Daniel Suarez becomes the first Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race, beating Chris Buescher in a historic victory at Sonoma Raceway.
Daniel Suarez was the first Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race.
Suarez, a 30-year-old from Monterrey, finally won in the 195th start of a Cup Series career in 2017. He also drove his Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet to the third Series win of the season for this rising team. Two-year-old co-owned by former driver Justin Marks and music star Pitbull.
Suarez overtook Buescher and charged into the start of the final stage on this hilly circuit in Northern California's wine country, persevering through a pit stop and a caution to appear out front with 23 laps to go. Buescher pressed him aggressively, but Suarez made no severe mistakes as he rode to victory.
"It's crazy," Suarez said. "Right now, a lot of things are going through my head. It's been a tough ride in the Cup Series, and these guys believed in me. I have many people to thank in Mexico. My family never gave up on me. Lots of people did, but they didn't. I'm happy that we were able to make it work."
Suarez's team celebrated wildly when the race was over, even pulling out a piñata that Suarez had ordered for the time he earned his first win and secured a playoff spot.
Suarez won the Xfinity Series championship in 2016 and is the fifth foreign-born driver to win a Cup Series race. He joins Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, Australian Marcos Ambrose, and a Canadian.
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