XFINITY: Suarez claims title with victory

Daniel Suarez surged ahead on a late restart to take victory in the Xfinity Series championship finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In the process he made history by becoming the first Latin American NASCAR national series champion.

"This is a dream come true," an emotional Suarez said in Victory Lane after the 24-year-old Joe Gibbs Racing driver bested Championship 4 contenders Elliott Sadler, Justin Allgaier and Erik Jones for the title.

A 6.6-second, two-tire pit stop for Sadler put him on the front row for the final restart. But when first-place Cole Whitt failed to get going at the drop of the green flag, Suarez whipped around for the lead, his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota holding on for the win and earning the 2016 Xfinity Series championship.

Suarez, 24, led 133 laps en route to his third career Xfinity Series win, becoming the first Latin American driver to win a NASCAR national series title.

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"It's very hard to put into words," Suarez said. "I'm speechless right now. I'm just very proud of everyone and thankful to have the family that I have – my mom, my dad. They gave me all the tools to be here right now. They put me in a car even when we didn't have the support or the racing background. They supported me, and right now we are just living a dream."

The highest-running non-Chase driver, Richard Childress Racing's Ty Dillon, led 17 laps to earn a runner-up result, while Sadler's two-tire gamble allowed him to finish third. Team Penske's Ryan Blaney, vying for an owner championship, came up fourth and RCR's Austin Dillon rounded out the top five in his No. 2 Chevrolet.

The two other Chase competitors – Allgaier in the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet and Jones in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota – finished sixth and ninth, respectively. The duo put together an impressive battle for the win in the final 20 laps of the race.

Suarez was leading fellow Championship 4 contender and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Jones by less than three car-lengths when Ray Black Jr. spun off Turn 4 to bring out the seventh and final caution on Lap 190.

Under the yellow on lap 193, lead-lap cars came to pit road for tires, but the No. 14 Toyota of Whitt stayed on the track on old tires and inherited the lead, while Sadler's two-tire stop put the No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet on the inside of the front row.

Coming to the green on lap 198, Whitt stalled out in the top lane, pinning Jones behind him and costing him any shot at the championship. Suarez rocketed past Sadler into Turn 1 and pulled away for the victory and the championship.

"I should have made a better block on Daniel," Sadler said ruefully. "We didn't know that 14 would stay out and jumble up that restart like that. I wish I'd done a better job on that restart. I guess I'll be 'coulda, woulda, shoulda' for a while... I knew Daniel had a better car on four tires, but I wish I could have put up a better fight."