Daniel Suarez is no stranger to breaking barriers and making history in the world of NASCAR. He became the first Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway in 2022. But it was his most recent NASCAR Xfinity Series win in home country Mexico at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez that left him full of emotions and struggling to put into words what the historical win truly meant to him on a personal level.
Although Suarez has two Cup wins and an Xfinity championship under his belt, it was his epic battle over the course of 241 miles on the Mexico City circuit that proved that anything is possible for the Trackhouse Racing driver. And while Suarez overtook all the cars in the field carving his way from last position to first, he also gained more than enough confidence and motivation to carry him through the reminder of the season.
In an interview with Frontstretch, Suarez reflected on his historic win in Mexico, talked about his friend and NTT IndyCar Series driver Pato O’Ward, and delved into how much he loves road course racing in addition to NASCAR.
Mandy Curi, Frontstretch: Let’s talk about that epic Mexico win.
Suarez: Yeah, it was extremely special. It’s actually difficult to put into words. You know what it meant to me and to my family, friends and fans to be able to do that. Every win is always special. Every win is unique, but to win in front of your people, in front of your country, I mean, it’s something extremely special. Not many drivers get to experience that, so I feel very fortunate for that.
Curi: Did you feel like all of Mexico completely embraced you? Did you have a similar experience to that of driver Sergio Perez whenever he raced in Mexico for Formula 1 when you were there?
Suarez: I think so. You know, I had so much support, so much love. Unfortunately, I have never been in Mexico when Checo was racing Formula 1. I’m sure that the entire country is crazy when he’s there, when Formula 1 is there. But I have never seen it. I have seen pictures and videos, but I have never seen it in person. And all I can say is that what I experienced this last weekend, it was unbelievable. I mean as for the love of the people, it was just like a dream. I was really living a dream.
Curi: What does it mean to you personally to have your fellow countryman Pato O’Ward congratulate you on your Mexico win?
Suarez: It means a lot. You know, Pato and I, we’re great friends on the track and off the track. I have a lot of respect for him for everything that he has done and everything that he’s doing, and I’m sure that he does the same for me. And it’s been amazing, you know, to receive so much support from so many good friends. I can’t wait to see hopefully [the NTT] IndyCar [Series] and Pato racing in Mexico one day soon, too.
Curi: What do you love about Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez besides it being in Mexico?
Suarez: I mean, honestly, for me, [it’s] all the history that the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez has. That’s number one. And number two is very easy. The people, you know, the passion of the people, how passionate they are and how energetic they are. That’s something that I, personally, I have never experienced before, to this level. And it was very special to experience. So it was a lot of fun. I hope that I get to experience that many times in the future.
Curi: Do you feel any extra pressure since there are not very many Mexican drivers in mainstream racing series?
Suarez: It motivates me, and that is a lot of responsibility. There is obviously pressure always, but it’s mainly responsibility of knowing that you are one of the few guys that everyone is watching in your country. So it’s a huge level of responsibility, for sure.
Curi: NASCAR has added some road and street courses to the schedule: Circuit of the Americas in Austin and the Chicago street race. Do you like having different tracks in addition to the ovals?
Suarez: I do. I think the more different-style tracks that we have, the better. I think it’s always a lot of fun just to change it a bit. And obviously I love road course racing. That’s a little bit of my background, in go karting. So I enjoy road course racing a lot.
Curi: Looking ahead, what are you looking forward to for the Quaker State 400?
Suarez: The racetrack in Atlanta has been amazing for me [in] the past. We have won there before. We’ve been finishing running off a couple times. It’s been a very good track for me, and I’m really looking forward to go out there again and fight hard and hopefully put ourselves in position to win the race again.
Curi: You won in Mexico with Quaker State on your fire suit. What does that mean to represent such an iconic brand while you make history?
Suarez: It was very special. Quaker State, to me, is probably one of the most iconic brands out there, and I feel very proud to represent all of them in the world for NASCAR.
Curi: After such a historic win coming from last to first, does this give you some extra confidence going forward for the rest of the season? Do you feel like anything is possible now?
Suarez: Of course. I mean, always, it doesn’t matter where you win and in front of who, but winning is winning, and it gives you extra confidence that you can do it and you can do it multiple times. And then after [Pocono Raceway], we’re going to Atlanta, one of my favorite racetracks as well. So yeah, I’m looking forward to hopefully win one of the next few races.
Curi: Would you ever be interested in competing in any other racing series in the future?
Suarez: I like everything. Definitely my main goal is NASCAR, and that’s where all my energy is. But maybe in the future, doing some endurance racing. I love endurance racing. Daytona 24, Le Mans, Sebring, some of these races, I think that they are very interesting and a lot of fun.
