Hard crash for rookie Daniel Saurez

Daniel Saurez (Getty Images)
Daniel Saurez stands in the garage during practice for the NASCAR XFINITY Series Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International on August 7, 2015 in Watkins Glen, New York.
Daniel Saurez stands in the garage during practice for the NASCAR XFINITY Series Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International on August 7, 2015 in Watkins Glen, New York.

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – Early in Friday’s opening NASCAR XFINITY Series practice at Watkins Glen, on his third lap of the session but his first at full speed, Sunoco Rookie of the Year frontrunner Daniel Suarez’s No. 18 Toyota spun out of control near the entrance to Turn 5.

The car nosed into a tire barrier with such force that it lifted the rear tires more than a foot off the pavement. With the Camry beyond repair, the No. 18 crew rolled out a backup car.

“I’m very disappointed because it was my first lap — my first real lap,” said Suarez, unhurt but chagrined. “The first two were just to warm up and feel the brakes, to feel the shifter and everything.

“I just went a little bit too hard for the car for the first lap, and it was 100 percent my mistake. I will try to fix it for the next car.”

Suarez made it through final practice without incident and was 11th on the speed chart at 120.620 mph. Kyle Larson paced the Happy Hour session at 123.623 mph.

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.