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Daniel Suárez’s rise, career highlights in NASCAR
By Staff Report | Sunday, June 12, 2022
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Daniel Suárez made history on June 12, 2022, at Sonoma Raceway by becoming the first Mexican-born driver to win a race in the NASCAR Cup Series. Read on for a look at his rise through the NASCAR ranks.
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Daniel Suárez had been to Victory Lane several times before reaching NASCAR's national series. He won 10 races in the NASCAR Mexico Series from 2011-14, including five in 2014 as a 22-year-old.
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The victories continued once Suárez started competing in the K&N Pro Series East (now known as ARCA Menards Series East). The NAPA 150 at Columbus Motor Speedway in 2013 went down as his first victory in the series.
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An impressive start to 2014, Suárez won the New Smyrna 150 Presented by JEGS, the season-opening race ...
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... and followed that up two days later by winning the UNOH Battle at the Beach.
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Suárez made his first NASCAR Xfinity Series showing on April 25, 2014, at Richmond. He drove the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota and finished 19th.
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In a year of firsts, Suárez finished 15th at Talladega (October 2014) in his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start.
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Suárez opened 2015 with a top-10 finish at Daytona, then went to Atlanta to record his first top five in the Camping World Truck Series. Suárez finished fourth in his Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota.
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Bristol, 2015. Perhaps when Suárez truly put his name on the map. It was the Mexican-born driver's first full-time season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. At Bristol, he hounded NASCAR Cup Series regular Joey Logano over the final laps, racing clean and hard and ultimately finished second.
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Suárez would finish 2015 with 13 starts in the Camping World Truck Series, notching seven top-five finishes. His runner-up result at Dover in May was his first second-place finish in Trucks.
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Following a runner-up showing earlier in the season, Suárez finished fifth at Bristol in August and won the Dash 4 Cash bonus.
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Suarez couldn't catch KBM teammate Erik Jones at Texas in 2015, and Jones won a fuel-mileage race with Suárez coming in second for his second runner-up result in the Camping World Truck Series.
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The first of several near misses in 2016 came at Las Vegas. Kyle Busch won the race, but Suárez, who finished second, filled his rearview mirror all day.
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Another first: Suárez's first pole award of 2016, the fourth of his Xfinity Series career. It came at Fontana, and it looked like his first win would follow. Suárez inherited the lead on the final lap when Kyle Busch went low on fuel ... and then Suarez went dry himself on the backstretch and was out of contention.
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Breakthrough! Suárez passed Kyle Busch just as the white flag dropped at Michigan in 2016, then held off his then-Camping World Truck Series boss for his first career Xfinity Series win.
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Make it two. Suárez's second career Xfinity Series win came at Dover during the inaugural Xfinity Series playoffs. In addition to punching his ticket to the next round, it set Suárez on a hot tear that would end with another victory in Miami.
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In between his Dover win and eventual Xfinity Series title, Suárez earned his first Truck Series victory when he conquered Phoenix in the penultimate race of the year in 2016.
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On Nov. 19, 2016, at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Suárez made history by becoming the first Latin-American driver to win a NASCAR national series championship with his win of the inaugural NASCAR Xfinity Series postseason.
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'This is a dream come true,' Suárez said after climbing from his No. 19 Toyota. Keep dreaming, Daniel.
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In January 2017, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Suárez was moving up to the NASCAR Cup Series to drive the No. 19 Toyota for the departing Carl Edwards. This came on the heels of Suárez's NASCAR Xfinity Series title.
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Suárez's first year in Cup Series competition was a success, as the rookie landed 12 top-10 finishes and nearly qualified for the playoffs.
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Suárez's best finish to date in the Cup Series came in the July 2018 race at Pocono where he finished as the runner-up to then-teammate Kyle Busch. He finished the season with three top fives and nine top 10s on the season and a 21st-place finish in the standings.
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Following several years in the Toyota stable with Joe Gibbs Racing and affiliates, Suárez made the leap to Ford by taking over the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing entry for the 2019 season. It stands as his best campaign to date, with four top fives, 11 top 10s and a points finish of 17th.
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After it was announced Xfinity Series standout Cole Custer would take over the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford for the 2020 season, Suárez signed with Gaunt Brothers Racing to pilot the No. 96 Toyota. Finishes of 18th at Bristol and Kansas stood as his best showings of the season.
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For the 2021 Cup Series season, Suárez moved over to a brand new team -- Trackhouse Racing -- co-owned by former driver Justin Marks and music superstar Pitbull.
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Suárez finished out his first season driving the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet with one top five and four top 10s. His best finish of fourth came at the Bristol Motor Speedway dirt race.
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After buying Chip Ganassi Racing, Trackhouse Racing expanded to a two-car operation for the 2022 season. Suárez gained a new teammate in Ross Chastain.
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Trackhouse Racing teammates Suárez and Ross Chastain showed incredible speed early in the 2022 season. After a runner-up finish At Auto Club Speedway in the second race of the year, Suárez vowed to find Victory Lane soon.
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Suárez became the first Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race on June 12, 2022, at Sonoma Raceway. With Daniel's Amigos on hand in the stands, Suárez held off Chris Buescher on the 1.99-mile road course for the historic victory.
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