Daniel Suarez Suffers Heavy Crash During Xfinity Series Qualifying

Daniel Suarez encountered a serious incident during his first qualifying lap in the JR Motorsports Chevrolet No. 9 — his car hit the barrier at Turn 11.

Despite severe front-end damage, Suarez managed to reverse from the barrier and return to the pits. The Mexican driver reported via team radio that the front brakes locked up at corner entry.

“I don’t want to blame anyone. I probably just trusted the car too much. In practice, I was having a long pedal and we weren’t sure whether to fix it or not. I tried to brake normally but the pedal just kept going down,” Suarez explained after being checked at the circuit medical center.

As the 2016 Xfinity Series champion with three race victories, this marks Suarez’s first start in the championship this year. His teammate, Connor Zilisch, secured pole position in the No. 88 car.

Though forced to start from the back with a backup car, Suarez remains optimistic about performing competitively in his home race — scheduled to begin in just a few hours.