Daniel Suárez started the Consumers Energy 400 race in Michigan from the 11th position and remained in that position for the finish of the first stage. During this first stage Suárez reported the splitter was too high on the No. 41 ARRIS Mustang and he was experiencing tire chatter early on in Stage 1.  The ARRIS driver reached the top-10 on lap 15.  Suárez ended the segment in 11th and pitted for fuel, four tires and adjustments during the Stage 1 break to help with a tight condition.

The 27-year-old Ford driver struggled with the handling of the ARRIS Mustang during the first run of Stage 2. Under caution on lap 115, Suárez reported the front was tight and he couldn’t turn the back. He pitted for fuel and four tires from 21st. In a one-lap shoot out, Suárez restarted 22nd and ended the stage 21st. The team elected not to pit during the stage break to gain track position.

The Mexico native worked his way up to 12th when the caution was displayed on 134. He did not visit pit road, and the race went back to green on lap 136. Shortly after the green flag, another caution came out. Suárez was in the 14th spot and did not pit. On lap 163 he was 13th, and on lap 175 he was in the 10th position. A strong ARRIS Mustang, along with having more fuel in the tank than some of his competitors, allowed Suárez to pass several cars in the closing laps to finish fifth.

“It was a decent day for us. We had ups and downs in the ARRIS Mustang. There was something wrong, a bad set of tires or something in that second stage. We couldn’t control it. The team was able to overcome that with good adjustments, and they put me back in the game with track position, and we were able to get a good result from there.”

Date: Aug. 11, 2019
Event: Consumers Energy 400 (Round 23 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn (2-mile oval)
Format: 200 laps, broken into three stages (60 laps/60 laps/80 laps)
Start/Finish: 11th/5th  (Running, completed 200 of 200 laps)
Point Standing: 17th with 553 points, 339 out of first (six points outside the top-16 playoff cutoff)

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race on Saturday, Aug, 17 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. The race starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Source: Stewart Haas Racing