Daniel Suarez knows how it feels coming from outside and settling into a sport that's outside of his culture. As a Mexican whose primary language isn't English, the Spire Motorsports driver has highlighted the gap that international drivers need to bridge to come to NASCAR.

In a recent appearance on Kevin Harvick's "Happy Hour" podcast, Suarez revealed his unknown struggle from his early days in the US. He said:

"Here is something that people don't realize until you are actually in it. And I was in it. When you come to United States by yourself like I did, you're starting over. You don't know anyone. In my case, I didn't even speak the language. You don't have connections, you know. You don't have friends or family or anything. So the percentage of failure is extremely high. Honestly, I got a little lucky."

As NASCAR primarily takes place in the United States of America, the drivers and crews are mostly from the host country, with not many hailing from abroad. Before the recent diversity measures that helped talent from abroad join the sport, it wasn't always the case.

"I mentioned this to NASCAR in the past. If every driver in the future from Mexico or from Brazil is going to have it as difficult as I had it, 90% of them are not going to make it. So we have to continue to create this path,” Daniel Suarez added.

NASCAR, at times, has ventured outside of the US to host races in other countries. It has hosted races in Mexico, Japan, and Brazil, among a few others, to not only test the waters internationally but also to include more regions for its future. Despite this, Suarez feels NASCAR still lags behind the likes of the NBA or Baseball.

“Why do you think we see a lot of Latinos in baseball? Because there are a lot already. When I got to NASCAR, there wasn’t anyone, so it’s much more difficult. But right now, a path is opening up, a door is opening up, and that’s fundamental," the Spire Motorsports driver further added.

Daniel Suarez arrived in the United States in 2011 to race in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, now ARCA Menards Series East. He raced there for a few years before landing himself a full-time Xfinity Series contract with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2015, and earned a Cup promotion with them in 2017.

When NASCAR awarded Daniel Suarez for spearheading inclusivity

In early 2023, NASCAR hosted the 15th annual NASCAR Drive for Diversity Awards in Las Vegas to celebrate diversity and inclusivity. There, the governing body awarded 10 individuals and organisations for their exceptional efforts in steering the drive successfully, and it included Daniel Suarez, who won his first Cup Series race in 2022.

NASCAR awarded Suarez the National Series Driver Award for his exceptional Daniel's Amigos campaign, which received enormous support.

"We continue to make significant progress in increasing diversity and inclusion across our sport, a collective effort made possible thanks to those receiving awards today," said the then-NASCAR President, Steve Phelps. "Their contributions are helping drive our sport forward, and these awards celebrate the passion and commitment of leaders who are bolstering our efforts to build a more inclusive NASCAR culture."

Currently, Daniel Suarez races for Spire Motorsports under full-time obligation, and drives the #7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. After 12 races into the 2026 season, Suarez is in 14th place in the Drivers' Standings with 295 points, with three top tens and a top five to his name.

You can read more on the Daytona Racing Digest!

Written by

Sabyasachi Biswas

Edited by

Yask Kotak