Watch: Daniel Suarez's on-track ‘Beef’ with Erik Jones' Toyota as latter’s contact at Bristol further endangered Trackhouse’s playoff advancement

A clash occurred between Daniel Suarez and Erik Jones on Lap 363, during the first elimination race of the 2024 NASCAR Cup playoffs at Bristol Motor Speedway. Positioned precariously just above the elimination cutline, as Suarez held the P32 position while Jones was at P31, the #43's car unexpectedly veered down the track, causing the rear of his car to collide with the front of Suarez's #99.

Visibly frustrated by the incident, Suarez exclaimed mid-race,

"What the h**l was that all about?"

The tension escalated as Suarez engaged in several retaliatory contacts with Jones’s car aggressively, working his way up the track. Despite starting in 35th place, Suarez fought hard through the field, concluding Stages 1 and 2 in 30th place and ultimately finishing the grueling 500-lap race in 31st place.

Entering Bristol Motor Speedway ranked fifth with a 36-point buffer, Daniel Suarez successfully secured his spot in the Round of 12 after the race. According to unofficial results released by NASCAR, Suarez finished the twelfth position with a modest cushion of nine points.

In contrast, Ty Gibbs, Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski, and Harrison Burton failed to progress to the next round. Meanwhile, Kyle Larson won his fifth race of the season—and the 28th of his career—by dominating 462 of the 500 laps at Bristol. His performance surpassed Jeff Gordon’s 1997 record at Martinsville, where he led 431 laps, setting a new benchmark for the most laps led in a single race by a Hendrick Motorsports driver.

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Daniel Suarez's NASCAR playoff season so far

Daniel Suarez won the second race of the regular season at Atlanta Motor Speedway and advanced to the playoffs. During the first two playoff races, Suarez and his #99 team capitalized on every opportunity, amassing 73 points between Atlanta Motor Speedway and Watkins Glen—a tally that also included 14 stage points, ranking him sixth among all playoff contenders.

He began the playoffs with a second-place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway, followed by a 13th place at Watkins Glen. At Bristol Motor Speedway, a track that has historically been challenging for Trackhouse Racing drivers—with Ross Chastain averaging a 22.3 finish and Daniel Suarez at 16.8—the #99 car finished four laps down when Kyle Larson had already reached the victory lane. Suarez's last admirable performance at Bristol dates back to the summer of 2019 when he secured a top-10 finish.

Looking ahead, Daniel Suarez will get ready to compete at Kansas Motor Speedway on September 29, 2024. His record at Kansas includes an average finish of 20.9 over 15 starts, with just two appearances in the top-10. His best performance on the track was in 2017 when he started P15 and finished P7. As the playoffs continue, Suarez will aim to ascend the leaderboard and improve his standings among the playoff contenders in order to advance to the Round of 8.