Tag Archives: Daniel Suarez

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 →

Inaugural NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase Culminates in Miami

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For the first time in the NASCAR XFINITY Series’ 34-year existence, the title will be decided at the culmination of the inaugural NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase, a four round elimination-style playoff that will name the series’ 27th different champion in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The first of the Championship 4 drivers to cross the finish line at Homestead will become the 2016 series driver champion. Elliott Sadler, Daniel Suárez, Erik Jones and Justin Allgaier are the Championship 4 and have competed all season for the chance at the title in the Ford EcoBoost 300 on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 2 pm ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.   Continue reading →

Daniel Suarez’s Mentors have Something Else on their Minds

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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

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. Continue reading →