Daniel Suarez and JR Motorsports had to unload the backup car on Saturday morning after a hard crash in qualifying.
Suarez, who is pulling double duty in his home country, locked up the front of the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet entering Turn 11. The car did not stop or turn. Instead, it slid across the track and slammed nose-first into the barrier.
The crash buried the No. 9 to the firewall, but Suarez was able to extricate the car and drive back to the garage. However, the severity of the hit caused extensive damage to the front of the car.
Trouble for the No. 9. ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/INExi0uYpx
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) June 14, 2025
The JR Motorsports crew immediately pulled out the backup so they could work on getting Suarez ready for the 4:30 p.m. ET start time (CW).
Suarez underwent evaluation at the infield care center. Upon exiting, he told CW Sports that the brakes had some issues during practice. The team debated not qualifying so that they could fix the issue.
However, he went out on the track. The brakes went to the floor as he tried to make it through Turn 11. This incident happened before he posted a qualifying time.
The 2016 Xfinity champion said that he hasn't spent much time with the Xfinity cars, so he wasn't sure if the practice issues were common. However, he spoke to his JR Motorsports teammates and learned that they did not have this same problem.
Suarez did not have to worry about missing the Saturday afternoon race. NASCAR added an International Provisional so that all 39 cars on the entry list would make the field. The driver who uses this provisional will not be eligible for prize money, points, or playoff points.
Suarez was not the only driver who missed qualifying on Saturday morning. Anthony Alfredo slid through the wet Turn 4 grass during the lone practice session. He slammed the No. 42 hard into the barrier and caused significant damage.
Unlike JR Motorsports, Young's Motorsports was able to work on repairing the primary car for Saturday's race instead of turning to the backup. Alfredo will still have to start from the rear of the field as he and Suarez both try to work their way through the field.