Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-130):
● Daniel Suárez started ninth and finished 10th, earning one bonus point.
● The No. 41 driver jumped up to sixth in the opening laps of the First Data 500.
● Under the lap-28 caution, the No. 41 Haas Automation team pitted for four tires, fuel and slight adjustments. Suárez reported that he was good but a little free.
● After a quick pit stop from his team, the 28-year-old Suárez restarted third on lap 34.
● Near the end of the stage, Suárez battled with playoff drivers for a top-10 stage finish and came in 10th.
● During the stage break, the team pitted for four tires and fuel only.
Stage 2 Recap (Laps 131-260):
● Suárez started ninth and finished 11th.
● The Mexico native held steady in 10th for the opening laps of the stage.
● The No. 41 Haas Automation team pitted for four tires, fuel and adjustments under the lap-176 caution after Suárez reported that he was free in the corners.
● During the lap-253 caution, he reported that his racecar was tight. The team pits for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment.
● After running solidly in the top-10 for most of the stage, Suárez fell back during the closing laps and finished 11th.
Final Stage Recap (Laps 261-500):
● Suárez started 10th and finished 31st.
● After starting 10th, the No. 41 driver fell back to 12th in the opening laps.
● During the lap-345 caution, Suárez reported that his racecar was tight. The team pitted for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment.
● On lap 376, the No. 41 Haas Automation driver hit the outside wall and had to pit to repair the damage. The team was able to get the Ford Mustang back out on track and meet the minimum speed. Suárez was seven laps down in 33rd.
● After several more cautions, Suárez was able to gain back a few positions and finished 31st.
Notes:
● Martin Truex Jr. won the First Data 500 to score his 26th career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his series-leading seventh of the season and his first at Martinsville. His margin of victory over second-place William Byron was .373 of a second.
● There were 11 caution periods for a total of 69 laps.
● Only 19 of the 38 drivers in the First Data 500 finished on the lead lap.
● Ford took five of the top-10 finishing positions in the First Data 500.
Daniel Suárez, Driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“We had a good car in the first stage, and we ran solidly in the top-10. The car got tight in the second stage. Not the day we were hoping for, but we still have three races to go.”
Next Up:
The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the AAA Texas 500 on Sunday, Nov. 3 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. It is the eighth race of the 10-race playoffs and the second race in the Round of 8. It starts at 3 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by NBCSN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
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