Daniel Suarez didn't blame Katherine Legge for their on-track collision at Phoenix Raceway. Instead, the Mexico-born driver blasted NASCAR for allowing drivers with "no experience" to participate on the big stage.
For context, Daniel Suarez was running sixth when he hit Katherine Legge, who spun off turn two from 28th position on lap 216. The incident robbed Suarez of a possible top-10 finish and gave Legge a DNF. The latter was the sole open car entrant in the desert race.
In an X (formerly Twitter) post by NASCAR Insider Steven Taranto via Daniel Suarez's latest YouTube vlog, the Trackhouse Racing driver pinned the blame on NASCAR for the lap 216 incident.
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"There's nothing wrong with her [Katherine Legge]. What is wrong is NASCAR. They cannot allow somebody with no experience to run in the Cup Series. Plain and simple," Suarez said.
He added:
"You go to Las Vegas, to a fast track, it's freaking dangerous. You cannot do that. And then here, honestly, this is not a so slow pace. Like, I hit her and I was running 100 MPH slowing down already."
Katherine Legge may be inexperienced in stock car racing, but she has an extensive racing portfolio. She has raced in the IndyCar Series and driven prototype and GT cars in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, not to mention her few Xfinity and ARCA Menards Series entries.
Her incident with Daniel Suarez forced her to settle for 30th place, while the No. 99 Chevrolet driver carried on with damage and eventually finished 23rd.
So far, Suarez has struggled to break into the top 10 this year. He entered the Phoenix spring race after two DNFs at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Circuit of the Americas. His best finish was 13th place in the season-opener at Daytona.
The 33-year-old will return to the racetrack for the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday. The 267-lap contest will commence at 3:00 p.m. ET on FS1.
"The Mexico race is something personal": Daniel Suarez on inaugural Mexico City race
Later in the season, Daniel Suarez and other NASCAR drivers will arrive in Mexico City for a road course race. When asked to choose between the prestigious Daytona 500 and the inaugural Mexico City race for a win, Suarez chose his home race, saying it would be like winning the championship.
The No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro driver said (via SpeedFreaks):
"The Mexico race. For me, the Mexico race. Honestly for me, the Mexico race is as big as the championship." [4:56 onwards]
"The Daytona 500 obviously is huge, and it would be a dream (to win the) championship the same, but the Mexico race is something personal," he added. [5:47 onwards]
The Mexico City race is set to be held at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, the same racetrack Formula 1 uses. NASCAR has scheduled the 100-lap road course race for June 15, and it will mark the first points-paying race outside the US since 1958.
Daniel Suarez, along with Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, and Christopher Bell, had an early look at the racetrack last month. He also gave a tour of the city to his fellow NASCAR drivers and attended a Lucha Libre wrestling match.
