Daily Archives: November 20, 2016

10 posts

NASCAR Chairman Brian France Lauds Diversity Initiatives, New Chase Formats

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CEO and Chairman of NASCAR Brian France addresses the media prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. Photo - Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images
CEO and Chairman of NASCAR Brian France addresses the media prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. Photo – Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

The significant milestone achieved by Daniel Suárez in Saturday’s Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway was not lost on NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France.

Suárez, from Monterrey, Mexico, became the first driver born outside the United States to win a championship in one of NASCAR’s top three national series when he took the checkered flag at the 1.5-mile track.

But for the NASCAR initiatives embodied in the Drive for Diversity program, France pointed out, Suárez likely would not have been in position to claim the NASCAR XFINITY Series title at all. Continue reading →

Daniel Suarez Leans on Life Lessons to Win NASCAR XFINITY Series Championship

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Daniel Suarez, driver of the #19 ARRIS Toyota, signs autographs for fans in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR XFINITY Series Ford EcoBoost 300 and the NASCAR XFINITY Series Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 19, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. Photo - Chris Trotman/Getty Images
Daniel Suarez, driver of the #19 ARRIS Toyota, signs autographs for fans in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR XFINITY Series Ford EcoBoost 300 and the NASCAR XFINITY Series Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 19, 2016 in Homestead, Florida.
Photo – Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Daniel Suárez has always been a quick study—of necessity.

When the newest NASCAR XFINITY Series champion, and the first born outside the United States, moved from his native Mexico to become a driver in NASCAR’s national touring series, his command of the English language was rudimentary, to say the least.

But Suárez learned quickly, primarily from American television programming.

Similarly, Suárez has been a voracious consumer of racing knowledge, and he has had ample resources upon which to draw. As he has come to unfamiliar race tracks, Suárez has relied on extensive conversations with two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers, Championship 4 contenders Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch, who work under the same roof with him at Joe Gibbs Racing. Continue reading →

Mexico’s Daniel Suarez Wins NASCAR XFINITY Series Championship with Victory at Homestead

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Daniel Suarez streaked away from Elliott Sadler after the final restart in Saturday’s Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and three laps later, NASCAR had its first foreign-born national touring series champion.

Ultimately, the 24-year-old driver from Monterrey, Mexico beat Ty Dillon to the finish line by 0.968 seconds. Sadler, who had taken two tires and gained the second position on a lap 193 pit stop, came home third and finished second in the inaugural NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase. Continue reading →

Who Says Joe Gibbs Racing Drivers aren’t Cooperating?

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Photo - Getty Images
Photo – Getty Images

Team owner Joe Gibbs says it’s every man for himself in Sunday’s Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on NBC at 2:30 pm ET.

Just don’t tell his drivers.

Gibbs is the first owner to place two drivers in the final round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup since the elimination format debuted in the 2014 season.

And to Gibbs, it’s understandable if Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards hold back proprietary information from each other as they compete for the series title. Continue reading →