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Tag: Daniel Suarez

  • The Final Word – With all the rain and challenges at Bristol, the only guy missing was Jeff Probst

    The Final Word – With all the rain and challenges at Bristol, the only guy missing was Jeff Probst

    Bristol. Just about the only thing missing was Jeff Probst and his Tribal Council as this turned into a game of survival. With the rains that delayed the start, the rains that stopped it again and again, the day race that ran into night became a reality show of its own.

    Take Kevin Harvick, for instance. He led 186 of the eventual 511 laps, but at Lap 310 he slid into a wrecked David Ragan and he found himself voted off the island in 38th place. If not Harv, then it was Kurt Busch in a dominant car. With eight to go, he took the brunt of it when Jeff Gordon got into Carl Edwards. Busch at least managed a 15th for his troubles.

    Then there was the case of Team Penske. You know you needed a hidden immunity idol when things go down the outdoor commode during the opening credits. Brad Keselowski wobbled and that allowed teammate Joey Logano to put out both their torches. Thirty-fifth and beyond was their fate.

    Do you want more examples? After the Penske wreck on the 19th lap, it rained some more. In that time, Denny Hamlin’s stiff neck got worse and when they restarted 18-year-old Erik Jones found himself racing a Cup car for the very first time, ending up 26th.

    How good was Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s car? We will never know, as a flat tire took him off the lead lap early, never to be seen again. At least he got 16th when it was all over. As for Austin Dillon, the extra laps before the final re-start ran him out of gas, but even with that he finished 10th.

    After a final caution, they needed a green-white-checker, but rain even delayed that, hence those extra caution laps before the fall of the final green. Matt Kenseth got a fine re-start to take a race he was not all that noticeable in, but the victory shows up just fine in the standings. After no wins last season, his 32nd career triumph had to be sweet no matter how he got it. Jimmie Johnson’s car did not look that pretty, but he came back to slip by Gordon for second while Jeff rebounded from a flat that had him down early to grab third. In short, these boys survived. Nobody thrived.

    Some folks play the game and slip in under the radar. Tony Stewart was sixth Sunday night, but that was a gift for to a guy who was 15th best at best. Danica Patrick was ninth. Another gift. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was fourth, the best gift of all. Despite that good fortune, Roush-Fenway entries are still coming up short. Trevor Bayne was 28th, Greg Biffle 30th.

    Ryan Newman, fifth at Bristol, got 25 points back from his appeal over Tiregate. He still is missing his crew chief and two other team members due to suspension, and Richard Childress will continue his quest for their early return with a further appeal.

    It meant jack squat to see Logano win the Saturday XFINITY race at Bristol. Having Daniel Suarez (23 year old from Mexico), Chris Buescher (22), Erik Jones (18), Ty Dillon (23) and Chase Elliott (19) take the next five spots meant everything.

    Sunday we had the day long 2015 Food City 500 In Support of Steve Byrnes. For the NASCAR family, the broadcaster and his fight against cancer, is what truly is meaningful. We have tallied the vote, the tribe has spoken, we want you back just as soon as you are able, Steve.

  • Daniel Suarez Establishing Career; Making Debut at Richmond International Raceway

    Daniel Suarez Establishing Career; Making Debut at Richmond International Raceway

    Joe Gibbs Racing announced on Tuesday that Daniel Suarez, K&N East and Mexico Toyota Series (MTS) competitor, will make his debut in the No. 20 Toyota at Richmond International Raceway this weekend.

    “I think it will be a good weekend for us,” Suarez explained during the press conference held this afternoon. “I’m really looking forward to it.  I’m very excited.  I’m excited to be, you know, (with) strong teams in every single series.”

    Suarez, who has already captured four wins in both the K&N East and MTS this season alone, is apart of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program, which ensures that international drivers still receive opportunities that  American competitors are guaranteed.  He also was inducted into the NASCAR NEXT class last season, and is likely to be re-elected at Richmond this weekend.

    This weekend, Suarez will compete in the BlueOx 100 and the ToyotaCare 250 on Friday night at Richmond, and then travel to his hometown, Monterrey, Mexico, for the Regia 240 on Sunday afternoon.

    “It’s probably one of the busiest weekends in the year for us, doing our debut in the Nationwide Series,” Suarez expressed about doing triple duty this weekend in two different countries.  “A couple minutes later we need to get ready for the K&N race.  After the race is over, we need to get ready to get in the airport and leave to Monterrey, Mexico, (for the) NASCAR Toyota Series race.”

    “So we’ve (decided) to drive away exactly when the race of the K&N is over (back) to Charlotte, take a flight at 6:00 a.m. to get into Monterrey, Mexico for practice and qualify for the NASCAR Toyota Series deal.”

    Suarez is also excited to close out the biggest weekend of his career in front of his hometown crowd on Sunday.

    “Probably (to) get that victory in front of your family, friends, all these people that have been watching me growing up since I was 11 years old, definitely means something big for me,” Suarez furthered explained.

    Suarez, 22, admitted during the conference that he and Joe Gibbs had not signed for anymore races then Richmond; however, he’s still expressed his thankfulness.

    “For now we just signed a Richmond race,” Suarez explained about the current contract with Gibbs.  “To be honest, we have been talking about (this) since last year (on) how to do something good.  I’m really happy to be in this position right now, to have everyone in Mexico, like Escuderia Telmex and Telcel Racing, helping me in my career.”

    “Right now, Joe Gibbs Racing, is an amazing project.  We were talking about (doing) something in the second half of (the season).   For now, (though), it’s just Richmond, but I’m really looking forward to do something good in the future. I’m just focused to do well in this race (at Richmond).  I’m pretty sure that after that race we are going to have something for the second half of the year.”

    Suarez did, shyly, express that he’s never driven a Nationwide Series machine, or even tested, however, he’s hoping the K&N and MTS experience will pay huge dividends in helping him adapt quickly.

    “It’s going to be a new experience for me.” Suarez alluded to after being questioned about past experience.  “The Nationwide car already is something different for me.  I never have been in a Nationwide car. But to be honest, I have a lot of confidence on myself and also in Joe Gibbs Racing to learn about everything. The first point and the most important point is to try to learn about everything and then be competitive.  I think I can say that I love to be competitive in everything I drive, even video games.”

    “For now so far we have been trying to practice the pit stops in the shop, trying to get the communication better with my crew chief and with everyone in the team.  I think in a couple days, Thursday afternoon, is going to be interesting, my first couple laps in the Nationwide car in Richmond.  So let’s see.”

    Suarez finished his statements with a strong goal, to finish in the top-10 at Richmond and beyond despite be inexperienced and still developing.

    “Finish competitive, finish in the top 10, learn about everything.  I think this is the most important point,” Suarez explained about his expectations for his first NASCAR Touring Series start. “But it’s going to be difficult.  I think I need to take this step by step, learn about the first practice, try to get the communication better with my crew chief, get a fast adaptation with the car, with the tires, with the horsepower, with the racetrack.  After that I think I can start getting my expectation better.”

    Kevin Kidd will stand atop the pit box for Suarez this weekend, and while the two have never worked together before, it appears both have a lot of respect and confidence in each other.

    “Kevin Kidd is a personal crew chief, that he has a lot of experience in the Nationwide Series, and not just in the Nationwide Series, but racing in general.” Suarez expressed about working with Kidd this weekend. “I think he’s going to help me a lot (this weekend).”

    “Like I said last year, I think the communication with my crew chief helped me a lot to get better the second half of (last season).  But, you know, it’s kind of difficult because we have been working a lot with the communication with the K&N team, and the Mexico team, but right now the Nationwide Series is something different.  Definitely communication is a very, very important point. 

    Suarez has surprised folks before with his abilities; so, don’t be astonished if the talented up and coming superstar etches his way into the top-10 for a solid debut finish.

    “I think my crew chief and my whole team, they are going to try to help me a lot to be as fast as possible, as the same level as them, to try to be competitive and be in a good position for the race,” Suarez concluded with, confidently.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Daniel Suárez Proud to Represent Mexico in 2014 Drive for Diversity Class

    Daniel Suárez Proud to Represent Mexico in 2014 Drive for Diversity Class

    While Daniel Suárez is proud to have been chosen for NASCAR’s 2014 Drive for Diversity program, he is even prouder to represent his country of Mexico in the sport.

    Suárez, a 22 year old driver from Monterrey, Mexico, will be competing for his second year with Rev Racing in the K&N Pro Series East. Last year, he finished third in the championship standings in that Series, the highest mark for an international driver in the Series’ history.

    The young up and coming driver earned his first K&N Pro Series win at Columbus Motor Speedway in 2013. He was also the championship runner-up in the NASCAR Mexico Toyota Series.

    Suárez admits that the competition is intense in the K&N East Series. But he also feels that his strong finish last year, particularly in the second half of the season, will give him and his team just the boost they need to get out of the gate fast for 2014.

    “There are many teams competing in the K&N East so that’s pretty tough and for sure there are many good teams,” Suárez said. “But I feel that Rev Racing is doing an awesome job and now with the same people as last year, we are going to start pretty strong.”

    “I feel like in 2013, the start of the year was pretty difficult,” Suárez continued. “Many small things were not in the best position but in the second part of the year, we were earning more points than anyone.”

    “We closed 2013 very, very strong so I feel like if we can start 2014 like that, we’re going to be pretty strong.”

    One of the biggest hurdles that the driver, his crew chief Skip Eyler, and his team have had to face is communicating effectively with one another, especially in the heat of race competition.

    “Last year, everything was difficult, not just for me but for my team because with me being from another country and speaking another language, it’s kind of difficult,” Suárez said. “I mean, I can speak English but when you are in the race car, with all the engine sounds, it’s kind of difficult to keep up.”

    “But now I feel like our communication is good already.”

    In addition to having mastered the art of conversation, Suárez is also thrilled to have his sponsor, Visit Acapulco and Tourism of Mexico, return to his race car.

    “It’s awesome because when they support me, many people in Mexico are now knowing that there is a race car driver from their country and that is something,” Suárez  said. “They are looking forward to being involved again because they were happy with what happened last year.”

    With this young racer being unique in his country of origin, at least for so many who participate in the sport, just how did he get interested in becoming a NASCAR competitor?

    “For me, it was kind of different than everyone,” Suárez said. “Normally, everyone starts because his dad or his grandpa was a race car driver or something like that but my family doesn’t come from racing.”

    “I have a friend that used to race go karts,” Suárez continued. “When I was ten years old, he met me to do a practice and to hang out on the weekend. His dad started watching me and he told my family that I got some potential.”

    “When I turned eleven, my dad bought me a go kart and then we started doing some races and I started winning,” Suárez said. “That was really impressive and so we did more and more races.”

    “My second year racing when I was 12 years old, I went to Las Vegas actually and we ended up in the top-five getting the best Mexican driver in the States,” Suárez continued. “We started doing some international races and we went to Europe and everything that started like a hobby started changing to be my career like it is now.”

    Suárez admits that he looks up to many drivers as potential role models, however, he has been humbled to be also wear the moniker of role model himself.

    “There are many drivers that I want to be like them or I want to compete with them,” Suárez said. “There are many drivers out there that are really good, like Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski, not just here in America but also in Europe.”

    “Well, my goal is to be the first Mexican in the top series,” Suárez continued. “I will tell you something, I was in the Hall of Fame in Charlotte signing autographs and some Mexican fans came out to ask for our autograph and I was very surprised”

    “Those guys not just brought the hero card to sign but they also brought a very old picture of me when I was starting here in the States racing stock cars,” Suárez said. “And that really was really important for me because many Hispanic fans here in the States are starting to follow me and my career.”

    “I mean, hopefully we can keep winning races and being in the top all the time to have more Hispanic people to follow me,” Suárez continued. “And hopefully we can make my goal of a championship come true.”

    Although Suárez cannot wait for the 2014 season to start so that he can work toward achieving his goal, he is also, in one word, grateful for the opportunity.

    “I want to say thank you for everyone in NASCAR for the Diversity program, Suárez said. “The luck to be part of this program in 2013, with more learning and getting the opportunity to still learn about this is awesome.”

    “I’m really proud of this opportunity and looking forward for it.”