"You block. You pay": Dale Earnhardt Jr. weighs in on Daniel Suarez-Ross Chastain clash days after Sonoma incident 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has argued that Daniel Suarez is partly to blame for his run-in with Ross Chastain in Sunday's (July 13) Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway. While Earnhardt acknowledged that Chastain 'f**ked up', he insisted that had Suarez held his line on the outside, he wouldn't have seen much trouble.

On lap 45, Suarez and Chastain were bound to make turn 11 together, when the former moved left to protect his inside line. Unfortunately, Chastain overshot his entry and spun out his Trackhouse Racing teammate, leaving him 29th in the running order. Frustrated by the incident, a fuming Suarez went over team radio and warned Chastain of dire consequences.

Earnhardt analysed the heated clash in his latest episode of Dale Jr. Download.

"Chastain's got a run on Suarez out of 10. Suarez knows it. Chastain moves right to try to outbreak the 99. The 99 then pulls in front of him to block that move. You block, You pay. And while Chastain is the one who f**ked up here, he made a mistake.....but if the 99 doesn't block, he doesn't get run over," he said. [41:58 onwards]

"More than likely, he can battle around the outside and maintain and hold the spot through the front straightaway....and Chastain doesn't get by," he added.

Chastain's shunt cost Suarez a potential top-10 finish, as he came in four spots shy of the feat despite his spin. The #1 driver finished ten spots behind at 24th, while their Trackhouse Racing teammate Shane Van Gisbergen took a record third win of the season.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently fielded Suarez in JR Motorsports' #9 Chevrolet at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, where the Mexican driver ultimately won in front of his home crowd. However, with his imminent departure from Trackhouse, the 33-year-old is searching for a drive for 2026.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. discusses Daniel Suarez's future in the Cup Series

Dale Earnhardt Jr. shared a sobering take on Daniel Suarez's Cup Series future after the Trackhouse Racing exit. He expressed how there's no real opportunity that can be a step-up for Suarez.

"I don't know really like what opportunities he's got in Cup, to stay in Cup. What openings are there? Where would he go that would be like a 'hell yeah, this is just as good.' A lateral move at least, right? There's nowhere he's gonna go....there's nothing," he said via aforementioned source. [44:12 onwards]

Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently hinted that Connor Zilisch will 'more than likely' replace Daniel Suarez at Trackhouse Racing. He was also named by Jimmie Johnson as a potential prospect for Legacy Motor Club's third entry in 2026.

The JR Motorsports rookie recently impressed with his win over Shane Van Gisbergen at Sonoma. The result marked his third win of the season and helped him land fourth place in the driver's standings, beating out fellow 20-year-old prodigy, Jesse Love.