Daniel Suárez doubles down on strategy and dismisses burnout concerns ahead of Viva México 250
Daniel Suárez brushed off concerns about burnout as pressure builds ahead of his long-awaited hometown race at the Viva México 250. The Trackhouse Racing driver remained confident in the strategy he's been executing all week and asserted that he knows 'how much to push'.
Sunday's Mexico City race will see Suarez fulfill his lifelong dream of racing in front of his home crowd. The Monterrey native's highly anticipated outing has been subject to extensive media duties ahead of the event. Nonetheless, Suarez took precautions by arriving early on Tuesday and began training to get acclimated to the high-altitude conditions.
However, his #99 Trackhouse Racing team hit a travel snag and was left with only five members on track for Friday's practice sessions. His crew chief, Matt Swiderski, admitted that the debacle makes them a 'little bit slower' when it comes to making changes and finding performance gains.
Despite the setback, Suarez seemed confident in his press briefing on Friday.
"Honestly a lot of people's been worried about it but I haven't. I have had a plan in my mind of what I've what I was going to do and I've been following that plan since Tuesday so you know a lot of you have no idea how many people has been telling me 'Daniel you're going to be burn out Daniel slow down a little bit' and I know I have a plan in my mind and I already know what I need to do how much to push," he said via Youtube/ Cup scene [8:33 onwards].
Daniel Suárez is set to perform 'double duty' by competing in the Xfinity Series as well. He'll drive the No.9 Chevy for JR Motorsports during The Chilango 150, as he hopes to get to grips with the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit's new road course configuration.
Daniel Suárez admits to 'limping a little bit' without his crew members in Mexico
Daniel Suárez has acknowledged the frustrations that come with missing important crew members for the Mexico City race. Trackhouse Racing had to borrow spotters from the Xfinity Series team to go ahead with Friday's practice sessions.
However, the 33-year-old expressed confidence in his ability to thrive under pressure, saying,
"One of my main mechanics is not here yet, all my engineers are not here yet. So definitely today we're limping a little bit but I love adversity. I love it, you put me against the wall and I'm going to come at you swinging." [12:25 onwards]
Daniel Suárez currently ranks a lowly 28th in the Driver's standings and has been bereft of top-10 finishes in the last four races, with his best result coming from a second-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Adding insult to injury, his teammate Ross Chastain ranks within the top 10 and has already notched a race win at Charlotte Motor Speedway. As such, Suarez hopes to turn things around with a win during Sunday's 100-lap event.