Xfinity: Daniel Suarez Locks Himself In at the Monster Mile
By Alex Herbst
After rain delayed the Xfinity Series race to Sunday morning, Daniel Suarez capitalized and took the win to lock himself into the next round of the Chase.
Mother Nature said no way to racing on Saturday at the Monster Mile, so the Xfinity Series kicked off 600 miles of racing in Dover on Sunday morning. And with no Cup drivers in the field, the series hunting down the title in the Chase pounced. Daniel Suarez ended the morning on top, locking himself into the Round of 8.
Suarez, who led 123 of 200 laps at Dover, was the dominant car on the day, who took advantage of a new-look field. Following the rain out on Saturday, three Cup drivers dropped from the race, being Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, and Joey Logano. This allowed a great opportunity for a Xfinity Chase driver to get a win, and the #19 team did just that.
Championship contenders took seven of the top ten finishing positions, with Ty Dillon coming home in second and Justin Allgaier third. Ryan Blaney and Alex Bowman rounded out the top five. Chase round one winner Elliott Sadler finished seventh.
Meanwhile, other Chase drivers had more challenging days, most notably Erik Jones. Trapped a lap down for some time following an unscheduled pit stop, he got his lap back late but would have to pit under green for a splash of fuel with seven laps to go. He would go on to finish sixteenth.
Here are the full results from the Drive Sober 200 at the Monster Mile:
- Daniel Suarez, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, JR Motorsports
- Ryan Blaney, Ford, Team Penske
- Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, JR Motorsports
- Corey LaJoie, Toyota, JGL Racing
- Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, JR Motorsports
- JJ Yeley, Toyota, Tri-Star Motorsports
- Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Ryan Reed, Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing
- Darrell Wallace Jr., Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing
- Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, JD Motorsports
- Regan Smith, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Blake Koch, Chevrolet, Kaulig Racing
- Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing
- Erik Jones, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Brandon Jones, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Ryan Preece, Chevrolet, JD Motorsports
- Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, RSS Racing
- Dakoda Armstrong, Toyota, JGL Racing
- Drew Herring, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, Jeremy Clements Racing
- Mario Gosselin, Chevrolet, King Autosport
- Ray Black Jr., Chevrolet, SS Green Light Racing
- Brandon Hightower, Dodge, MBM Racing
- Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, JD Motorsports
- Joey Gase, Chevrolet, Means Racing
- David Starr, Chevrolet, RSS Racing
- Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, Derrike Cope Racing
- Mike Harmon, Dodge, Harmon Racing
- Justin Marks, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing
- Jeff Green, Toyota, Tri-Star Motorsports
- B.J. McLeod, Ford, McLeod Motorsports
- Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, Shepherd Racing Ventures
- Matt Waltz, Chevrolet, Obiaka Racing
- Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, Rick Ware Racing
- Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, Obiaka Racing
- Timmy Hill, Chevrolet, MBM Racing
- Josh Wise, Ford, Rick Ware Racing
- Matt DiBenedetto, Toyota, Tri-Star Motorsports
Only one race remains before four drivers are dropped from the championship hunt in the Xfinity Series. Heading into the final race of the Round of 12 in Charlotte, here is how the Chase grid looks:
- Daniel Suarez – Advanced
- Elliott Sadler – Advanced
- Justin Allgaier
- Brendan Gaughan
- Ryan Reed
- Darrell Wallace Jr.
- Blake Koch
- Brennan Poole
- Ty Dillon – Elimination Zone
- Erik Jones – Elimination Zone
- Ryan Sieg – Elimination Zone
- Brandon Jones – Elimination Zone
Related Story: Reddick Wins, Shakes Up Truck Series Chase in Las Vegas
The final race of the Round of 12 comes on Friday, October 7 from the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Watch the Drive for the Cure 300 from the heart NASCAR Nation on Friday night on NBCSN to see who will advance in the hunt for the Xfinity Series championship.