---
title: "Daniel Suarez Diagnosed with Fractured Thumb After NASCAR Wreck at Texas Motor Speedway"
description: "Daniel Suarez suffered an avulsion fracture in his left thumb as the result of a crash in the O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway."
date: "2018-04-11"
modified: "2018-04-11"
authors:
  - name: "Amanda Vincent"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/amanda-vincent"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/20042/daniel-suarez-diagnosed-with-fractured-thumb-after-nascar-wreck-at-texas-motor-speedway"
categories:
  - "News"
tags:
  - "Bristol Motor Speedway"
  - "Daniel Suarez"
  - "Food City 500"
  - "O'Reilly Auto Parts 500"
  - "Texas Motor Speedway"
---

# Daniel Suarez Diagnosed with Fractured Thumb After NASCAR Wreck at Texas Motor Speedway

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/04/ripshaub_nascar_2018_suarez-14.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

Daniel Suarez, driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, sustained an avulsion fracture in his left thumb in a lap-two crash during the [O’Reilly Auto Parts 500](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/19984/kyle-busch-finally-takes-his-first-bow-of-2018-at-texas-motor-speedway>) at Texas Motor Speedway.

An avulsion fracture is an injury in the area where a tendon or ligament attaches to the bone, and the tendon or ligament pulls off and separates a piece of that bone.

Despite the injury, Suarez has been cleared to compete in the Food City 500 at [Bristol Motor Speedway](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/4941/harvick-wins-nascars-24-hours-of-bristol>) in Tennessee on Sunday, but he’ll do so with a brace on his left hand.

Suarez’s injury was diagnosed when he visited a doctor in Charlotte, N.C., on Tuesday, and the driver provided an update on his condition via Twitter.

https://twitter.com/_/status/983802638490898434

Although Suarez’s injury came on lap two of the 334-lap Texas race, Suarez continued to drive, explaining that he didn’t want to let down his team.

https://twitter.com/_/status/983539209611948034

He wound up 29th at the finish, 44 laps down at the checkered flag. After the race, Suarez was treated at the track’s infield care center. He left [Texas Motor Speedway](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/19925/texas-motor-speedway-gets-ready-for-nascar-with-tire-dragon>) with his left hand in a splint and heavily damaged.

https://twitter.com/_/status/983126714854400000

As a result of his finish at Texas, Suarez dropped from 22nd to 26th in the championship points standings. Seven races into the 36-race 2018 season, he has one top-10 finish, and an eighth-place showing at [ISM Raceway](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/19272/scenes-from-the-nascar-ticketguardian-500-in-phoenix>) in Avondale, Ariz., near Phoenix.

![message-editor%2F1523457866043-ripshaub\_nascar\_2018\_suarez-7.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1523457866043-ripshaub_nascar_2018_suarez-7.jpg>)
**RIP SHAUB**

### Author social links