Daniel Suarez apologizes to fans for recent struggles, saying 'we're just slow'
Daniel Suarez apologized to fans in a social media video Sunday night for his recent performance.
Suarez made the video on the ride home from Darlington Raceway. He finished 24th, marking the eighth time in the last nine Cup races he’s placed 18th or worse.
“It’s very hard to put into words, you know, what has been happening lately,” Suarez said in the video. “In the 99 team, frustration is an understatement. It’s been difficult, you know. It’s been difficult.
“I will say for the good part of maybe a month, month and a half ago, we were trying some different stuff but right now we are just struggling. We are just struggling a lot. We don’t have a lot of speed. It doesn’t really matter how the balance of the car is, we’re just slow.
“So we have some work to do. The good thing is that, you know, we have great people in Trackhouse. We have great people in the 99 team, and I know we’re going to figure it out. I know that for sure.
“ … In the meantime, I wan to apologize to all the fans, to all the Daniel’s Amigos out there that come to support me, all those Mexican flags. You know, I hate to run like this. I hate to let you guys down, you know. … I don’t compete and I don’t work so hard every single day of the week to run 25th to 30th.”
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Suarez won at Atlanta by .003 seconds to earn a playoff bid, but he’s struggled most of this season. His average finish is 19.4. In the last four races, his average finish is 23.8.
Suarez has not qualified better than 17th in the last nine races, while teammate Ross Chastain has qualified in the top 10 in four of those races.
Also, Suarez has ranked no better than 25th in a race in average running position in the last four races, while Chastain has ranked in the top 10 in that category twice.
“I believe that everyone that is in Trackhouse and the 99 team has what it takes to get us out of this,” Suarez said in the video. “But in the meantime, we have to suffer a little bit and continue to push.”
The series has the All-Star Race this weekend at North Wilkesboro. The next points race is the Coca-Cola 600 on May 26 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
