Daniel Suárez had another rough outing in his No. 99 Chevrolet, unable to avoid contact with a spinning Katherine Legge. Running in sixth place, Suárez ultimately finished 23rd, as Legge fought to control her car instead of letting it spin out. However, Suárez believes the real issue was more on NASCAR than the Cup Series rookie.
Daniel Suárez Unhappy With NASCAR Letting Inexperienced Drivers Run Fast Tracks
In a video clip from the Trackhouse Racing driver’s vlog uploaded on X, Suárez criticized race officials for allowing a rookie driver to compete on a high-speed track. He delivered a “plain and simple” take on Legge’s debut, saying it was dangerous for the field to have an inexperienced driver in the mix.
“There’s nothing wrong with her. What is wrong is NASCAR. They cannot allow somebody with no experience to run in the Cup Series. Plain and simple. You go to Las Vegas, to a fast track, it’s freaking dangerous. You cannot do that. And then here, honestly, this is not a so slow pace. Like, I hit her and I was running 100 MPH, slowing down already,” Suárez said via Steven Taranto on X.
While Legge has experience racing stock cars in NASCAR, the Phoenix race marked her Cup Series debut. After qualifying last, she was involved in two separate incidents during the race. The second incident proved to be more costly, as it directly impacted Suárez’s race.
Running a lap down but ahead of him on the track, Legge made contact with Josh Berry in Turn 2. Her car spun 90 degrees when she hit the brakes, instead of letting it slide out. In the process, she made contact with Suárez’s front bumper, forcing his team to bring the car to the garage for repairs.
The damage meant Suárez, 33, was no longer in contention for a top-10 finish, marking his second crash in two races.
In Texas the week prior, he spun out after his teammate, Connor Zilisch, slammed into him amid thick smoke that blocked his vision. Given the circumstances, there wasn’t much either driver could do, and it ended both of their races.
Meanwhile, Legge called her debut a “baptism of fire.” She felt her car had more speed than several other entries and that they kept finding pace as the race progressed.
Legge admitted to making mistakes but said she learned from them and hopes to race again in the NASCAR Cup Series soon.