Suarez driven to succeed in U.S.
Like many immigrants, Daniel Suarez thinks the U.S. is the land of opportunity.
“In this country,” he said, “if you work hard it pays you back.”
But unlike most immigrants — particularly those from his native Mexico — Suarez is in a highly selective field: professional stock car racing.
“Being the only Mexican on (NASCAR’s top) circuit is a pretty big deal,” the Monterrey native said. “I represent a lot of Hispanic people in this sport.”
Suarez, who is making his Northern California racing debut this weekend at the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, has been doing the people back home proud.
In six full years racing on NASCAR’s various circuits, the
25-year-old has one championship season (2016 Xfinity Series) and two Rookie of the Year awards (Corona Series in 2010 and Xfinity Series in 2015), along with 14 wins and 98 top-10 finishes in 154 races.
Suarez made the jump this year from the “minor leagues” to the big show, the Monster Energy Series. And since taking over the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 Toyota from driver Carl Edwards, who retired in November, Suarez has had four top-10s in 15 races, including a career-best sixth place at Dover in June.
Not a bad resume for a former kart driver who was a scrawny 19-year-old who spoke no English when he came to the States to pursue his dream.
“I was racing in Mexico, but I wanted to try something else,” he said. “I was thinking about (kart) racing in Europe, and I did a couple of races there, but it was not what I was looking for. Racing in the U.S. was a better option.”
With the backing of his father, Alejandro, an automobile restoration shop owner (“Mostly VWs,” the younger Suarez said) who planted the racing bug in his son, Suarez relocated to Charlotte, N.C., where NASCAR has its headquarters. There, he plunged headlong into the American mainstream, learning English and the intricacies of stock car racing.
And picking up a coterie of admirers.
Suarez first noticed the excitement
he was attracting from the Spanish-speaking fans at an Xfinity race in Fontana (San Bernardino County) in 2015.
“You can tell when a fan is attached to you and you have a good reaction with them,” Suarez said of his interactions during pre-race Q&A sessions with fans. “They saw there was a Mexican driver and they were super excited to see me.
“And they were all (seventime NASCAR champion) Jimmie Johnson fans,” he added with a laugh.
Suarez’s determination to make his mark on the NASCAR stage is not lost on his peers.
“What makes him special is his work ethic and his commitment to making this work,” said fellow driver Kurt Busch, who will also compete Sunday at Sonoma Raceway. “He has a humble approach to it all, and he seems to have positioned himself for success.”
Jill Gregory, NASCAR’s chief marketing officer, was even more effusive.
“A young driver like Daniel bringing the on-track and the off-track together really makes him appealing to fans across all of our demographics,” she told the Charlotte Observer this year. “He’s kind of the total package, from our standpoint.”
Suarez brushes aside the accolades, as he does any inquiries about the current political climate — “I don’t like politics. At all,” he said — and instead points out others who have helped him, such as crew chief Scott Graves.
“It was a big challenge to learn about everything,” Suarez said of jumping from the Xfinity to Monster Energy Series, “but he has been carrying this team very, very well. He’s put us on the right track.”
But Suarez is very aware of what he represents to a certain contingent of NASCAR fans and those in Mexico who dream of following in his footsteps.
“When I get the opportunity to talk to them, I tell them I’m just like them,” he said. “I came to the U.S. with no sponsors and no team. I was just looking for an opportunity to succeed.”