NASCAR at Sonoma 2022 Results: Daniel Suarez Pulls Away for 1st Career Win
June 12, 2022
Daniel Suarez was victorious in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday in the second road course race of 2022. It was the 30-year-old's first win of his Cup Series career.
Suarez is the first Mexican-born driver and fifth foreign-born driver to win a Cup Series race.
NASCAR @NASCAR🏁: History is made! <a href="https://twitter.com/Daniel_SuarezG?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Daniel_SuarezG</a> becomes the first Mexican driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race!<br><br>🏁: ¡Triunfo histórico! Daniel Suárez se convierte en el primer piloto mexicano en ganar una carrera de la NASCAR Cup Series. <a href="https://t.co/wOjtd2ekh1">pic.twitter.com/wOjtd2ekh1</a>
FOX: NASCAR @NASCARONFOXWINNER. WINNER. WINNER. Retweet to congratulate <a href="https://twitter.com/Daniel_SuarezG?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Daniel_SuarezG</a> on his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory!<a href="https://twitter.com/TeamTrackhouse?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TeamTrackhouse</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/pitbull?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@pitbull</a> <a href="https://t.co/09mLkrifxt">pic.twitter.com/09mLkrifxt</a>
Suarez dominated the final stage and outlasted Chris Buescher and Michael McDowell to earn the victory, which clinched him a spot in the playoffs.
Suarez's Trackhouse Racing teammate Ross Chastain took the win at the first road course race of the season at Circuit of the Americas in March.
Here's a look at the top 10 finishers from Sunday's race, as well as a recap of the action.
Toyota/Save Mart 350 Results
1. Daniel Suarez
2. Chris Buescher
3. Michael McDowell
4. Kevin Harvick
5. Austin Cindric
6. Ryan Blaney
7. Ross Chastain
8. Chase Elliott
9. William Byron
10. Brad Keselowski
Full leaderboard available at NASCAR's official site
The race began with an early caution flag as Bubba Wallace had some engine issues that knocked him out after 10 laps.
The road course at Sonoma Raceway was unkind to the drivers, as many of them knew early on that their tires would be tested.
One driver who didn't face any early adversity was Kyle Larson. He led the first 25 laps and won the first stage. He decided not to pit after the stage but quickly fell out of the lead.
Chase Elliott, who was the pre-race favorite to win, took an early lead in the second stage. But a mistake during a pitstop caused him to have to reverse after he initially took off, and he didn't get all the way back into the box. Elliott was penalized for pitting outside the box, which pretty much derailed his chances at a victory.
Despite some minor trouble here and there for other drivers, Stage 2 was fairly clean with no caution flags coming out. Joey Logano eventually won the stage.
FOX: NASCAR @NASCARONFOXStage 2 goes to <a href="https://twitter.com/CocaColaRacing?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CocaColaRacing</a>'s <a href="https://twitter.com/joeylogano?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@joeylogano</a>!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CocaColaRacing?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CocaColaRacing</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASCARonFS1?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NASCARonFS1</a> <a href="https://t.co/rfS7UiCNkj">pic.twitter.com/rfS7UiCNkj</a>
At the start of the third stage, Suarez seized an early lead by passing Buescher. An early spin-out by Tyler Reddick initially looked dire, but the race stayed green.
The second caution flag of the day finally came out midway through the final stage when Larson's right front tire flew off his car. His crew chief and two crew members will receive four-week suspensions for the costly blunder.
After the restart, Suarez regained the lead and never relinquished it. He led the race for a total of 47 laps. He's the fourth driver to earn his first win in the 2022 season.
The drivers will now turn their attention to next Sunday's Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway. It will be a marathon of a race, set for 300 laps and 399 miles.