By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
Much like his fellow Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, Daniel Suarez has been on a roll these past two weekends in the northeast.
Following a second-place finish from pole last week at Pocono Raceway, Suarez brought the momentum to Watkins Glen International Sunday afternoon, finishing fourth in his No. 19 Toyota.
Coming off a career day at Pocono, the momentum was sure to affect the Mexican driver on a track he excelled at one year ago. Here, he led the race, won a stage and finished third… this only top five of the 2017 season.
Now, Suarez backed up both runs with another top five in 2018, sandwiching teammates Kyle Busch and Erik Jones in the top five.
“We are getting close,” Suarez said. “This is what we need, to run top five every week. If we continue to do this, I will be a happy boy.”
Notching his third top five of the year, Suarez was eying that first-career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win on a track he felt owed him one. Sunday was all about first-time winners, with Chase Elliott scoring his first. But the day wasn’t meant to be for Suarez.
“The car was good but not extremely good,” he said. “It was a good race, solid effort from our team.”
Suarez has shown consistency at the Watkins Glen track, making it one of his favorite stops of each season.
“Every time we have a road course race, I am excited about it,” he said. “I don’t feel I have had the best car yet here — the one to beat — but we have had top-five cars.”
Though well outside the playoffs, sitting 89 points behind 16th-place Alex Bowman with just four races remaining, Suarez is still proud of the pick-me-up from his JGR team.
“We have to keep working and hopefully we can build from this and finish in Victory lane soon,” he said. “Now, we are heading in the right direction. We just have to keep it up.”