Daniel Suarez closed out his race weekend at Circuit of the Americas by intentionally ramming Alex Bowman on pit road. Now, NASCAR has issued a penalty in response.
According to the weekly penalty report, the Trackhouse Racing driver has received a $50,000 fine for violating Sections 4.4.B&D NASCAR Member Conduct. The note added that Suarez made “Contact with another vehicle on pit road after the race.”
A $50,000 fine is not a small penalty. It’s still money out of his pocket. However, it is smaller than it could have been. NASCAR did not dock Suarez or Trackhouse Racing any driver or owner points.
“You just can’t be doing that.” Reaction to Daniel Suárez bumping Alex Bowman on pit road at COTA.
The incident occurred on the cooldown lap after the Cup Series race at COTA. Suarez, who crossed the finish line 27th overall, chased down teammate Ross Chastain and Bowman in response to an incident that sent him into the side of Martin Truex Jr.
Suarez first hit Chastain from behind at the entrance to pit road, and he moved the No. 1 out of the way. He then rammed Bowman’s No. 48 multiple times after turning onto pit road while an official stood nearby waving their arms.
Suarez’s Penalty Was Less Severe Than Another Driver’s
GettyDaniel Suarez watches qualifying at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
There was a similar incident that occurred during the 2022 points-paying race at Texas Motor Speedway. Ty Gibbs door-slammed Ty Dillon on pit road while officials and crew members were nearby working in another pit stall.
Gibbs received a harsher penalty for his actions. NASCAR fined him $75,000 and docked 23XI Racing 25 owner points. The reason for the difference between the two penalties is that this was Suarez’s first offense of the year. Gibbs had previously received a penalty for an incident on pit road at Martinsville Speedway.
“I think it should have been even steeper.” Reaction to #NASCAR fining Daniel Suárez for running into cars on pit road at COTA.
“I think it should have been steeper,” Clint Bowyer said during the March 29 episode of “NASCAR Race Hub.” “And the reason is because of that official. We all know there is a safety element of this.
“What we do on that race track is one thing if you’ve got helmets on, you’re contained in safety seats. You see that safety official highlighted over there. It could have been very, very dangerous.”
With this less severe penalty, Suarez can now move forward with his pursuit of wins and a spot in the playoffs. He doesn’t have to worry about making up any lost points that would potentially cause problems as the playoffs approach. Instead, he can just take his normal approach.
The Trackhouse Racing Owner Weighed In
The contact with Bowman on pit road is what led to the $50,000 penalty. It will soon be behind Suarez, but there will be another topic of conversation. Specifically, there will be questions about how the two Trackhouse Racing drivers will treat each other after an argument on pit road.
Team owner Justin Marks has weighed in about the conflict between his two drivers. He appeared on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and indicated that the contact with the No. 1 and the No. 48 was a product of the competitiveness of the Cup Series and Suarez missing out on an opportunity to score his second career win.
“Daniel had a day that was shaping up for him to be able to have a great race,” Marks explained. “He was really focused hard on this race all week in his preparations and felt like he had a real shot at winning and I think he was in a position to contend for it.
“I think, you know, just compound all that and you’re hot, you’re tired and then it kinda just hits the fan at the end of the race — and we just saw that emotion boil over. But I’ll tell ya, I mean, I’d rather have two guys mad about losing than two guys that get out of the car and go ‘Oh, well. We’ll go to Richmond.’”
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NASCAR Penalizes Daniel Suarez for Pit Road Actions at COTA