Daniel Suarez, driver of the #19 Arris Toyota, talks to the media during media day for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship at the Loews Hotel on November 17, 2016 in Miami Beach, Florida.Daniel Suarez, driver of the #19 Arris Toyota, talks to the media during media day for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship at the Loews Hotel on November 17, 2016 in Miami Beach, Florida. Photo – Chris Trotman/Getty Images
Throughout the 2016 season, Daniel Suarez has leaned heavily on the wisdom of fellow Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards.
Frequent phone conversations have been the norm as Suarez tries to learn the nuances of the various race tracks on the circuit—but not this week.
While Suarez has been preparing to race for a NASCAR XFINITY Series title on Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Busch and Edwards have been readying to compete for a bigger prize—the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.
So Suarez was hoping to take advantage of the proximity of the drivers on Championship 4 Media Day at the Loews Hotel to grab a quick word with the Cup drivers.
“They are very busy, but I will talk to them today,” Suarez said. “Today is a little relaxed day for them, so I will talk to them. Like I said, I have a very good relationship with both of them, and I’m sure that, as soon as I call them, they’re going to answer the phone and answer every question that I have for them.
“But I haven’t talked to them because I know that they’ve been crazy, and I know how it feels—you being crazy and somebody asking you questions. But that’s part of racing. I feel like everyone, even you guys (reporters), you guys have been crazy busy this week, and you guys are going to be even worse this weekend. But it’s going to be a lot of fun, and we all enjoy it.”
Come Saturday night, Suarez could be the first Mexican driver to win a title in one of NASCAR’s top three touring series, if he can finish ahead of Elliott Sadler, Justin Allgaier and JGR teammate Erik Jones.
“Yeah, at the end of the day, NASCAR, México, U.S., Canada, doesn’t matter where, we are a family,” Suarez said. “We are one family. That’s something very important. Yeah, I’m from a different country, but we are from the same family, and I’m just really proud to be racing here in NASCAR in the U.S., very proud to be battling right now for this championship.
“Hopefully, I can get an opportunity to win the championship and have some fun, have some fun with everyone that has been supporting me a lot here in the U.S., in México, and the entire Latin American people.”