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BROOKLYN, Mich. -- Daniel Suarez didn't just drive off the race track and into Victory Lane here Saturday at Michigan International Speedway. He drove into the NASCAR record book.
Suarez, 24, became the first Mexican-born driver to capture a NASCAR national series victory with his pass of teammate Kyle Busch with two laps remaining in the Menards 250 Presented by Valvoline NASCAR XFINITY Series race. In doing so, he became the eighth foreign-born driver to win a NASCAR national series event, joining Italian-born Mario Andretti, Canadians Earl Ross, Larry Pollard and Ron Fellows, Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, Australia's Marcos Ambrose and Brazil's Nelson Piquet Jr.
His winning move came as the two charged to the start/finish line with the white flag, signifying the final lap, waving.
MORE: Suarez first Mexican driver to win NASCAR national series race
The win came in his 48th career start in the series, all but one of which have been with Joe Gibbs Racing. That it came against Busch, the defending Sprint Cup Series champion, and all-time win leader in the XFINITY Series, made it that much more memorable.
That much more impressive, too.
But the enormity of the victory overshadowed such side stories on a hot, sunny day in the Irish Hills.
RELATED: See how Suarez was able to beat Busch, frame-by-frame
"Honestly I've had a lot of things going through my mind right now and I haven't thought about that a lot," Suarez said in his winner's press conference. "Definitely it means a lot but at the same time a lot of this is (because of) the help that (Busch) has been bringing to the table to this program.
"He's been super helpful to make this program better … we all work to go in the same direction but the experience he has, the laps he has on the race track, he brings a lot to the table."
It was a trip that began years before, in Suarez's home country of Mexico, and a journey that took the young driver through the NASCAR Mexico Series, the sanctioning body's Drive For Diversity program and the NASCAR NEXT program.
Such systems recognize young drivers and help provide them with opportunities for advancement.
It is not a guarantee.
RELATED: Suarez discusses what the victory means to him
"I think without all the support … maybe right now I wouldn't be here," Suarez said. "At that point I didn't know … how to find a way to make it to the national series. It was definitely one of the most difficult steps of my racing career. All these programs helped me to make it to this point for sure.
"Actually, the first year I raced here in the U.S. I was with an independent team and that wasn't good at all. I learned some stuff but (made) so many different mistakes. I feel like the people that were trying to help me were doing the right thing but maybe I wasn't learning the right way. As soon as I started moving to all those programs, everything started changing."
Victory Lane was loud and raucous. Officials stood off to the side, watching Suarez handle interview after interview. Busch, the runner-up, dropped in to congratulate his teammate.
Later, Sprint Cup driver Ryan Blaney briefly interrupted the victor's post-race press conference to offer congratulations as well.
"We always knew it was coming and how many times did Daniel Suarez already finish second to Kyle Busch?" asked David Wilson, president and general manager of Toyota Racing Development, USA. "It's just a special win. It's not just a win for Daniel; it's a win for NASCAR if you think about it. The repercussions of this are tremendous."
Brian France, NASCAR Chairman and CEO, said that while Suarez has been in NASCAR for "a relatively brief time," his impact on the sport "has been immeasurable."
"Combining impressive talent and an incredible personality, Daniel has attracted fans throughout North America. His accomplishments already are too numerous to list, so I congratulate him on his latest, and so far greatest one -- a NASCAR XFINITY Series victory," France said. "Today's victory proved what many already knew: Daniel has the skill, fortitude and passion for future NASCAR stardom. I look forward to watching his career grow, and accomplishments mount, as he battles for a championship this year in the inaugural NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase."
For Wilson and his Toyota companions, the victory by Suarez confirms what the group has known for quite some time. There is plenty of young talent spread across the various NASCAR series, but the number of available rides is a concern.
JGR teammate Erik Jones, already a winner twice this season, moved up to the XFINTY Series this year after winning the Camping World Truck Series championship in 2015 with Kyle Busch Motorsports. KBM driver William Byron won Friday night's Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway and has two wins this year. Rico Abreu contended until the very end in his best showing to date.
RELATED: Byron wins at Texas, edges Crafton late
And now Suarez has proven, as France said, that he has the talent to be a contender for years to come.
"I think our biggest challenge ahead of us is how to keep cars under all these young kids," Wilson said. "The truck race last night with William and Rico, now Daniel. It's a heck of a great problem to have. It's just good for the sport that there is so much rich talent coming up."
The win by Suarez "definitely says that there is opportunity," Wilson said. "But you have to earn your way. I think that's the secret to this. You have to earn your way.
"And Daniel has proven that. He's worked his butt off."