Daniel Suarez

Daniel Suárez Bio

Daniel Alejandro Suárez Garza, born on January 7, 1992, in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, is a Mexican-American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Spire Motorsports. Suárez is best known as the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion with Joe Gibbs Racing, becoming the first foreign-born driver to win a major NASCAR national series championship.

Early Life and Background

Daniel Alejandro Suárez Garza grew up in Monterrey, Nuevo León, a city with a strong racing culture in northern Mexico. From an early age, he showed interest in motorsports, and by 2002 he had begun his racing career in karting. In 2007, he won a karting class championship, building a foundation that would launch his move into stock cars.

In 2008, Suárez transitioned to the preliminary category of NASCAR Mexico, known as Mini-Stocks, where he became the youngest driver ever to win a race in that series. His quick progress drew attention from larger teams and set the stage for a move into the top-tier NASCAR Mexico Series. He currently resides in Huntersville, North Carolina, the longtime home base for many NASCAR Cup Series drivers and teams.

Path to NASCAR

Suárez advanced to the NASCAR Mexico Series in 2010, driving for Telcel Racing, and earned the 2010 NASCAR Corona Series Rookie of the Year award. He also joined the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East with Rev Racing as a member of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program, a development effort designed to bring new talent into the sport.

By 2013, he was running full seasons in both Mexico and the United States. He scored his first K&N Pro Series East victory at Columbus Motor Speedway and finished third in the championship, while also placing second in the NASCAR Toyota Series with three wins. In April 2014, Joe Gibbs Racing selected him to make his Xfinity Series debut at Richmond International Raceway, finishing nineteenth. The following month, the team announced that he would compete full-time in the 2015 Xfinity Series and run a partial NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule with Kyle Busch Motorsports.

Daniel Suárez Career

Early Career (2010–2013)

Suárez’s earliest national results came in the NASCAR Mexico Series, where he won Rookie of the Year in 2010 and added two victories the following season. He became a regular in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and posted his first series win at Columbus Motor Speedway in 2013. During the same period, he was a strong runner in the NASCAR Toyota Series, finishing runner-up in 2013 with three wins.

That 2013 season also brought his selection to NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program, which helped him connect with teams and sponsors in the United States. By the end of the year, he had a clear path toward NASCAR’s national touring series, with Joe Gibbs Racing watching his progress closely.

NASCAR Xfinity Series Breakthrough (2014–2016)

Suárez made his Xfinity Series debut in 2014 at Richmond International Raceway. In 2015, his first full-time season, he claimed the NASCAR Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year title, finishing fifth in points and earning poles at Daytona, Iowa, and Kentucky. His growing reputation inside Joe Gibbs Racing pointed to a championship push the following year.

In 2016, Suárez won his first Xfinity Series race at Michigan International Speedway, passing Kyle Busch on the final lap to become the first Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR national touring series race. He added a second win at Dover in the Chase and arrived at the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway with a chance at the title. He took the lead on the final restart with two laps remaining and captured the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship, becoming the first foreign-born driver to win a NASCAR national series championship.

NASCAR Cup Series (2017–2019)

After Carl Edwards’ retirement, Suárez moved to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2017, taking over the No. 19 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing with crew chief Dave Rogers. He earned a berth in the All-Star Race by winning the final stage of the Monster Energy Open, and he posted several top-ten finishes, including a third at Watkins Glen.

Suárez picked up his first Cup Series pole at Pocono in 2018 and finished second in that race, his best Cup result at the time. After the 2018 season, he was replaced by Martin Truex Jr. at Joe Gibbs Racing. In 2019, Suárez joined Stewart-Haas Racing to drive the No. 41 Ford Mustang GT, but he missed the playoffs and was released from the ride at the end of the year.

Gaunt Brothers Racing and Trackhouse Racing Era (2020–2025)

In 2020, Suárez signed with Gaunt Brothers Racing to drive the No. 96 Toyota. The season was a struggle, and he failed to qualify for the Daytona 500 after a wreck in his qualifying race. That October, he was announced as the driver of Justin Marks’ new Trackhouse Racing team, joining the Cup Series in 2021 in the No. 99 Chevrolet.

Trackhouse quickly became one of the most competitive single-car organizations in the garage. At Sonoma Raceway in 2022, Suárez became the first Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race and finished a career-best tenth in points. On February 25, 2024, he won the Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the fourth-closest photo finish in Cup Series history, beating Ryan Blaney by 0.003 seconds. In 2025, he scored a runner-up finish at Las Vegas, and on July 1, 2025, he and Trackhouse mutually agreed to part ways at season’s end.

Spire Motorsports Era (2026–Present)

On October 22, 2025, Spire Motorsports announced that Suárez would drive the No. 7 Chevrolet starting in 2026, replacing Justin Haley. He opened the season with a 13th-place finish at the Daytona 500 and scored his first win with Spire at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, where rain ended the race early. He also returned to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for the first time since 2021, driving the No. 71 Chevrolet Silverado RST for Spire at Bristol.

Driving Style and Strengths

Suárez is known for his smooth, patient driving style and his ability to stretch a run on long green-flag runs. Road courses have been a clear strength, with his first two Cup Series wins coming at Sonoma and Atlanta, a drafting-style intermediate track. His work with crew chief Scott Graves, who guided him to the 2016 Xfinity title, has been one of the most important partnerships of his career.

Notable Races and Milestones

Among Suárez’s signature moments are his 2016 Michigan Xfinity win, his 2016 Xfinity Series championship, the 2022 Sonoma Cup victory, the photo-finish win at Atlanta in 2024, and the 2026 Coca-Cola 600 win at Charlotte. He also won the 2017 and 2022 NASCAR All-Star Race Open, and in 2026 he was voted into the All-Star Race by the fans.

Daniel Suárez Career Wins

Daniel Suárez has built a varied résumé across NASCAR’s national and regional series. His biggest prize remains the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship, the first national series title won by a foreign-born driver. He has also added wins in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, NASCAR Mexico Series, and the ARCA Menards Series East.

NASCAR Cup Series Highlights

Suárez has 3 NASCAR Cup Series wins, along with 80 top-ten finishes and 3 poles. His first Cup win came at Sonoma in 2022, the first by a Mexican-born driver in the series. He added a dramatic victory at Atlanta in 2024 and a rain-shortened win in the 2026 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.

Other Wins and Performances

Suárez has 4 wins in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly Xfinity Series), 1 win in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (Phoenix in 2016), 11 wins in the NASCAR Mexico Series, and 3 wins in the ARCA Menards Series East. He also earned the 2010 NASCAR Corona Series Rookie of the Year and the 2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year awards.

Daniel Suárez Family

Family Background and Racing Lineage

Suárez’s racing roots go back to his karting days in Monterrey, where his family supported his early start in motorsports. In 2017, he voiced a character in the Pixar film Cars 3, and he has made appearances on shows like the Today Show and in WWE programming, reflecting his crossover reach beyond racing.

Personal Life

Suárez became engaged to Julia Piquet in 2022. Julia is the daughter of three-time Formula One World Champion Nelson Piquet. The couple married on July 30, 2024, in Brazil, and in April 2026 they announced they were expecting their first child. In 2024, Suárez passed the U.S. Citizenship Exam and officially became a dual citizen of Mexico and the United States.

2025 Season Performance

Daniel Suárez’s 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season with Trackhouse Racing opened with a 13th-place finish in the Daytona 500, but it soon became a challenge. He was caught in late-race incidents at Atlanta and COTA, scored a 23rd at Phoenix, and then broke through with a runner-up finish at Las Vegas, his first top-five of the year. As the season progressed, results remained mixed, and on July 1, 2025, Suárez and Trackhouse mutually agreed to part ways at season’s end, opening the door for his move to Spire Motorsports.

Outside the Cup Series, Suárez added a NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory at Mexico City with JR Motorsports, demonstrating that he could still win races in top equipment. He also continued to compete in the NASCAR Mexico Series, reinforcing his ties to his home country. The combination of an upcoming Spire ride for 2026 and renewed confidence from competitive runs gave the off-season a positive tone.

Looking ahead, the 2025 campaign set up a fresh start for Suárez. His deal with Spire Motorsports was announced on October 22, 2025, giving him a clear plan for the future and a new team environment. With the Coca-Cola 600 victory at Charlotte already in hand for 2026, the goal now is to build on that momentum and chase a return to the Cup Series playoffs.