CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Daniel Suarez benefitted from a crucial pit call, then caught a break from Mother Nature to win the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday night, capping an emotional day in which the auto racing world remembered the late Kyle Busch.

Suarez became the first Mexican-born driver to win the Coca-Cola 600. It was his third Cup Series win and first since 2024.

A non-factor for most of the race, Suarez gambled and took two tires during a late pit stop, then twice beat Christopher Bell on restarts before the race was called when the sky opened up with rain.

NASCAR quickly made the decision to call the race.

The victory was especially sweet for Suarez, who previously raced for Kyle Busch Racing.

“Kyle, he was special," Saurez said as he teared up. “I was doing this for Kyle, for (his wife) Samatha, for (his children) Brexton and Lennix and for all of his family."

Bell was second, followed by Denny Hamlin.

The crown jewel race came just three days after Busch’s sudden and unexpected death sent shockwaves throughout the motorsports world and beyond. The 41-year-old Busch died after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming complications, according to a statement released by his family.

The two-time Cup Series champion and winner of a record 234 races across NASCAR’s three national series had become unresponsive while practicing in a Chevrolet simulator on Wednesday, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no details were released by the family.

Busch's family attended the race, and NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell told them they are part of the NASCAR community and “we got you.”

NASCAR and CMS honored Busch with his No. 8 and signature on the frontstretch grass and a highway billboard near the main entrance of the track. The U.S. Army Golden Knights carried a Busch flag prior to the race, and each of the 39 cars in the field carried a small, black No. 8 decal.

Kyle Larson won the first stage race. Hamlin won the second stage and Bell the third.

Defending champion Ross Chastain crashed out when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. clipped his car on turn 2 with 81 laps remaining in the race.

Connor Zilisch and Austin Cindric only made it 52 laps before getting caught up in a crash. Cindric got turned around, and Zilisch came crashing into the side of his No. 2 Ford, ending both drivers’ day.

Chase Elliott, a two-time winner this year, hit the outside wall and ping-ponged into the inside wall on lap 90. That car was beyond repair and he finished 37th.

“I was trying to make something happen, and I stepped over the line,” Elliott said.

Replacing Busch

Austin Hill, a regular driver in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series for Richard Childress Racing, took Busch's spot in the race. He drove the No. 33 car after RCR temporarily retired the No. 8 until Busch's 11-year-old son, Brexton, is ready to drive.

Austin Dillon went behind the wall with damage to the front of his car with 56 laps to go, ending any hope of an emotional win for RCR.

NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 Results

Lap length: 1.50 miles(Start position in parentheses) 1. (14) Daniel Suárez, Chevrolet, 373 laps, 55 points. 2. (17) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 373, 50. 3. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 373, 60. 4. (1) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 373, 53. 5. (18) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 373, 54. 6. (2) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 373, 52. 7. (6) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 373, 41. 8. (33) Joey Logano, Ford, 373, 29. 9. (31) William Byron, Chevrolet, 373, 28. 10. (19) Zane Smith, Ford, 373, 27. 11. (3) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet, 373, 33. 12. (32) Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Chevrolet, 373, 29. 13. (21) Erik Jones, Toyota, 373, 30. 14. (4) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 373, 23. 15. (26) Brad Keselowski, Toyota, 373, 25. 16. (22) Cole Custer, Chevrolet, 373, 21. 17. (29) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 373, 20. 18. (10) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 373, 19. 19. (39) Corey Heim, Toyota, 373, 0. 20. (20) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 373, 17. 21. (30) Riley Herbst, Toyota, 372, 16. 22. (24) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 372, 15. 23. (23) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 372, 14. 24. (28) Noah Gragson, Ford, 372, 13. 25. (35) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 372, 12. 26. (15) John H. Nemechek, Toyota, 372, 11. 27. (13) Austin Hill, Chevrolet, 372, 0. 28. (38) Cody Ware, Chevrolet, 371, 9. 29. (34) Josh Berry, Ford, 371, 8. 30. (7) Chris Buescher, Ford, 367, 10. 31. (37) Katherine Legge, Chevrolet, 361, 6. 32. (9) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, accident, 338, 5. 33. (12) Ryan Preece, Ford, accident, 328, 7. 34. (5) Chase Briscoe, Toyota, accident, 328, 27. 35. (27) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, accident, 317, 2. 36. (36) Timmy Hill, Ford, garage, 291, 0. 37. (16) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, accident, 89, 1. 38. (8) Austin Cindric, Ford, accident, 52, 1. 39. (25) Connor Zilisch, Chevrolet, accident, 52, 1. ___ Race Statistics Average Speed of Race Winner: 121.136 mph. Time of Race: 4 hours, 39 minutes, 56 seconds. Margin of Victory: Under Caution. Caution Flags: 12 for 75 laps. Lead Changes: 32 among 13 drivers. Lap Leaders: T.Reddick 0-39; C.Briscoe 40; T.Reddick 41-56; R.Chastain 57-59; R.Preece 60; Z.Smith 61-91; T.Reddick 92; M.McDowell 93-95; D.Hamlin 96; K.Larson 97-110; C.Briscoe 111-142; D.Hamlin 143-146; T.Gibbs 147; C.Bell 148-150; C.Hocevar 151-154; D.Hamlin 155-202; T.Gibbs 203; D.Hamlin 204-215; C.Briscoe 216; T.Reddick 217-221; D.Hamlin 222; T.Reddick 223-250; C.Bell 251-257; T.Reddick 258-286; D.Hamlin 287-295; C.Bell 296-308; T.Gibbs 309; C.Bell 310-312; T.Gibbs 313-326; S.Van Gisbergen 327-337; C.Bell 338-355; T.Reddick 356; D.Suárez 357-373 Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Led, Laps Led): T.Reddick, 7 times for 119 laps; D.Hamlin, 6 times for 75 laps; C.Bell, 5 times for 44 laps; C.Briscoe, 3 times for 34 laps; Z.Smith, 1 time for 31 laps; D.Suárez, 1 time for 17 laps; T.Gibbs, 4 times for 17 laps; K.Larson, 1 time for 14 laps; S.Van Gisbergen, 1 time for 11 laps; C.Hocevar, 1 time for 4 laps; M.McDowell, 1 time for 3 laps; R.Chastain, 1 time for 3 laps; R.Preece, 1 time for 1 lap. Wins: T.Reddick, 5; C.Elliott, 2; D.Hamlin, 1; R.Blaney, 1; T.Gibbs, 1; C.Hocevar, 1; S.Van Gisbergen, 1. Top 16 in Points: 1. T.Reddick, 567; 2. D.Hamlin, 438; 3. C.Elliott, 422; 4. R.Blaney, 405; 5. C.Buescher, 375; 6. T.Gibbs, 372; 7. C.Hocevar, 342; 8. K.Larson, 332; 9. B.Keselowski, 318; 10. B.Wallace, 313; 11. C.Bell, 311; 12. W.Byron, 309; 13. R.Preece, 296; 14. D.Suárez, 295; 15. A.Cindric, 287; 16. S.Van Gisbergen, 283. ___ NASCAR Driver Rating Formula A maximum of 150 points can be attained in a race. The formula combines the following categories: Wins, Finishes, Top-15 Finishes, Average Running Position While on Lead Lap, Average Speed Under Green, Fastest Lap, Led Most Laps, Lead-Lap Finish.