INDIANAPOLIS — Five points below the cutline with three races to go, Daniel Suarez realizes the pressure is on to make the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs in 2023.
Click here for qualifying results.
The Trackhouse Racing driver responded with the third pole of his career Saturday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the road course.
The driver of the No. 99 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet was the fastest driver in the final round of qualifications with a fast lap at 99.814 miles per hour around the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course.
He will lead the field to the green flag in Sunday’s Verizon 200.
“I think the mentality on the 99 team hasn’t changed the last couple of months,” Suárez said. “We have to continue to focus on one race at a time, try to maximize the potential of the race car and try to win a race if it’s possible.
“The energy has been great. The guys have been working very hard. I’ve been working very hard, and it shows.”
Defending Verizon 200 winner Tyler Reddick was second in the 23XI Racing Toyota at 99.649 mph.
Chase Elliott, 55 points below the playoff cut line and realistically needing a victory to advance, qualified third at 99.399 mph.
“These things can go all sorts of different ways, but it is nice to have good track position, always,” Elliott said. “As time has gone on, it’s getting tougher and tougher to pass the leader, especially late in the race.”
Michael McDowell, two points ahead of Suarez and 17th in the standings will start fourth after a lap at 99.288 mph.
Kyle Busch rounded out the top five at 99.218 mph.
McDowell posted the fastest lap of the day at 99.881 mph in the first round.
“That’s what we needed to do—qualify in the top five and now race in the top five, score stage points and be there in the end to steal the win,” McDowell said. “Let’s see what happens. You don’t know until you get out there and get to race pace.
“Our long run speed was good in practice—as long as you could run in 10 laps. But we’ll see what happens when we get into a 20-lap run and we stack up. But I feel good where we are.”
Shane van Gisbergen, the Supercars sensation who won the Grant Park 220 in his first-ever NASCAR Cup Series start on July 2, qualified eighth at 99.164 mph. He drives the PROJECT91 entry for Trackhouse.
Suarez also drives for Trackhouse, along with Ross Chastain, who won his way into the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs with a victory at Nashville Superspeedway in June. Suarez hopes to join him with a win Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a road course race that often comes down to the final restarts.
How does a driver prepare for the late race contact that comes on those restarts?
“It’s difficult because I feel like in the past, in my opinion, we’ve done too much of that,” Suarez said. “I was rewatching the race last night and like I said, it was a little bit too much — too much contact, too much bumping cars, in my opinion. That’s why we had some good conversations with NASCAR, and we were able to together come up with the idea of moving the restart zone to provide better racing.
“The fans — they love action, and they love excitement, but there is a line, too. I felt like last year, in the last couple of races, we crossed the line. It was a little bit too much. it wasn’t real anymore. But I’m glad we did it and we’ll find out how things work out. I’m pretty sure it’s going to be much cleaner than what we’ve seen in the past.
“How much? We’re going to find out, but I think it’s going to be much cleaner.”
To add to the intrigue, the three drivers that are fighting for the 15th and 16th positions in the Playoffs are all starting near each other at the front of the field in Sunday’s Verizon 200 at the Brickyard.
“I don’t care, they have to worry about the No. 99,” Suarez said, referring to his car number. “I say I don’t care, but I care like five percent, so I care very little. I knew that we were going to be good. (Michael) McDowell is a great road course driver. (Ty) Gibbs, I think he’s pretty good. He’s still learning, but he’s pretty good. I’m actually surprised AJ (Allmendinger) is not up there, as well.
“But no, in reality, once the race starts, I have to make sure I don’t care because I cannot control what they do or don’t do. I can only control one car, and that’s the No. 99 car. I have to put all my energy and focus into the No. 99 car, and everything else has to take care of itself.
“Obviously if I’m racing with them at one point in the race, I have to make sure I get them because I know one point can be a difference when we go to Daytona (International Speedway). But hopefully I can stay away from them.”