Daniel Suárez, the dream on wheels (PHOTOS AND VIDEO)

• For Daniel Suárez, It all started on the go-kart tracks.
• His father has been his main support.
• The Autódromo de Monterrey is his second home.

Perhaps at the age of 11, he poses for a photograph standing tall, in a pilot suit, and a helmet held with his right arm close to his chest.

His face draws a smile from ear to ear. The background shows a karting track.

And, behind him, at his feet, is his go-kart. He doesn’t know it yet, but his dreams and future are being built on wheels.

Whenever he can, Daniel Suárez, now 31, returns to the Autódromo de Monterrey in Mexico, as if it were his second home.

Daniel Suárez, a dream on wheels

He grew up there, spinning on a circuit and in front of a steering wheel that still guides his destiny.

His father, Alejandro Suárez, knows it very well.

The parent, owner of a small car restoration shop in Monterrey, sacrificed a lot for ‘Dany,’ to give him the opportunity to race in the United States.

According to a review by The Charlotte Observer, Alejandro always sought a way to build the karts in which his son started his races.

So the dream began

«My dad has done a lot for me with very little… only a few people really know what it has been like to go through this process to get to this point.

«One of those people is my dad,» Daniel said in an interview with the mentioned media.

When he was 12 years old and barely a year into karting, his dad learned about a race in Las Vegas.

In that race, the top five finishers won a ticket to compete in Spain.

His first car: A Dodge Dakota

Immediately, Daniel Suárez’s dad packed the necessary equipment and four mechanics into a Dodge Dakota, loaded Daniel’s kart onto the trailer, and drove 22 hours from Monterrey to Las Vegas.

And Dany has never forgotten the next scene.

The kart he drove was the oldest on the track, and with the race almost over, he thought about the effort and money it took to build it.

He remembered the long journey through the desert to get there. And he thought of his father.

«It was the only old car on the track»

«I’m not going back to Mexico without winning this race,» he told himself, according to The Charlotte Observer.

And so it was, Daniel won his group, placed fifth overall, and secured a spot in the race in Spain.

«He got out of the car, screaming, and came to hug me and the mechanics. It was a beautiful moment because it was the only old car on the track.

«It felt very good because after all the sacrifices, the goal had been accomplished,» said Mr. Alejandro.

The battle in the US

Little by little, Daniel learned more about motorsports. Against the best in the country, he surpassed competitions in Mexico by winning 10 races in four seasons. And he wanted more.

Even though many people told him there was no need to go through a bitter experience by not being able to compete in races in the US, Daniel decided to pursue his dream.

His father, like the rest of his family in Nuevo León, encouraged and supported him. It was all he needed.

After dividing his time between the NASCAR Mexico series and the K&N Pro Series East in the US, Daniel switched to the latter full-time in 2013.

His golden years

He earned a spot in the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program, so he decided to stay in North America, where his life behind the wheel would reach its golden years.

While learning English and overcoming cultural barriers, Daniel, with Rev Racing and thanks to NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity, showed what he was made of.

He secured a spot in the No. 18 car with Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series in 2014, noted The Charlotte Observer.

At the same time, he further solidified ties with Toyota Motor Racing.

The first Mexican to win the Xfinity Series

Eleven months later, he won his first Xfinity pole, quickly followed by victory and the Rookie of the Year title in the series.

And in 2016, Daniel became the Xfinity Series champion, making history as the first foreign driver to achieve it.

His victories and great results led him to debut in NASCAR’s top category: the Monster Energy Cup Series.

In the powerful No. 19 Toyota Camry, from Joe Gibbs Racing, the best ‘vehicle’ he had driven up to that point.

Career

With the collaboration of ESPN, here you can quickly see the successes that have marked the career of the driver from Monterrey.

2002: Karting in Mexico, competing against Esteban Gutiérrez.

2008: Test in the Mini-Stocks, a support category, of NASCAR Mexico.

2010: Already in NASCAR Mexico, he partners with Germán Quiroga and is the Rookie of the Year at just 18 years old.

2011: Youngest driver to achieve a pole in NASCAR Mexico. His optimal performances lead him to NASCAR Pro Series East in the US.

Back-to-back triumphs

2012: Third overall in NASCAR Mexico.

2013: Third overall in NASCAR Pro Series East and the first win in the US, winning in Columbus. Runner-up in Mexico.

2014: Debuts in NASCAR Xfinity Series with Joe Gibbs Racing in Virginia.

2015: Finishes fifth in the Xfinity Series championship with Joe Gibbs by getting three podiums (one second and two third places), 8 top 5s, and 18 top 10s. He was the Rookie of the Year.

More victories

2016: First Mexican to win a race in any national NASCAR series.

2017: Joe Gibbs Racing announces that Daniel Suárez will replace Carl Edwards on the team for the Monster Energy Cup Series season, NASCAR’s top division.

2018: Achieves three top 5s and 9 top 10s, finishing twenty-first in the championship.

2019: Joins Stewart-Haas Racing driving the number 41 Ford Fusion.

What is yet to come

2020: Replaces Parker Kligerman in the Toyota Camry 96 sponsored by Toyota Certified Vehicles, Coca-Cola, and COMMSCOPE.

2021: Moves to the Trackhouse team with a Chevrolet Camaro. He achieved a fourth place on the Bristol dirt oval as his best result.

2022: Wins in Sonoma and becomes the first Mexican to win the Cup Series; also wins the NASCAR Open.

2023: So far, his best races have been in Indianapolis, placing third.