Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender seeks $100,000 in opener
RELATED: Enter Dash 4 Cash sweepstakes
Last weekend didn't start off too well for Daniel Suarez.
He qualified 19th for the Hisense 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, his lowest starting position since February when he began the Atlanta race 21st.
It ended pretty well though.
Suarez finished sixth, clinching a spot in the NASCAR XFINITY Series' Dash 4 Cash by placing in the top four among drivers registered for XFINITY Series points.
As a Dash 4 Cash participant, Suarez can win an extra $100,000 in Saturday's Buckle Up 200 presented by Click It or Ticket at Dover International Speedway (2:30 p.m. on FOX). All he has to do is place ahead of the other three contestants: Ty Dillon, Regan Smith and Darrell Wallace Jr.
"It's great, last year I did not get this opportunity," Suarez said after qualifying for Dash 4 Cash at Charlotte. "Thank you to everyone in the NASCAR XFINITY Series for putting this all together. I'm looking forward to next week."
Suarez has only started at Dover twice, both times in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. He placed sixth in 2013 and finished 22nd last year following a wreck with 17 laps left. This weekend, he will get seat time in Friday's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Lucas Oil 200 (5:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1), which will help him prepare for the XFINITY Series event.
"I always feel a bit more confident in tracks where I've competed at before in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East," Suarez said about Dover. "I know it's a very fast track, interesting and a lot of fun. It will also be fun to run two races in the same weekend again. I love being behind the wheel, so anytime I can do more of that is great for me."
Suarez has the opportunity to win $1 million through the Dash 4 Cash program. He can win $100,000 in each race at Dover, Indianapolis, Bristol and Darlington by being the highest finisher among Dash 4 Cash participants. If Suarez wins the first three Dash 4 Cash awards and then wins outright at Darlington, XFINITY will award him an additional $600,000 bonus, bringing the total payout to $1 million.
"We had a good run at Charlotte and qualified for the 'Dash 4 Cash' program," Suarez said. "It's a fun incentive, but it won't change the way we prepare or approach the race this weekend."