Suarez ousted at Stewart-Haas for Cole Custer promotion
HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) Daniel Suarez has been fired for the second time in a year, this time by Stewart-Haas Racing as it makes room to promote Cole Custer to the Cup Series in 2020.
Suarez spent just one season driving the No. 41 Ford for SHR, the team that hired him in January after Joe Gibbs Racing released the only Mexican driver in NASCAR's top three national series because it had to clear space for driver Erik Jones.
This time, his ouster is for Custer, a nine-time Xfinity Series race winner who will contend for that series title Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 21-year-old son of SHR President Joe Custer was Xfinity Series runner-up last season.
Suarez won the Xfinity title driving for Gibbs in 2016 and was hastily promoted to the Cup Series the next season after Carl Edwards abruptly retired. He got two years in the No. 20 Toyota before Gibbs needed the slot to fulfill Jones' contract. Suarez at SHR narrowly missed making the playoffs and goes into Sunday's season finale at Homestead 17th in the standings - the highest a non-playoff driver can finish.
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