Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-120):
● Daniel Suárez started Stage 1 from the 14th position and ended the stage 15th.
● Suárez was in the 14th spot when the competition caution came out on lap 40.
● After reporting the No. 41 Haas Automation Mustang was tight early in the run, Suárez came down pit road for fuel, four tires and adjustments. He restarted 17th on lap 45.
● The first caution came out on lap 105, and Suárez pitted for fuel, four tires and an air pressure adjustment to help his free-entry and tight-exit condition. He restarted from 15th on lap 110.
● The next caution came out on lap 116, and crew chief Billy Scott made the call for Suárez to stay out for the one-lap shootout to end the stage in 15th.
● Suárez began Stage 2 in 13th after not pitting during the stage break.
Stage 2 Recap (Laps 121-240):
● The No. 41 driver started Stage 2 in 13th and completed it in 13th.
● Suárez came down pit road on lap 183 for a scheduled green-flag stop for four tires, fuel and adjustments. After pit stops cycled through he was in the 15th position.
● Suárez worked his way back up to 13th, where he ended the stage.
● Before the start of the final stage, the 27-year-old pitted for fuel, four tires and adjustments to help with his tight-handling Mustang.
Final Stage Recap (Laps 241-400):
● Suárez began the final stage in 16th and concluded it in 11th.
● The first caution of the final stage came out on lap 264, and the Mexico native pitted from 15th for fuel, four tires and adjustments. He restarted 14th on lap 268.
● Suárez took over the 11th spot on lap 316 and eventually took over the lead on lap 326 after staying out while almost all other competitors pitted.
● On lap 346 Suárez made a scheduled green-flag stop for fuel and four tires and returned to the track in the 12th position.
● The remainder of the stage ran under green and Suárez ultimately finished 11th.
Notes:
● Suárez earned his seventh top-15 of the season and his fifth top-15 in five career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Dover.
● Suárez has finished in the top-11 in each of his five career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Dover.
● Martin Truex Jr. won the Gander RV 400 to score his 21st career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his third at Dover. His margin of victory over second-place Alex Bowman was 9.501 seconds.
● There were six caution periods for a total of 31 laps.
● Only 11 of the 37 drivers in the Gander RV 400 finished on the lead lap.
● Kyle Busch remains the championship leader after Dover with a five-point advantage over second-place Joey Logano.
Daniel Suárez, Driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“It was a tough day for us here at Dover. The cars were really fast at this track today. Last year they weren’t, but obviously it was a different rules package. I had very high expectations coming into this race because I’ve run so well here in the past, and Stewart-Haas Racing has, too. I just couldn’t get the Haas Automation Mustang to turn like I wanted it to. We probably had an eighth- to 12th-place car today and we finished 11th.”
Next Up:
The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Digital Ally 400 on Saturday, May 11 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City. The race starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
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