Suárez Finishes 14th at Homestead

Race Winner:      Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Winner:  Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 2 Winner:  Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

 

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-80):

● Daniel Suárez started 17th and finished 15th.

● The Ford driver made his first scheduled green-flag pit stop from 20th on lap 36 for fuel, four tires and fuel.

● He ended the stage in 15th and pitted for fuel, four tires and adjustments to help with a loose condition during the Stage 1 break.

 

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-160):

● Suárez started 22nd and ended up 16th.

● The 27-year-old worked his way forward and was up to the 14th position when he pitted for fuel and four tires on lap 118.

● On lap 136, the caution was displayed while Suárez remained in the 14th spot.

● He did not pit and took the wave-around to get back on the lead lap when the race went back to green on lap 141.

● The Ford driver completed the second stage 16th and pitted during the break for fuel, four tires and adjustments.

 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 161-267):

● Suárez started 14th and finished 14th.

● After going three-wide just after the restart, Suárez was shuffled back to the 17th spot.

● He remained in the top-20 and pitted from 16th on lap 215 for fuel, four tires and adjustments.

● The Haas Automation driver was 14th on lap 235.

● The remainder of the stage ran under green, and Suárez ultimately finished 14th.

 

Notes:

● This is Suárez’s third straight top-15. He finished 15th in the series’ last race at ISM Raceway near Phoenix and third three weeks ago at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

● Kyle Busch won the Ford EcoBoost 400 to clinch his second career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship, the 56th race win of his career, his fifth of the season and his second at Homestead. His margin of victory over second-place Martin Truex Jr. was 4.578 seconds.

● There were three caution periods for a total of 15 laps.

● Only 10 of the 40 drivers in the Ford EcoBoost 400 finished on the lead lap.

 

Daniel Suárez, Driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“The Haas Automation guys worked really hard today. The track conditions change so much from the day to the night, and making adjustments to keep up with the track was key. I was hoping we could get a few more positions there at the end, but my car just wasn’t handling well in the last 15 laps or so. Overall, we had a good season and I really enjoyed working with the crew guys and everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing.”

 

Next Up:

The 2020 season kicks off with the traditional Speedweeks at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. The 62nd Daytona 500, the first points-paying race of the year, will go green on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020 with live coverage from FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

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