Daniel Suárez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Daniel Suárez |
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Suárez at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2024
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| Born | Daniel Alejandro Suárez Garza January 7, 1992 Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico |
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| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||
| Weight | 166 lb (75 kg) | ||||||
| Achievements | First Mexican born driver to win in the NASCAR Cup Series First international champion in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (2016) 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion 2017 & 2022 NASCAR All-Star Race Open Winner |
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| Awards | 2010 NASCAR Corona Series Rookie of the Year 2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year |
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| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 287 races run over 8 years | |||||||
| Car no., team | No. 99 (Trackhouse Racing) | ||||||
| 2024 position | 12th | ||||||
| Best finish | 10th (2022) | ||||||
| First race | 2017 Daytona 500 (Daytona) | ||||||
| Last race | 2020 FanShield 500 (Phoenix) | ||||||
| First win | 2022 Toyota/Save Mart 350 (Sonoma) | ||||||
| Last win | 2024 Ambetter Health 400 (Atlanta) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
| 88 races run over 7 years | |||||||
| 2023 position | 89th | ||||||
| Best finish | 1st (2016) | ||||||
| First race | 2014 ToyotaCare 250 (Richmond) | ||||||
| Last race | 2024 The Loop 110 (Chicago Street) | ||||||
| First win | 2016 Menards 250 (Michigan) | ||||||
| Last win | 2016 Ford EcoBoost 300 (Homestead) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series career | |||||||
| 28 races run over 4 years | |||||||
| 2021 position | 107th | ||||||
| Best finish | 81st (2016) | ||||||
| First race | 2014 Fred's 250 (Talladega) | ||||||
| Last race | 2021 Pinty's Truck Race on Dirt (Bristol Dirt) | ||||||
| First win | 2016 Lucas Oil 150 (Phoenix) | ||||||
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| NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series career | |||||||
| 77 races run over 7 years | |||||||
| 2014 position | 6th | ||||||
| Best finish | 2nd (2013) | ||||||
| First race | 2011 Regia 200 (Monterrey) | ||||||
| Last race | 2024 King Taco La Batalla en El coliseo (LA Coliseum) | ||||||
| First win | 2012 Mexico Nocturna 200 (Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez) | ||||||
| Last win | 2024 King Taco La Batalla en El coliseo (LA Coliseum) | ||||||
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| Statistics current as of November 10, 2024. | |||||||
Daniel Alejandro Suárez Garza (born January 7, 1992) is a professional stock car racing driver from Mexico. He races full-time in the top NASCAR series, called the NASCAR Cup Series. He drives the No. 99 Chevrolet ZL1 car for Trackhouse Racing. Daniel also sometimes races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Before joining the Cup Series, he raced in the NASCAR Toyota Series in Mexico and the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. Daniel was part of the Drive for Diversity program, which helps talented minority drivers. In 2016, he made history by winning the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship with Joe Gibbs Racing. He was the first driver from another country to win a major NASCAR national series title!
Contents
Daniel Suárez's Racing Journey
Starting in Racing
Daniel Suárez grew up in Monterrey, Mexico. He started racing go-karts when he was just 10 years old in 2002. By 2007, he had won a championship in karting. In 2008, he moved up to the Mini-Stocks in Mexico. He became the youngest driver ever to win a race in that series.
In 2010, Daniel joined the NASCAR Mexico Series and was named the Rookie of the Year. He kept racing in Mexico and also started competing in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in the United States. In 2013, he won his first race in the K&N Pro Series East at Columbus Motor Speedway. He finished third in the championship that year.
Joining Joe Gibbs Racing
In 2014, Daniel got a big chance when Joe Gibbs Racing picked him to race in the Nationwide Series (now called the Xfinity Series). He started racing full-time in the 2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series for Joe Gibbs Racing. He also raced part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
In 2015, Daniel earned his first "pole position" (meaning he started the race in first place) in the Xfinity Series at Daytona. He won the Rookie of the Year award for the Xfinity Series and finished fifth in the overall points standings.
Becoming an Xfinity Series Champion
The year 2016 was amazing for Daniel. He won his first Xfinity Series race at Michigan, passing another driver on the very last lap! This made him the first Mexican-born driver to win a race in a NASCAR national series. He won another Xfinity Series race at Dover.
Later that year, he also won his first Truck Series race at Phoenix. Then, in the final Xfinity Series race at Homestead, Daniel led most of the race and won the championship! This was a huge moment, as he became the first driver from outside the United States to win a NASCAR national series championship.
Moving to the Cup Series
In 2017, Daniel got promoted to the top level of NASCAR, the NASCAR Cup Series. He took over the No. 19 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. In his first year, he had some strong finishes, including a third-place finish at Watkins Glen. He also won a special race called the Monster Energy Open to get into the All-Star Race.
In 2018, Daniel earned his first Cup Series pole position at Pocono Raceway. He also had his best finish in a Cup Series race, coming in second place. However, he struggled to be consistent throughout the season. At the end of 2018, it was announced that he would be leaving Joe Gibbs Racing.
New Teams and First Cup Win
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In 2019, Daniel joined Stewart–Haas Racing to drive the No. 41 Ford. He showed some good speed but didn't make it into the playoffs (the championship part of the season). After one year, he moved to Gaunt Brothers Racing for the 2020 season, driving the No. 96 Toyota. This was a challenging year, and he didn't get many high finishes.
In 2021, Daniel found a new home at Trackhouse Racing, a brand new team. He drove the No. 99 Chevrolet. Many people thought this was his big chance to restart his career. The team quickly became known for being competitive. Daniel earned Trackhouse's first top-five finish at the Bristol dirt race, coming in fourth. He also had several top-ten finishes.
The 2022 season was historic for Daniel. At Sonoma Raceway, he won his first-ever Cup Series race! This made him the first Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race. He finished the season in a career-best 10th place in the points standings.
Recent Seasons
In 2023, Daniel started the season strong with a seventh-place finish at the 2023 Daytona 500. He had some good races but didn't make it into the playoffs that year.
On February 3, 2024, Daniel won a NASCAR Mexico Series race at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. A few weeks later, on February 25, 2024, he won his second NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. This race was incredibly close, ending in a "photo finish" where Daniel won by just 0.003 seconds! It was one of the closest finishes in Cup Series history.
Personal Life
Daniel Suárez lives in Huntersville, North Carolina. In 2022, he got engaged to Julia Piquet. Julia is the daughter of Nelson Piquet, a famous Formula 1 World Champion. Daniel and Julia got married on July 30, 2024, in Brazil.
On April 29, 2024, Daniel shared on social media that he had passed his U.S. Citizenship Exam. On June 18, 2024, he officially became a dual citizen of both Mexico and the United States.
Images for kids
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Suárez's No. 96 car at Dover International Speedway in 2020
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See also
In Spanish: Daniel Suárez (piloto) para niños
