With only two races remaining in the regular season, the stakes were at their highest at Richmond Raceway. Daniel Suarez finished 7th, his best finish at the track since the September race in 2019. But during the hard-nosed, Saturday night short track action, a critical moment unfolded in Stage 2 that he regrets.

As tire falloff became a major factor in the race for everyone, cars began to pit for fresh tires in Stage 2, including Reddick. He rejoined the track in heavy traffic and went wide to make a pass on fresher tires. That’s when things unraveled. Daniel Suárez, attempting a move on Ty Gibbs to find room, made contact that sent Gibbs into Reddick and spun the No. 45 — triggering the night’s first caution and a major hit to Reddick’s playoff hopes.

Afterward, Suárez admitted regret, saying, “I feel bad for the 45,” and explained the bump was unintentional. The caution flipped Reddick’s night upside down and left Daniel Suárez facing questions of accountability. Which he answered post the race.

Daniel Suarez explains why his action made Reddick bear the brunt

Suarez began by acknowledging his role, stating with a touch of irony, “I crashed him for no reason.” Suárez explained that the incident was a misjudgment on his part, as Gibbs, on older tires, was significantly slower than his own car on fresh rubber. “And when he went to the bottom, he just slowed down way more than what I anticipated. So I bumped him a little bit to get some room, but it was maybe too hard of a bump for the tire that he had and already he got a wiggle, then ended up spinning out the 4,5 which wasn’t intentional.”

The resulting spin collected Tyler Reddick’s car, which Suárez stressed was an unintentional outcome. While expressing regret for the incident, Suárez justified his actions as part of the normal racing situation of trying to gain as much time as possible. He then gave his own views about the abrasive nature of the Richmond track and how he felt about the tires. Praising the Goodyear product as “a great tire” that allows for both initial speed and the strategic management of tire wear, he added, “Goodyear has done an amazing job to make the tires that you can fire up but also pay penalty and play with stride. Personally was huge fan of option tires having two compounds. But so far NASCAR & Goodyear have done a good job.”

The crash led to what Reddick described as a “worst-case scenario” for his playoff hopes. He finished 34th, a result that he blamed on Suárez. “We can thank Daniel Suarez for that,” Reddick said, noting his car went “from one of the fastest on the track to one of the slowest.” The poor result now leaves Reddick vulnerable. He holds a 29-point cushion over Alex Bowman entering the regular-season finale at Daytona. But if Bowman outscores him by 29 points and there’s a new winner, the former regular-season champion could see his playoff hopes end right there. Meanwhile, Suarez was happy with his finish at Richmond.

Daniel Suarez secures a happy seventh position at Richmond Raceway

Daniel Suárez finished seventh at Watkins Glen. While it wasn’t a flashy result, it was important for the No. 99 Chevrolet, marking his second top-10 finish since early May at Texas Motor Speedway. The last two races were Suárez’s best finishes since coming in second at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

After the race, Suárez said, “It was a good night for the No. 99 Chevrolet team. I wish it was a win, but overall, it was a decent night. There’s a couple of things we maybe could have done better, but our Chevrolet was a top-five or top-10 car all night long and that’s where we ended up. It’s good to get two top-10 finishes in a row.”

The 33-year-old driver, who announced earlier this season that he will be leaving Trackhouse Racing at the end of the year, needs strong finishes to prove his value. With the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs fast approaching, Suárez has two final chances to make a run. The team’s current points situation means a win at Daytona is the only way for him to secure his third postseason berth in four years.