Elliott, Suarez to the Rear After Tire Issues in Practice
LAS VEGAS — Chase Elliott and Daniel Suarez will start in the rear of the NASCAR Cup Series field Sunday after experiencing tire issues in practice at Las Vegas.
Early in Group A practice Saturday, Chase Elliott entered turn three and drifted up the track and hit the wall.
Elliott damaged the right-rear quarter panel and right-front fender. His team is preparing a backup car for the South Point 400.
In Group B practice, on the opposite end of the track, Daniel Suarez ran into the same issue.
Exiting turn two, Suarez reportedly felt he had a tire issue and backed out of the gas. It was too late, as he snapped sideways and hit the inside wall.
Suarez was OK. The car was not, as the team rolled out a backup car. Goodyear officials were immediately near the car when the tow truck brought it back.
While there are some concerns over the tire issues, the issues stem from trying lower air pressures early in the weekend to find the limits of the tires.
The issues did send concerns through the garage area.
“It’s concerning, especially when you see someone like Chase Elliott blow a right-rear tire and then Daniel Suarez had issues. Our tires looked good, though, but we will see,” pole sitter Christopher Bell said.
Elliott and Suarez will start 35th and 36th in the NASCAR Cup Series’ South Point 400 Sunday at Las Vegas.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com
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