Daniel Suárez only logged 13 laps in the 2021 Daytona 500, but everyone in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage knew he was there.
Suárez’s season-opening race for the new Trackhouse Racing team saw him start 15th and drive to the front of the field before a wreck among the leaders collected Suarez and 15 other drivers.
He left Daytona with a 36th-place finish.
But he remained optimistic.
Suarez was near the top of the speed chart in Daytona practice and qualifying, then led two laps and finished eighth in his qualifying race.
Those Daytona performances give him confidence for Sunday’s race at Daytona’s sister track Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. The 2.66-mile, high-banked track between Birmingham and Atlanta will feature multi-car drafting packs and high speeds.
It also means surviving until the end of the race will once again be key.
If he can avoid the typical Talladega carnage, then the No. 99 CommScope Chevrolet Camaro should at the front of the field when the checkered flag waves.
Fox will broadcast the race Sunday at 2 p.m. EDT
Trackhouse Racing PR
