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Meet Daniel Suárez, the Mexican Driver Changing NASCAR
In a sport where almost everyone comes from the same background and shares similar stories, Daniel Suárez breaks the mold. Born in Monterrey, Nuevo León, in 1992, he is today the only Latino driver in the top tier of the NASCAR Cup Series. But getting there was anything but easy.
It all started with go-karts. One day, thanks to a family friend, Daniel got into one for the first time. It was just for fun, but something ignited inside him. From that moment on, his thing was going fast. Really fast.
At just 12 years old, he was already a national karting champion in Mexico, a title he repeated in 2008. He even competed in international events in Spain and Italy. But as is often the case, talent alone isn’t always enough. He needed to find opportunities, support, and, above all, perseverance.
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In 2008, Suárez entered the Mini-Stock NASCAR Mexico series, a development category with cars more akin to those you’d see in NASCAR. And yes, he began winning there, too. In 2009, he debuted in the NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series, where he gradually made a name for himself. In 2010, he won the Rookie of the Year award, and by 2012-2014, he had amassed 10 victories, including a string of five wins in his final full season.
But he didn’t want to stay only in Mexico. His sights were set on the United States, home to the elite of stock car racing. His first attempt came in 2011 when he moved to Buffalo, New York, intending to compete in the K&N Pro Series. He lived with his mentor, Troy Williams, and got to experience the chilly northern winters firsthand. The dream was short-lived: the money ran out, and he had to return to Mexico.
Even so, he didn’t give up. He kept racing in Mexico and tried again. This time, he headed to Charlotte, North Carolina, the heart of motorsports in America. Bit by bit, he started to make his mark. In 2013, he joined NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program, which supports minority drivers, marking a key turning point.
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In that program, racing for Rev Racing, he started to turn heads. He won at Columbus Motor Speedway and finished third in the championship. In 2014, he won twice more, which caught the attention of Joe Gibbs Racing, one of the big teams. That’s when things got real.
Suárez made his debut in the Xfinity Series in 2015. In his first year, he snagged the Rookie of the Year award and finished fifth in the championship. Then, in 2016, he made history: he became the first Mexican to win a race in a national NASCAR series. He did it in Michigan, and it wasn’t just a stroke of luck. That same year, he won again in Dover and capped it off in Homestead by clinching the Xfinity Series championship. No one before him, who wasn’t American, had ever achieved that.
That title catapulted him to the top tier: the NASCAR Cup Series. Since 2017, Suárez has been competing at this level. He started with Joe Gibbs Racing, then moved to Stewart-Haas Racing, Gaunt Brothers Racing, and in 2021, he joined the team where he finally found stability: Trackhouse Racing.
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With them, he’s enjoyed key moments. In 2022, he won in Sonoma, and in 2024, he claimed victory again in Atlanta, proving he’s still a contender for wins. His best result in the famous Daytona 500 was a seventh place in 2023, and this year, in 2025, he’s still striving to advance his position in the championship. After seven races, he’s 21st in the standings, but he already clinched a second place in Las Vegas, showing that Trackhouse Racing’s #99 car still has plenty of fight left.
Off the track, Daniel leads quite a laid-back life. He lives in Huntersville, North Carolina, bikes a lot, maintains a healthy diet, and is passionate about restoring classic cars. He’s married to Julia Piquet, the sister of Kelly Piquet, who is Max Verstappen’s fiancé. Yes, the Formula 1 world makes a connection here, too.
What’s most impressive about Suárez isn’t just what he’s won, but everything he’s gone through to get there. He traveled, knocked on doors, lived far from home, had to start over several times, and never gave up. He didn’t come with a famous last name or millions in the bank. He paid his way with talent, hard work, and perseverance.
There he is, racing neck and neck with the world’s best in a sport that rarely looks south. Daniel Suárez doesn’t just represent Mexico; he embodies an entire community often unseen on the track. Every time he revs his engine, he sparks hope that it’s possible, even if you’re from another country, even if your English isn’t perfect, even if your journey is a long one.
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