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Daniel Suarez clarified his stance on his on-track run-in with Bubba Wallace in the Cook Out Clash
Daniel Suarez wheeled his way to a fourth-place finish in the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on Wednesday night, February 4. However, that didn’t come before the driver of the #7 tangled with Bubba Wallace.
Midway through Wednesday night’s exhibition race, Suarez and Wallace traded paint, with the latter putting a brake check on the former and slamming into the right side of his car.
Following the checkered flag, Suarez cleared the air on the situation between himself and Wallace. Moving forward, it sounds like there aren’t hard feelings.
Daniel Suarez on Bubba Wallace Incident: ‘I Wasn’t Mad’
When speaking to Performance Racing Network, the two-time Cup Series winner made it known that he wasn’t mad at Wallace for any on-track incidents. Suarez made it clear he was frustrated with “other people” in the race, but not Wallace.
“Actually, with Bubba, it was just a misunderstanding. With Bubba it wasn’t a big deal, but he doesn’t know that yet. … I guess he slowed down and I think he thought I was mad at him. Then, he started getting crazy and couldn’t cool down himself. I wasn’t mad at him at all. I was mad to a couple of other people, but not to him,” Suarez said.
Suarez ended the night with a top-five finish. Meanwhile, Wallace scored a dead-last finish of 23rd and was the only car to not finish on the lead lap.
Suarez, formerly a driver at Trackhouse Racing, was questioned by FOX motorsports reporter Bob Pockrass about racing his former teammates aggressively in Wednesday’s Clash.
The now Spire Motorsports driver pulled no punches when he said he races other drivers how they race him.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m not racist. Just like everyone, I love everyone. If they give me love, I give them love. If they give me hate, I give them hate,” Suarez said.
Daniel Suarez on The Clash Being at Bowman Gray: ‘I love it’
Wednesday night’s delayed Cook Out Clash marked the second time the event took place at Bowman Gray Stadium. However, there’s no guarantee NASCAR will return to the North Carolina short track for the event in 2027.
When asked by Pockrass about whether The Clash should return to Bowman Gray Stadium, Suarez didn’t mind the idea. The Mexican-born driver said it’s more about what the fans want to see rather than the drivers.
“I love it. I think it’s great. Honestly, it’s a very small track for these cars. Here’s the thing, it’s about the history. It’s about the history of the place, the fans, it’s not just about what we drivers like to do. If you ask me, I prefer a bigger track, but just the atmosphere here with the fans and the energy, it’s hard to match. That’s what makes this place very special,” Suarez said.
Daniel Suarez signed with Spire Motorsports to drive the #7 car ahead of the 2026 season. The former O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion spent the previous five seasons with Trackhouse Racing.
Suarez won two races with the team, including Sonoma in 2022 and Atlanta in 2024.
John Breeden John Breeden is a NASCAR contributor at Heavy Sports. He has five years of sports journalism experience. He graduated from James Madison University in May of 2022 with a degree in media arts and design. John is also a sports reporter for the Daily News-Record in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Previously, John was a sports writer for JMU’s The Breeze and a NASCAR content writer for Sportskeeda. More about John Breeden
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