DARLINGTON, S.C. - Daniel Suarez didn’t get the victory in Saturday’s Xfinity race, but he still collected $100,000.
Suarez, passed for the lead with three laps to go, finished third at Darlington Raceway to claim the Dash 4 Cash for the second time in four races this season. He won it at Bristol last month. Suarez won the bonus Saturday by finishing ahead of Brian Scott (12th), Ty Dillon (15th) and Chase Elliott (24th).
Suarez saved fuel late in the race and repeatedly asked his team when he could stop saving fuel and race. Denny Hamlin then passed on the way to winning the race.
Still, Suarez was excited with his finish in his first Darlington race.
“This race track was something brand new for me, something very different than everything I have raced before,’' he said. “I feel like I leave this historic place with a third-place finish and the Dash 4 Cash – this is just really good.’'
How tough was Darlington for Suarez?
“It’s unbelievable how hard the tires fall off,’' he said. “I wasn’t expecting that. Actually, at one point, I was thinking that I had a flat or something, but everyone else was running at the same pace, so I start thinking, ‘Well, maybe this is how it works.’ ‘’
Suarez’s result marks his fifth top-five finish in the last nine starts. He’s climbed to seventh in the points.
“This 2015 has been one of the biggest years of my racing career,’' he said. “Last year, I remember I was racing in Mexico some races, some races in the K&N Series and now racing full-time for one of the best organizations – the best organization – like Joe Gibbs Racing and Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Truck Series. Hopefully we can keep it up.”