Sunday, June 12th, 2022
Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma, CA
“Win Numero Uno.” Those were the words on the flag Mexican driver Daniel Suárez held out the window of his No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet as he turned celebratory “donuts” on the frontstretch of Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway Sunday afternoon in the ecstatic first moments of his first ever NASCAR Cup Series victory.
Suárez’s No. 99 Chevrolet pulled away from runner-up Chris Buescher’s RFK Racing Ford in the closing laps to take an impressive 3.849-second maiden NASCAR Cup Series win on the 1.99-mile Northern Californian road course – the third victory of the season for the second-year Trackhouse Racing team whose members rushed over the pit road wall to embrace their driver and celebrate the historic achievement.
With the win, in his 195th NASCAR Cup Series start, Suárez becomes the fifth different driver not born in the United States to win in the NASCAR Cup Series; joining Marcos Ambrose (Australia), Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia), Earl Ross (Canada) and Mario Andretti (Italy). And he did so convincingly. He led a race best 47 of the 110 laps and ultimately took one of the largest margins of victory on the season.
Suárez, the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, screamed in joy on his team radio on the cool-down lap and after exiting his car, smashed a pinata.
Congratulations soon came in from across the racing world on social media – including former seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson – all before Suárez had even hoisted his trophy.
“I have so many thoughts in my head right now," an emotional Suárez said, thanking his team owner Justin Marks, his family, and “all the people who helped me get to this point."
“So very happy we were able to make it work," Suárez added, saying of his team, “They believed in me from day one."
He then offered a message of thanks in Spanish to the large crowd of his “Amigos” - the name of his fan club cheering trackside – and ended it in English by promising, “this is one of many.”
The 30-year-old Suárez, from Monterrey, Mexico, is now the 12th different winner of the 2022 season – and fourth first-time winner.
The top-four finishing drivers Sunday were all looking for their first win of the season. Front Row Motorsports driver Michael McDowell finished third, followed by Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick in fourth.
This year’s Daytona 500 winner, Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Austin Cindric was fifth, followed by his Team Penske Racing teammate Ryan Blaney. Suárez’s Trackhouse Racing teammate Ross Chastain was seventh, followed by Hendrick Motorsports drivers Chase Elliott and William Byron.
Buescher’s RFK Racing teammate and team co-owner Brad Keselowski was 10th – his best finish since a ninth-place showing in the season-opening Daytona 500.
For much of the early-going, it looked like Elliott and his Hendrick teammate – defending race winner Kyle Larson – may well decide the win. But both had to overcome uncharacteristic pit stop miscues that allowed Suárez to essentially dominate the closing laps.
Elliot, who led 26 laps, pitted outside his box and had to serve a penalty that put him 34th - last in the field among those still running. His rally to an eighth-place finish was impressive considering the adventurous day.
Larson, the polesitter who also led 26 laps and won Stage 1, had a right front wheel come off his Chevrolet heading into Turn 2 right after a pit stop. His team now faces a mandatory penalty for that infraction that includes a four-race suspension for the team’s crew chief (Cliff Daniels) and both the tire changer and jackman. The defending series champion finished 15th.
On an upside, however, the combined 52 laps led by Elliott and Larson topped the 100,000 all-time miles led mark for Hendrick Motorsports – most in NASCAR history.
With his eighth-place finish, Elliott still holds a 16-point advantage on Chastain in the NASCAR Cup Series championship standings.
ENTRY | # | DRIVER | HOMETOWN | DOB | AGE | MAKE | SPONSOR | TEAM | CREW CHIEF |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 16 | AJ Allmendinger | Los Gatos, CA | Dec 16, 1981 | 42 | Chevrolet | Gold Fish Casino Slots | Kaulig Racing | Matt Swiderski |
2 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Tampa, FL | Mar 14, 1984 | 40 | Ford | Farmer John \ FoodMaxx | Stewart-Haas Racing | Drew Blickensderfer |
3 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | Auburn Hills, MI | Feb 12, 1984 | 40 | Ford | Kohler Power Reserve | RFK Racing | Matt McCall |
4 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Chesterfield, VA | Nov 18, 1980 | 43 | Toyota | FedEx Freight | Joe Gibbs Racing | Sam McAulay |
5 | 22 | Joey Logano | Middleton, CT | May 24, 1990 | 34 | Ford | Autotrader | Team Penske | Paul Wolfe |
6 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Bakersfield, CA | Dec 8, 1975 | 48 | Ford | GEARWRENCH | Stewart-Haas Racing | Rodney Childers |
7 | 45 | Kurt Busch | Las Vegas, NV | Aug 4, 1978 | 46 | Toyota | Monster Energy | 23XI Racing | Billy Scott |
8 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Las Vegas, NV | May 2, 1985 | 39 | Toyota | M&M's Crunchy Cookie | Joe Gibbs Racing | Ben Beshore |
9 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr | Mayetta, NJ | Jun 29, 1980 | 44 | Toyota | Bass Pro Shops | Joe Gibbs Racing | James Small |
10 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Phoenix, AZ | Dec 21, 1984 | 39 | Ford | Love's Travel Stops | Front Row Motorsports | Blake Harris |
11 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Lewisville, NC | Apr 27, 1990 | 34 | Chevrolet | True Velocity | Richard Childress Racing | Justin Alexander |
12 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr | Olive Branch, MS | Oct 2, 1987 | 37 | Chevrolet | Kroger/ Cottonelle | JTG Daugherty Racing | Brian Pattie |
13 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Sacremento, CA | Jul 31, 1992 | 32 | Chevrolet | HendrickCars.com | Hendrick Motorsports | Cliff Daniels |
14 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Tuscon, AZ | Apr 25, 1993 | 31 | Chevrolet | Ally/Better Together | Hendrick Motorsports | Greg Ives |
15 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | High Point, NC | Dec 31, 1993 | 30 | Ford | Menards\Knauf | Team Penske | Jonathan Hassler |
16 | 7 | Corey Lajoie | Kannapolis, NC | Sep 25, 1991 | 33 | Chevrolet | GNARLY Premium Cut Jerky | Spire Motorsports | Ryan Sparks |
17 | 42 | Ty Dillon | Lewisville, NC | Feb 27, 1992 | 32 | Chevrolet | Allegiant | Petty GMS Motorsports | Jerame Donley |
18 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Dawsonville, GA | Nov 28, 1995 | 28 | Chevrolet | NAPA Auto Parts | Hendrick Motorsports | Alan Gustafson |
19 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Prosper, TX | Oct 29, 1992 | 31 | Ford | Fifth Third Bank | RFK Racing | Scott Graves |
20 | 43 | Erik Jones | Byron, MI | May 30, 1996 | 28 | Chevrolet | FOCUSfactor | Petty GMS Motorsports | Dave Elenz |
21 | 99 | Daniel Suarez | Monterrey, Mexico | Jan 7, 1992 | 32 | Chevrolet | Onx Homes / Renu | TrackHouse Racing | Travis Mack |
22 | 51 | Cody Ware | Greensboro, NC | Nov 7, 1995 | 28 | Ford | Nurtec ODT | Rick Ware Racing | Billy Plourde |
23 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Alva, FL | Dec 4, 1992 | 31 | Chevrolet | Worldwide Express | TrackHouse Racing | Phil Surgen |
24 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | Mobile, AL | Oct 8, 1993 | 31 | Toyota | DoorDash | 23XI Racing | Bootie Barker |
25 | 24 | William Byron | Charlotte, NC | Nov 29, 1997 | 26 | Chevrolet | RaptorTough.com | Hendrick Motorsports | Rudy Fugle |
26 | 41 | Cole Custer | Ladera Ranch, CA | Jan 23, 1998 | 26 | Ford | Autodesk/HaasTooling.com | Stewart-Haas Racing | Mike Shiplett |
27 | 77 | Josh Bilicki | Menomonee Falls, WI | Jun 3, 1995 | 29 | Chevrolet | Pacific Coast Termite | Spire Motorsports | Kevin Bellicourt |
28 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Corning, CA | Jan 11, 1996 | 28 | Chevrolet | Lenovo | Richard Childress Racing | Randall Burnett |
29 | 31 | Justin Haley | Winamac, IN | Apr 28, 1999 | 25 | Chevrolet | LeafFilter Gutter Protection | Kaulig Racing | Caleb Williams |
30 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Norman, OK | Dec 16, 1994 | 29 | Toyota | DeWalt | Joe Gibbs Racing | Adam Stevens |
31 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Columbus, OH | Sep 2, 1998 | 26 | Ford | America's Tire | Team Penske | Jeremy Bullins |
32 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Mitchell, IN | Dec 15, 1994 | 29 | Ford | Ford Performance Racing School | Stewart-Haas Racing | Johnny Klausmeier |
33 | 21 | Harrison Burton | Huntersville, NC | Oct 9, 2000 | 24 | Ford | Dex Imaging | Wood Brothers Racing | Brian Wilson |
34 | 78 | Scott Heckert | Ridgefield, CT | Nov 21, 1993 | 30 | Ford | Pala Casino | Live Fast Motorsports | Lee Leslie |
35 | 15 | Joey Hand | Sacramento, CA | Feb 10, 1979 | 45 | Ford | Built Ford Proud | Rick Ware Racing | Kevyn Rebolledo |
36 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Sherrills Ford, NC | May 15, 2000 | 24 | Ford | Chicago Pneumatic Compressors | Front Row Motorsports | Seth Barbour |