclusion of the first stage.

The No. 41 driver started 24^th in the second stage and ended in 26th. The Ford driver advanced to the 16th position before the second caution of the day on lap 85. He pitted under yellow for four tires and fuel. Suárez restarted 19th on lap 87 and gained two positions before caution came out on lap 93 for light rain. When the field returned to green on lap 95, Suárez was involved in a fierce battle for position when he sustained damage to the right side of his Haas Automation Mustang. The 27-year-old driver was able to stay on track until caution came out for a car spinning in turn three.

The Haas Automation driver started the final stage 27th and finished 24th. The Mexico native gained four spots on the restart to sit 23rd when caution came out on lap 115. The No. 41 team chose to pit for fuel only and lined up fifth for the lap-117 restart. Suárez had dropped to the 16th position by lap 130 after being passed by teams with fresher tires. Suárez jumped to the 10th position after the next restart, which was followed by another caution on lap 158. After being told that he had received a restart violation, Suárez pitted for left-side tires and dropped to the rear of the field and crossed the finish line in 24th.

“We worked on the Haas Automation Ford Mustang all day and ended up in a really good position in the top-10 for the last restart. We were told we had a penalty and had to restart in the back, which really hurt us because it was just so hard to pass today. It was disappointing to not get a good finish, but we’re usually pretty good at Watkins Glen, so we’ll try to make up for it there.” – Suarez

Date:  July 28, 2019
Event:  Gander RV 400 (Round 21 of 36)
Series:  Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:  Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (2.5-mile triangle)
Format:  160 laps, broken into three stages (50 laps/50 laps/60 laps)
Start/Finish:  7th/24th (Running, completed 163 of 163 laps)
Point Standing:  18th with 501 points, 323 out of first

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Go Bowling at The Glen on Sunday, Aug. 4 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. The race starts at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Source: SHR