Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Results | Post-Michigan standings | Chase Grid | Day in photos



With each race it hosts in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Michigan International Speedway offers extra incentives to the three manufacturers, given the track’s proximity to the automaker hub of Detroit. With Joey Logano‘s victory Sunday, Ford earned bragging rights and savored multiple historic milestones as a bonus.



Ford took home the track’s Heritage Trophy thanks to Logano’s first Sprint Cup victory of the season in the Team Penske No. 22 Ford. His triumph in the FireKeepers Casino 400 marked the 50th win for team owner Roger Penske during his association with Ford. In fact, 23 of Penske’s 50 wins have come since 2013 — a nod to the dynamic duo that is Logano and teammate Brad Keselowski. 



Walt Czarnecki — vice chairman of Team Penske, which is celebrating its 50th year in motorsports — said he spoke by phone in Victory Lane with the organization’s founder, who was watching his IndyCar operation participate in a rain-delayed event at Texas Motor Speedway.



“MIS has such a special meaning and such a special place in the history of our company,” Czarnecki said, “so to win here, it means a lot, and (Penske) was pretty excited, and in fact I told him, I really think the performance today was flawless by the team, and he absolutely agreed.”



The race also resulted in the 100th premier-series win for Roush Yates Engines, the engine-building powerhouse formed after the 2003 season with deep-rooted ties to Ford.



“The win here in Michigan, to make these guys proud of what we do, is something that really means a lot to us,” said Doug Yates, the chief engine builder and son of NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee Robert Yates. “We take a lot of pride in that, and it’s something that is really, really special. As you can tell, I’m pretty emotional and pretty excited about it, and I’m sure my dad and I will go over it. But Ford Motor Company has been a huge part of his career and my career, and we want to keep it going for a long time for now.”



Logano led 138 of the 200 laps in Sunday’s 400-mile race. Of his 15 career victories in the Sprint Cup Series, 13 have come in Team Penske Fords with Roush Yates Engines since the 2013 season.



“This is where I got — (crew chief) Todd (Gordon) and I got our first Cup win together with Team Penske, so it’s been a special place for us,” Logano said. “It’s been a good race track for us ever since then, but it’s nice to be able to break through once again.”



Ford has registered 642 victories all-time in NASCAR’s premier series. Of those wins, 74 have come with the Fusion, which became the manufacturer’s model of choice for NASCAR in 2006.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Coverage of Stewart’s accident, comeback | Standings | Chase Grid


Tony Stewart returned from a back injury in April and the three-time champion is in pursuit of one of the 16 spots in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in his final season. Here’s a look at where the driver of the No. 14 Chevrolet stands in his pursuit after the season’s 15th of 26 regular-season races.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED
Stewart started Sunday’s race third — his best starting position since August 2015 at Watkins Glen International. “Smoke” sat inside the top five for the majority of the day except during the final laps, walking away with a seventh-place result — his second-best finish of 2016. This marks Stewart’s second top-10 result of the season. 


The Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner/wheelman’s strong day at the Irish Hills allowed him to move up a spot in the Sprint Cup Series driver standings to 35th. 


WHAT HE NEEDS
Stewart received a waiver from NASCAR for Chase eligibility. The surest way into the Chase is by winning before the end of regular season (at Richmond International Raceway on Sept. 10) and climb into the top 30 in the points standings. En route to his 2015 championship, Kyle Busch faced a similar path after missing the first 11 races with a leg injury. Currently, Stewart is 35th in the standings, 45 points behind Brian Scott for 30th place. 

WHAT’S NEXT
“Smoke” heads to Sonoma Raceway (June 26 at 3 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), where he has two wins. In his 17 starts there, he also has five top fives, nine top-10 results and one pole award.

RELATED: See all of Stewart’s wins | “Smoke” granted Chase waiver

Posted on by Staff Report

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was knocked from contention Sunday at Michigan International Speedway, sent behind the wall by a crash that ended his day in the 61st of 200 scheduled laps. Based on Kyle Busch‘s early exit from the race as well, Junior finished in 39th-place for the day.



Earnhardt — a two-time Michigan winner — started 27th in the FireKeepers Casino 400, the first of two races this season for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at the 2-mile track. He took the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet to the garage for repairs after driving away from the incident.



Shortly after a restart, rookie Chris Buescher slid up out of the lower groove in Turn 2, his Front Row Motorsports No. 34 Ford making contact with the left-rear fender of Earnhardt’s No. 88. Earnhardt slid high, collecting the JTG Daugherty Racing No. 47 Chevrolet of AJ Allmendinger and sending both cars into the outside retaining wall.



Buescher accepted blame for the crash over his radio communications during the race’s third caution period. Earnhardt agreed in an interview from the garage.



“(The impact) wasn’t too bad, actually,” Earnhardt Jr. told FS1. “I knew I was going to hit the wall. The 34 (of Chris Buescher) just drove into my left rear quarter panel, man. I don’t know. On restarts you have a responsibility to take care of everyone out there, even when you’re three-wide. I’m disappointed in that.”

Dale Jr. later tweeted about his vacation getting an early start with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series off next weekend. 

Posted on by Staff Report

The  NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will race at Iowa Speedway this week, while the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is off. Check out the full weekend schedule below.


Note: All times are ET



SUNDAY, JUNE 19:

— 1:30:00 Intro Presentation of Colors: Iowa National Guard
— 1:30:10 Intro Moment of Silence  
— 1:30:20 Invocation by: Brian Keeton, Chaplin, Iowa Speedway Ministries 
— 1:30:45 Intro National Anthem
— 1:31:00 National Anthem by: Specialist Mark Meier from the 34th Army Band
— 1:32:15 Fly-By TOT: KC Flight Formation Team (Turn 4 to Turn 1) 
— 1:37:15 “Drivers, start your engines by: grand marshal Chris Schwarck, Board Member of Absolute Energy and Big River Resources
— 1:44:15: Green Flag — American Ethanol E15 250 Presented by Enogen (250 laps, 218.75 miles), FS1 (Results)



DAILY ROUNDUP
— Hornish wins as fill-in at Iowa
— Jones faces fuel cell problem at Iowa



FRIDAY, JUNE 17:

— 3-4:25 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series first practice, FS2 (Results)

— 4:30-5:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series first practice, FS2, moves to FS1 at 5 p.m. (Results)

— 6-6:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice, FS1 (Results)

— 7-7:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice, FS1 (Results)



DAILY ROUNDUP

— Kennedy tops first two NXS practices 
— ThorSport teams ready for Iowa despite shop fire

— Chase outlook for drivers on the bubble
— Jonas brother a Dale Jarrett fan?
— German vacation with Junior and Amy
— Decker sisters try to make NXS race
— No place like Iowa for Byron


SATURDAY, JUNE 18: 

— 4:45 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying, FS2 (Results)

— 6:45 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FS1. (Results)

— 8:30 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Speediatrics 200 (200 laps, 175 miles), FS1 (Results)


DAILY ROUNDUP

— Byron wins second consecutive Truck Series race
— Hornish Jr. returns, no sign of rust
— Kennedy is fast learner and just plain fast
— Bowman’s back and hungry for more


Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Find FS1 in your area

All times ET

Monday, June 13
8:30 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series FireKeepers 400 (re-air), FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN

Tuesday, June 14
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
8 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR The List: Rookie Season (re-air), NBCSN
5:30 p.m., NASCAR The List: Iconic Cars (re-air), NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN

Wednesday, June 15
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
8 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
5 p.m. NASCAR The List: Texas Motor Speedway (re-air), NBCSN
5:30 p.m., NASCAR The List: Greatest Finishes (re-air), NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN

Thursday, June 16
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
8 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
7 p.m., NASCAR K&N Pro Series Race: Colorado National (taped), NBCSN

Friday, June 17
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
8 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
2 p.m., One Hot Night: The NASCAR 1992 All-Star Race (re-air), FS1
3 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice, FS2
4:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series practice, FS2
5 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series practice, FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice, FS1
7 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice, FS1

Saturday, June 18
4:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying, FS2
6:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FS2
7 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FS1
8 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Setup, FS1
8:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Speediatrics 200, FS1

Sunday, June 19
1 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: XFINITY, FS1
1:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series American Ethanol E15 250 presented by Enogen, FS1

 

Posted on by Reid Spencer

RELATED: Full race results | UPDATED: Standings | Chase Grid

SHOP: Logano gear


BROOKLYN, Mich. — In the second race that featured NASCAR’s new lower-downforce package, Joey Logano lowered the boom — again.
 

There was one major difference between Logano’s victory in Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway and his win May 21 in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte. This one counted in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings and punched Logano’s ticket into the Chase playoffs.
 

But it remained abundantly clear that Team Penske already has a handle on the aerodynamic configuration the sanctioning body is considering for 2017.
 

Logano — the Coors Light Pole Award winner — led 138 of 200 laps at the 2-mile track and dominated a succession of restarts, except for one instance on Lap 117 when race runner-up Chase Elliott grabbed the lead from the driver of the No. 22 Ford.
 

Reasserting his superiority on a Lap 154 restart, Logano held the top spot the rest of the way to win for the first time this season, for the second time at Michigan and for the 15th time in his career. It was the 50th victory for Team Penske since switching to Ford equipment after the 2012 season and the 100th premier-series victory for Roush Yates Engines.


RELATED: See all of Logano’s wins in the sport’s top series


The top three finishers boasted the youngest average age for a podium in Sprint Cup Series history — 23.0. Logano is 26, Elliott 20 and Larson 23. The previous youngest average age for a top three was 24.7 (three times, dating back to 1951 at Charlotte Speedway).
 

“Everyone did a great job of understanding what this package was going to do,” Logano said in Victory Lane. “They put together a great race car for me. It was a lot of fun racing with Chase there at the end …
 

“Perfect execution. We’ve been knocking on the door for a win here all season. We got that All-Star win, but it’s nice to get that win and lock ourselves into the Chase.”
 

Logano had a comfortable lead over Elliott, the Sunoco Rookie of the Year leader, when Denny Hamlin popped his left-rear tire on the frontstretch and careened into the inside wall near the entrance to Turn 1. NASCAR called the ninth caution of the afternoon, setting up the final restart with seven laps left.
 

Logano chose the outside lane, and eventual third-place finisher Kyle Larson tried to push Elliott past Logano into the lead, but to no avail. Logano pulled away, maintained an advantage of nearly one second and won the race by .889 seconds over Elliott, who was chagrined despite a career-best finish in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
 

Elliott’s waterloo actually came at Lap 154, when, as the leader, he missed a shift and allowed Logano to regain the lead.
 

“You can’t do dumb stuff and win these races,” Elliott said. “Completely my fault. The guys gave me a great car today. This whole NAPA group has been working so hard these past few weeks, and that one was on me.
 

“Like I said, you can’t do dumb stuff to win these things and I did today.”
 

Asked to elaborate on what he did wrong, Elliott replied, “Putting it in the correct gear would be a good start.”
 

Logano’s teammate, Brad Keselowski, ran fourth behind Larson, with Kevin Harvick rallying from a 29th-place starting position to finish fifth. Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart, Austin Dillon, Jamie McMurray and Kurt Busch completed the top 10.
 

The seventh-place result for Stewart was his second-best this season. Stewart missed the first eight events of the year after an offseason back injury.


RELATED: How does top 10 boost Stewart’s Chase hopes?


Martin Truex Jr. led 10 laps early but spun to bring out the first yellow flag of the day on Lap 46. Truex’s Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Toyota got loose running in close quarters with the No. 15 Chevrolet of Clint Bowyer. After righting his car, Truex recovered to finish 12th.


Two former Michigan winners — Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. — were sidelined early. Busch finished last in the 40-car field after the engine in his Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota expired in a fiery detonation after completing 52 laps.


It marked the fourth straight finish of 30th or worse for the reigning Sprint Cup champion.


“There’s nothing you can do to change it around,” said Busch, a three-time winner this year. “You’re not going to go to the luck store and buy any. We had a lot of good fortune go our way at the beginning part of the season I guess. We still had blown tires that hurt us, but we’re either top four or we’re bottom four. There is no absolute in-between for us.”


RELATED: Fiery ends to two drivers’ days; more top Michigan photos



Earnhardt was caught up in a crash that also forced AJ Allmendinger out of the race. Rookie Chris Buescher‘s No. 34 Ford slid up into Earnhardt’s Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet, sending Earnhardt up into Allmendinger’s No. 47 Chevy. Buescher continued after the impact, but both Earnhardt and Allmendinger made substantial contact with the outside wall at Turn 2’s exit.


“He must have just lost the nose of his car,” Earnhardt said of Buescher. “I hate it, but you try to take care of each other out there. We all try to race hard, and I wish he would have taken better care of us. He just lost the car and hit the quarter panel. It happens, though. I’m angry, but I won’t be too upset about it later. It’s frustrating right now because we had a good car and I was happy with the way the car drove.”
 

Notes: Harvick increased his series lead over Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Kurt Busch to 30 points. Logano, the 10th driver to win a Cup race this season, jumped three spots to fifth. … Larson’s No. 42 Chevrolet failed the laser inspection station (LIS) after the race. NASCAR is taking the car to its research-and-development center in Concord, N.C., for further evaluation. If penalties are warranted, they will be announced in the coming week. … The Sprint Cup Series’ next race is scheduled June 26 at Sonoma Raceway (3 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). With NASCAR’s top division taking the week off, the XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series will visit Iowa Speedway this weekend for a national series doubleheader.


Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Nascar

BROOKLYN, Mich. — Dave Jones, father of NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Erik Jones, passed away Tuesday following a brief battle with cancer. He was 53.
 
Jones’ death was acknowledged just before the Menard’s 250 XFINITY Series race here at Michigan International Speedway was preparing to get underway.
 
Erik Jones, driver of the No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, started second and finished fourth in the race, leading 18 laps. On pit road prior to the start of the event, he replaced his own name over the driver’s-side window with that of his father.
 
He also posted a Tweet confirming his father’s passing.
 

Jones was brief in a post-race interview with FOX Sports 1 after the 250-mile event. “I wish he could be here, but it was a good day overall for us,” Jones said. “We miss him a lot, but thank you. I appreciate it.”

 

Race winner Daniel Suarez, a teammate of Jones’ at JGR, dedicated the win to the Jones family in Victory Lane.

 

Erik Jones won the 2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports and began competing full-time in the XFINITY Series this season for JGR.

Following an emotional phone call in Victory Lane after winning at Bristol Motor Speedway earlier this year, the younger Jones broke the news of his father’s illness.

“Not to bring the mood down, but I was actually talking to my parents,” he said during his winner’s press conference. “My dad, I figure we need to announce it at some time, but he got diagnosed with cancer about a month ago. He’s going through treatment now and he’s missed the last few weeks. Just on the phone with him and my mom.

“Just pretty emotional. It was the first race I’ve won that they haven’t been here for and hard to hold the emotions back for that one.”

RELATED: Jones’ emotional Victory Lane phone call

Erik Jones, 20 and a native of Byron, Michigan, has three career Sprint Cup Series starts. He has four victories in 39 career XFINITY Series starts and seven wins in the Truck Series.

Dave Jones was co-owner of Paragon Corvette Reproductions, a Swartz Creek, Michigan parts and restoration company.

Posted on by

RELATED: Results | Standings | Chase Grid


BROOKLYN, Mich. — The temperature in the cockpit of the race cars read a sweltering 117 degrees in Saturday’s XFINITY Series’ Menards 250 Presented by Valvoline at Michigan International Speedway.


But something like a little — or a lot of — sweat couldn’t hold back Daniel Suarez, who earned his first XFINITY Series win at Michigan International Speedway and became the first Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR national series event.

“I just have no words honestly,” Suarez said after the race. “I don’t think I can speak English or Spanish right now honestly. I can’t thank these guys enough for all the hard work — Joe Gibbs Racing for having the confidence in me along with Toyota, Telcel Mexico, Coca-Cola and everyone who helped put this program together. I have no words to describe what I’m feeling right now.

“This is a dream for sure.”

Suarez passed Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch for the lead with two laps to go in Saturday’s thriller in the Irish Hills. His No. 19 Toyota had its share of struggles, battling a clutch issue throughout the day (Lap 71) and incurring a speeding penalty in the first round of yellow-flag pit stops.

But he was relentless. Suarez restarted 25th after the speeding penalty and weaved his way through the field, catching up with the leaders in the final laps of the 250-mile event.

RELATED: See how Suarez was able to catch Busch

It was battle that symbolized his season leading up to this point, as Suarez has been close to Victory Lane, earning four top-five and 10 top-10 results in the 12 races leading up to Michigan.

But each time, he fell short.

This time, he didn’t.

“After that pit road penalty, I was just mad — I don’t think I talked on the radio for 30 minutes or more time,” Suarez recalled. “I was disappointed with myself … We went through so many things, so many problems to overcome in the race.

“When I was able to go through the field all the way to fifth, I said, ‘Man, we can have a shot here.’ And then clutch happened. So, it seemed like there were a lot of little details that were saying, ‘Maybe today’s not the day.’ But I was just disappointed and I was pushing hard and (I) thank God and all these guys we made it happen.”

Suarez’s win was popular both with fans and fellow drivers alike, as evidenced by the roar from the crowd when he emerged from his entry after crossing the start/finish line. Sprint Cup regular Ryan Blaney entered the Suarez’s post-race press conference to give the wheelman a hug and offer congratulations, while Kyle Busch and fellow XFINITY driver Darrell Wallace Jr. paid him visits in Victory Lane.

“That’s pretty cool,” said Wallace, who finished ninth, on the grid after the race. “I know what the first feels like — not XFINITY, but Truck — it’s a special moment. Hope he enjoys it.”

RELATED: Drivers react to Suarez’s win on Twitter

Busch has served as a mentor for several up-and-coming drivers like Suarez and Erik Jones, jokingly calling his pupils students of the “Kyle Busch School of Charm.” For the reigning Sprint Cup champion, Suarez’s pass on the No. 18 for the win was a proud moment, despite losing the checkered flag.

“(I’m) proud of Daniel, he’s done a lot of work, done a lot of things to try to get to this point,” Busch said. “And it’s exciting to see him get that opportunity to win an XFINITY Series race.

He added jokingly: “I’d love to see him now win in a KBM truck — and not beat me by the way.

“He’s done a lot of homework and he’s done a good job with being able to talk to the crew chiefs, give them good information, get them solid information that’s going to help them make their cars better. I never even heard the 19 today, I never even saw him all day today and here he came at the end of the race and passed us and beat us.”

RELATED: Busch talks about his runner-up finish, Suarez’s growth

Suarez’s victory on Saturday went beyond his first career win — it was a win for his home country of Mexico, the place he left five years ago to pursue a dream of stock car racing.

It was also a win for the sport of NASCAR.

“For me, it’s great to be here definitely. It’s a great opportunity that Joe Gibbs Racing gave me, the Drive for Diversity, NASCAR (gave me) when I moved to the U.S. five years ago without an opportunity,” Suarez said. “And for me to now, to try to help some other young drivers from Latin America — not just from Mexico, but from everywhere — to come to this great sport is great. To be able to be an example something that we can help to bring more people, for me is great.

“I’m just very proud to be a Latin American driver and very proud to be with Joe Gibbs Racing, a great family and a great organization.”


MORE: See Suarez go around Busch to take the checkered

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: See how Suarez was able to beat Busch

Daniel Suarez scored his first NASCAR national series win on Saturday at Michigan International Speedway and also became the first Mexican-born driver to win in the sport’s national series edging out Kyle Busch late for the victory. Drivers took to Twitter to congratulate the second-year driver in NASCAR. Below is a sampling of that reaction. 

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Race results | Standings | Chase Grid

SHOP: Suarez gear


Daniel Suarez surged to his first NASCAR XFINITY Series victory Saturday at Michigan International Speedway, taking the lead from Kyle Busch with two laps left.



Suarez, the series’ points leader, recovered from an early race speeding penalty and rallied in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 Toyota. He led twice for four laps and became the first Mexican-born driver to win in any of NASCAR’s three national series. He also became the XFINITY tour’s sixth foreign-born winner in his 48th career start.



“I just have no words honestly. I don’t think I can speak English or Spanish right now honestly,” Suarez said after emerging from his car in Victory Lane. “I can’t thank these guys enough for all the hard work — Joe Gibbs Racing for having the confidence in me along with Toyota, Telcel Mexico, Coca-Cola and everyone who helped put this program together. I have no words to describe what I’m feeling right now.”



The victory drew special notice from NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France.



“Daniel Suarez has competed in NASCAR for a relatively brief time, yet his impact on the sport has been immeasurable,” France said in a statement. “Combining impressive talent and an incredible personality, Daniel has attracted fans throughout North America. His accomplishments already are too numerous to list, so I congratulate him on his latest, and so far greatest one — a NASCAR XFINITY Series victory. He has come close to victory on occasions, and clearly, today was worth the wait, as he had to pass Kyle Busch, the series’ all-time winningest driver, in the closing laps.


“Today’s victory proved what many already knew: Daniel has the skill, fortitude and passion for future NASCAR stardom. I look forward to watching his career grow, and accomplishments mount, as he battles for a championship this year in the inaugural NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase.”



Busch, a Sprint Cup Series regular, led a race-high 88 of 125 laps in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota but settled for second in the Menards 250 Presented by Valvoline.


In passing Busch for the win, Suarez beat the best. Busch holds the XFINITY Series record for victories with 80. And Busch has been a willing mentor to Suarez, who also drives a limited schedule for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
 

“The Kyle Busch School of Charm finished 1-2-4 today, so not too bad,” said Busch, a four-time XFINITY Series winner this season. “Obviously we want to win. We thought we should have won. We had the best car for the majority of the race there, but not the last 20 laps or so — just got really loose on me.”
 

“But congratulations to Daniel Suarez. He earned that one. It’s cool to see. It’s a little bittersweet to lose like that, but it’s all right. It’s one of my students. So the student beat the teacher today.”


Paul Menard finished third, JGR driver Erik Jones fourth and Elliott Sadler fifth.


Jones started second and led 18 laps on an emotional day for the 20-year-old driver. Jones, a Byron, Michigan native, announced through Twitter during Saturday’s pre-race that his father had died Tuesday at age 53 after a bout with cancer.


Before the race, he paid tribute to his father, affixing a decal with the name “Dave” in place of his own above the driver’s door of his Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota. Suarez dedicated his breakthrough win to the Jones family in Victory Lane.



Suarez was first off pit road during the first caution period, but a speeding penalty knocked him back to 25th place for the Lap 32 restart that followed. The speeding penalty wasn’t the only obstacle Suarez had to overcome. As he was working his way back to the front after the infraction, the clutch in his No. 19 Toyota failed, causing the car to stall during a green-flag pit stop on Lap 71.


Suarez gradually regained ground over the final half of the 250-miler, making his most dramatic charge over the long green-flag run to the finish. Suarez caught and inched ahead of Busch as the two drivers flashed side-by-side under the white flag for the final lap. The 24-year-old Suarez — a NASCAR Next product and last season’s Sunoco Rookie of the Year — held on for a .281-second margin of victory at the finish.



“Honestly, I was trying as hard as possible — I was driving a little more on the edge,” said Suarez, who virtually clinched a berth in the XFINITY Series’ Chase playoffs. “Honestly, I was maybe risking a little more than I should have. Everything was about the win so I was trying as hard as possible and it seemed like we were good in points, but not very good in wins. I was just very hungry and I know this team was at the same spot, we were very hungry to win races and finally we got the first one.”



Alex Bowman led 11 laps and secured seventh place in just his third XFINITY start of the season in the JR Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet. He landed his first pole position since 2013 in Saturday’s Coors Light Pole Qualifying.



Team Penske‘s Joey Logano finished the day sixth, but had post-race problems after failing inspection for laser inspection system (LIS). 


The series’ next race — the American Ethanol E15 250 Presented by Enogen — is scheduled June 19 (1:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Iowa Speedway.


Contributing: NASCAR Wire Service