Races August 12, 2024 No. 99 Choice Hotels Chevrolet Wins Stage 2 in Wild Race. Date: August 11th, 2024 Event: Cook Out 400 (Round 23 of 36) Series: NASCAR Cup Series Location: Richmond (Va.) Raceway (1.75-mile oval) Format: 400 laps, broken into three stages (70 laps/160 laps/170 laps) Start/Finish: 21st / x rd (running, completed 400 of 400 laps) Point Standing: 17th with 460 points Notes: Trackhouse Racing driver Daniel Suárez finished 10th in Sunday night’s 400-lap NASCAR Cup Series race at the Richmond (Va.) Raceway. Richmond marked the first points race where teams had access to two types of Goodyear tires: a softer option tire for short-term grip with less durability and a harder prime tire for longer-lasting performance. Teams were allocated six sets of prime tires and two sets of option tires for the race. It made for wild racing. Suárez, who used his first set of reds to win the second stage and second set to drive from 16th to sixth in regulation, held on in overtime using the hard tires to record his fifth top-10 of the season. He led four times for 93 laps. Suárez started 21st and quickly showed he had a fast car. During the caution-free opening stage, Suárez drove to 15th. Suárez restarted 15th in the second stage, opting for the soft tires that proved several tenths of a second faster as he immediately drove through the field taking the lead on lap 92 and holding it until he pitted on lap 124. Suárez returned to the front leading laps 186-235 for his fourth career and season’s first stage victory. Suárez started the final stage in second, the only lead lap car on the slower tires, and fell to 16th after a few laps. He saved his final set of softs for the final green flag run of regulation and drove from 16th to sixth. He appeared ready for a top-five finish before a caution in the final laps sent the race to overtime. With three races remaining in the regular season, Suárez, with a victory is 11th in the standings. The Cup Series returns to action Sunday at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. Daniel Suárez, driver of the No. 99 Choice Hotels Chevrolet Camaro for Trackhouse Racing: “That was a fun race! These option tires, if NASCAR and the fans didn’t like it, I don’t know what they would like because they were amazing. The strategy played a huge role in what everyone was doing; what we were doing and everyone’s different agenda. It was fun. I enjoyed it and the No. 99 Choice Privileges Chevy was fast. The guys did an amazing job with the strategy. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out at the end, but we gave it a shot and we ended up with a 10th place finish.”
