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BROOKLYN, Mich. — The temperature in the cockpit of the race cars read a sweltering 117 degrees in Saturday’s XFINITY Series’ Menards 250 Presented by Valvoline at Michigan International Speedway.
But something like a little — or a lot of — sweat couldn’t hold back Daniel Suarez, who earned his first XFINITY Series win at Michigan International Speedway and became the first Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR national series event.
“I just have no words honestly,” Suarez said after the race. “I don’t think I can speak English or Spanish right now honestly. I can’t thank these guys enough for all the hard work — Joe Gibbs Racing for having the confidence in me along with Toyota, Telcel Mexico, Coca-Cola and everyone who helped put this program together. I have no words to describe what I’m feeling right now.
“This is a dream for sure.”
Suarez passed Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch for the lead with two laps to go in Saturday’s thriller in the Irish Hills. His No. 19 Toyota had its share of struggles, battling a clutch issue throughout the day (Lap 71) and incurring a speeding penalty in the first round of yellow-flag pit stops.
But he was relentless. Suarez restarted 25th after the speeding penalty and weaved his way through the field, catching up with the leaders in the final laps of the 250-mile event.
RELATED: See how Suarez was able to catch Busch
It was battle that symbolized his season leading up to this point, as Suarez has been close to Victory Lane, earning four top-five and 10 top-10 results in the 12 races leading up to Michigan.
But each time, he fell short.
This time, he didn’t.
“After that pit road penalty, I was just mad — I don’t think I talked on the radio for 30 minutes or more time,” Suarez recalled. “I was disappointed with myself … We went through so many things, so many problems to overcome in the race.
“When I was able to go through the field all the way to fifth, I said, ‘Man, we can have a shot here.’ And then clutch happened. So, it seemed like there were a lot of little details that were saying, ‘Maybe today’s not the day.’ But I was just disappointed and I was pushing hard and (I) thank God and all these guys we made it happen.”
Suarez’s win was popular both with fans and fellow drivers alike, as evidenced by the roar from the crowd when he emerged from his entry after crossing the start/finish line. Sprint Cup regular Ryan Blaney entered the Suarez’s post-race press conference to give the wheelman a hug and offer congratulations, while Kyle Busch and fellow XFINITY driver Darrell Wallace Jr. paid him visits in Victory Lane.
“That’s pretty cool,” said Wallace, who finished ninth, on the grid after the race. “I know what the first feels like — not XFINITY, but Truck — it’s a special moment. Hope he enjoys it.”
RELATED: Drivers react to Suarez’s win on Twitter
Busch has served as a mentor for several up-and-coming drivers like Suarez and Erik Jones, jokingly calling his pupils students of the “Kyle Busch School of Charm.” For the reigning Sprint Cup champion, Suarez’s pass on the No. 18 for the win was a proud moment, despite losing the checkered flag.
“(I’m) proud of Daniel, he’s done a lot of work, done a lot of things to try to get to this point,” Busch said. “And it’s exciting to see him get that opportunity to win an XFINITY Series race.
He added jokingly: “I’d love to see him now win in a KBM truck — and not beat me by the way.
“He’s done a lot of homework and he’s done a good job with being able to talk to the crew chiefs, give them good information, get them solid information that’s going to help them make their cars better. I never even heard the 19 today, I never even saw him all day today and here he came at the end of the race and passed us and beat us.”
RELATED: Busch talks about his runner-up finish, Suarez’s growth
Suarez’s victory on Saturday went beyond his first career win — it was a win for his home country of Mexico, the place he left five years ago to pursue a dream of stock car racing.
It was also a win for the sport of NASCAR.
“For me, it’s great to be here definitely. It’s a great opportunity that Joe Gibbs Racing gave me, the Drive for Diversity, NASCAR (gave me) when I moved to the U.S. five years ago without an opportunity,” Suarez said. “And for me to now, to try to help some other young drivers from Latin America — not just from Mexico, but from everywhere — to come to this great sport is great. To be able to be an example something that we can help to bring more people, for me is great.
“I’m just very proud to be a Latin American driver and very proud to be with Joe Gibbs Racing, a great family and a great organization.”
MORE: See Suarez go around Busch to take the checkered