[autotag]Daniel Suarez[/autotag] finished in third place at the Indianapolis Road Course and earned the second-most points during the event. On the surface, it would be reasonable to think Suarez’s five-point deficit to the playoff cut-line turned into an advantage but that was not the case. Due to Michael McDowell’s impressive victory, the driver of the No. 99 car is 28 points below the cut-line.
The good thing for Suarez is that Watkins Glen International is next weekend and the final driver in the playoff picture, Bubba Wallace, has struggled at road courses during the 2023 NASCAR season. It is possible for Suarez to make it on points but Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks has other ideas.
“(Daniel Suarez) has to win now,” Marks said. “I mean, he did everything today. He performed today at the highest level that I’ve seen him perform. We had some problems in the pit stops, but his pace, his commitment, his fire was exactly why we pay him to do what he does, and he was awesome today.”
“It changes the landscape with (Michael McDowell) winning, so now we got to go to Watkins Glen, we’ve got to try to win that race. And if we don’t, we’ve got to go to Daytona and try to win that race. It’s as simple as that now.”
Suarez was arguably the best car at the Indianapolis Road Course and cut several seconds off McDowell’s lead after the final pit stop. Unfortunately for Suarez, a 24-second pit stop by the No. 99 team ended any possibility of a victory without a caution. Now, the Trackhouse Racing driver goes to Watkins Glen and Daytona International needing points or a win to make the 2023 NASCAR playoffs.
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