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NASCAR: 5 Predictions for the STP 500 at Martinsville

By Michael Guadalupe

Apr 1, 2017; Martinsville, VA, USA; A general view of the grandstands inside Martinsville Speedway during the Alpha Energy Solutions 250. Mandatory Credit: Michael Shroyer-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 1, 2017; Martinsville, VA, USA; A general view of the grandstands inside Martinsville Speedway during the Alpha Energy Solutions 250. Mandatory Credit: Michael Shroyer-USA TODAY Sports /
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Suarez might be losing Rogers, but he’s gaining a crew chief that he’s won with before.
Suarez might be losing Rogers, but he’s gaining a crew chief that he’s won with before. /

Daniel Suarez Benefits From New Crew Chief

The 19 team took a big hit this week when Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Dave Rogers was stepping down indefinitely as Crew Chief.

Scott Graves will take over in his place, and at first it looks like the 19 team would be taking a step back with the loss of Rogers.

It can take a driver and crew chief time to build up trust and a working relationship, and now it would seem like Suarez needs to start the process over again with Scott Graves.

But that’s not true at all.

Suarez and Graves are already used to working together. In fact, Graves was Suarez’s crew chief last season when he won the Xfinity Championship.

So while Dave Rovers has a ton of experience with Joe Gibbs Racing and has even won multiple races for the organization, the switch in crew chiefs for the 19 team might end up benefiting Suarez in the end.

Suarez has struggled a bit this season, only having one top 10 finish so far which came at Phoenix when he finished seventh. It can be a daunting task for a new, young driver to get used to competing at NASCAR’s highest level, and it made sense for JGR to keep the experienced Rogers as the crew chief even after Carl Edwards left.

Now though, the 19 team will be going in a different way with Scott Graves and while he doesn’t have the experience Rogers did with JGR, Graves knows what it takes to win with Suarez and might have a better relationship with the young driver.

While it may seem like the 19 team took a step back with the loss of Dave Rogers, this week at Martinsville Daniel Suarez and Scott Graves will start to show people just how well they work together.

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