Daniel Suárez qualified second, led all 15 laps of the first stage and looked to be the fastest car on the track Sunday at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
But, a cut tire after contact with another car on the opening lap of Stage 2, plus power steering issues and another cut tire in the final laps left him with a 24th-place finish.
His teammate Ross Chastain continued Trackhouse Racing’s domination of the race leading 31 laps in route to a three-car, last-lap battle before giving the second-year team its first victory after just 48 race starts.
Suárez wants this Sunday’s 400-lap race at Richmond (Va.) Raceway to be his turn to visit victory lane in 2022. He owns three top-10 finishes in nine races at the .75-mile, D-shaped oval.
Suarez has been very close, scoring two top five finishes and leading 28 laps this season.
Fox will televise Sunday’s race at 3:30 p.m. ET
Watch Daniel and Ross Celebrate On Track at COTA
-courtesy of @Loftin27
Watch Daniel Suárez and Ross Chastain join Fox before last Sunday’s race to talk about Trackhouse Racing’s 2022 success.
Daniel Suárez, Driver of the No. 99 CommScope Chevrolet Camaro
What are your thoughts on Trackhouse Racing success in 2022?
“You saw Sunday how good of Chevrolets Trackhouse Racing is building for Ross and I. I think we led 46 of the 69 laps. I knew going into the race we were so close to a victory.
“I was so disappointed the way it turned out for us, but so happy for Ross and all of Trackhouse Racing. Now it is our turn. I want to win at Richmond and keep the celebration going. I hope it is the first of many this season and in the future.”
What do you think of the start to your 2022 season?
“So far, it’s been a really good start. Everybody has been working very hard at Trackhouse Racing and at Chevrolet. We have great equipment and great people. As we all know, great people is key in this sport. You have to have good people around you; not just at the racetrack, but at the shop as well building these cars. I think we have an amazing package right now. We have to keep working because we’re only a couple months into the season and everyone is working hard to either catch-up, get better or stay on top. I feel like we’ve been doing a good job, but there’s always room for improvement. I believe that we can be better than what we’ve been running. We just have to keep pushing.”
How do you balance success for you and Ross?
“Justin Marks said it best at the beginning of the season. He wanted to approach this team as having one gun and two bullets. Go out there as a team working together and try to improve each other. I think that is one of the reasons why we have been consistent and getting better and better.”
