Daniel Suárez Bio
Daniel Alejandro Suárez Garza (born January 7, 1992) 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 widely recognized 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. He is also a two-time winner in the NASCAR Cup Series, with victories at Sonoma in 2022 and Atlanta in 2024.
Early Life and Background
Daniel Alejandro Suárez Garza was born on January 7, 1992, in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. He grew up in Monterrey and developed an early fascination with motorsports, beginning his racing career in karting in 2002. By 2007, Suárez had won a class championship in karting, which set the foundation for his transition into stock car racing.
In 2008, Suárez moved to the entry-level Mini-Stocks category of NASCAR Mexico, where he became the youngest driver ever to win a race in that series. His rapid rise through the local ranks earned him a promotion to the NASCAR Mexico Series in 2010, driving for Telcel Racing. That season he captured the series Rookie of the Year title, signaling his arrival as one of Mexico’s most promising young talents.
Path to NASCAR
Suárez spent 2011 and 2012 splitting his schedule between the NASCAR Mexico Series and the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. In 2012, he led the Mexico Series points for much of the year and finished third overall with two victories, while posting three top-ten finishes in nine K&N East starts. He also competed in the 2011 Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale Speedway, finishing eleventh as the highest-placed Mexican driver in the event.
By 2013, Suárez had committed to the K&N Pro Series East full-time with Rev Racing, driving a Toyota as part of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program. He scored his first series victory at Columbus Motor Speedway, added six top-fives and nine top-tens, and ended the year third in points. That same season he finished runner-up in the NASCAR Toyota Series with three wins, drawing the attention of top NASCAR teams north of the border. In April 2014, Joe Gibbs Racing selected him to make his Nationwide Series debut at Richmond International Raceway in the No. 20 Toyota, where he finished nineteenth.
Daniel Suárez Career
Early Career (2002–2014)
Suárez’s developmental years were split between Mexico and the United States. After capturing Mini-Stocks and Mexico Series Rookie of the Year honors, he balanced Toyota Series competition with a partial K&N Pro Series East schedule. His performance with Rev Racing in 2013, including a victory at Columbus Motor Speedway, established him as a serious prospect for the top NASCAR national series.
The breakthrough came in August 2014, when Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Suárez would compete full-time in the 2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series in the No. 18 Toyota, while also running a partial NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule for Kyle Busch Motorsports.
Xfinity Series Breakthrough (2015–2016)
In 2015, Suárez earned his first Xfinity Series pole at Daytona in the Subway Firecracker 250 and added two more poles at Iowa and Kentucky. He also scored his first ARCA pole at Kansas. He edged Darrell Wallace Jr. by a single top-ten finish in the final statistics to claim the 2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year award, finishing the season fifth in points.
The following year, Suárez switched to the No. 19 and won his first Xfinity Series race at Michigan by passing Kyle Busch on the final lap, becoming the first Mexican-born driver to win in a NASCAR national touring series. He added a second win at Dover in the Round of 12 and advanced to the Round of 8. In November 2016, he captured his first Camping World Truck Series victory at Phoenix. At Homestead, he dominated the season finale, took the lead on the final restart with two laps remaining, and clinched his first Xfinity Series championship. The title made him the first foreign-born driver to win a NASCAR national series championship.
Cup Series Journey (2017–2020)
After Carl Edwards’ retirement, Suárez moved to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2017 with Joe Gibbs Racing in the No. 19 Toyota, paired with crew chief Dave Rogers. Early highlights included a pair of seventh-place finishes at Phoenix and Auto Club, a career-best sixth at Dover, and a Stage 2 win at Watkins Glen. He also ran fourteen Xfinity Series races that year, with a best finish of second at the fall Bristol event.
In 2018, Suárez scored his first Cup Series pole at Pocono and a career-best runner-up finish in the race, but inconsistency left him with three top-fives and nine top-tens. He was replaced at JGR by Martin Truex Jr. for 2019 and moved to Stewart–Haas Racing’s No. 41 Ford Mustang. Despite flashes of speed, he missed the 2019 playoffs and parted ways with the team at year’s end. In 2020, he drove the No. 96 Toyota for Gaunt Brothers Racing but failed to make the Daytona 500 and struggled for consistent finishes, announcing in September that he would leave the team at season’s end.
Trackhouse Racing Era (2021–2025)
On October 7, 2020, Suárez was announced as the driver of the No. 99 for Justin Marks’ new Trackhouse Racing team in 2021. The pairing quickly gained a reputation for on-track action. He delivered Trackhouse’s first top-five with a fourth at the Bristol dirt race and added top-ten results at Dover, Nashville, and Texas. In 2022, Suárez became the first Mexican-born driver to win a Cup Series race, taking the checkered flag at Sonoma. He advanced to the Round of 12 before being eliminated at the Charlotte Roval and finished a career-best tenth in points.
In 2023, he opened with a seventh-place finish at the Daytona 500, but missed the playoffs and ended the year nineteenth in points. On February 25, 2024, Suárez earned his second Cup Series victory in the Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, edging Ryan Blaney by 0.003 seconds in the fourth-closest photo finish in Cup Series history. He also won a NASCAR Mexico Series race at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum earlier that month. The 2025 season proved more difficult, with a second-place run at Las Vegas standing as his best finish before Suárez and Trackhouse mutually agreed to part ways after the year.
Spire Motorsports Era (2026–Present)
On October 22, 2025, Spire Motorsports announced that Suárez would drive the No. 7 Chevrolet in 2026, replacing Justin Haley. The move pairs one of NASCAR’s most popular international drivers with a team that has steadily expanded its competitive footprint.
Driving Style and Strengths
Suárez is recognized for his smooth, patient style on road courses and his willingness to battle in heavy traffic on short tracks and intermediates. His Atlanta win highlighted a knack for late-race strategy and clutch restarts, while his Sonoma breakthrough showed confidence in braking zones and tire management.
Notable Races and Milestones
Key signature moments include his Michigan Xfinity win in 2016, the 2016 Xfinity Series title at Homestead, the 2022 Sonoma Cup victory, and the 2024 Atlanta photo finish. His selection to the Drive for Diversity program and his record as the first foreign-born NASCAR national series champion remain defining milestones of his career.
Daniel Suárez Career Wins
Across NASCAR’s top three national series, Daniel Suárez has built a varied resume of victories. He is a two-time NASCAR Cup Series winner, a NASCAR Xfinity Series champion with multiple wins, and a Camping World Truck Series race winner.
NASCAR Cup Series Highlights
Suárez’s first Cup victory came at Sonoma Raceway in 2022, where he became the first Mexican-born driver to win in the series. His second win came at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2024 in one of the closest finishes in series history. He has also scored a Cup Series pole at Pocono in 2018 and recorded multiple top-five and top-ten finishes across his Cup career.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Highlights
In the Xfinity Series, Suárez’s signature win came at Michigan in 2016, where he passed Kyle Busch on the last lap to become the first Mexican-born winner in a NASCAR national touring series. He added a win at Dover later that season and clinched the 2016 Xfinity Series championship at Homestead. He was also the 2015 Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year.
Other Wins & Performances
Suárez won his first Camping World Truck Series race at Phoenix in November 2016. He also captured multiple wins and a runner-up finish in the NASCAR Toyota Series in Mexico, and he won a NASCAR Mexico Series race at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in February 2024. Earlier in his career, he was the 2010 NASCAR Corona Series Rookie of the Year.
Daniel Suárez Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Suárez was raised in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, and began karting at a young age with the support of his family. His racing journey has carried him from local Mexican tracks to the top level of NASCAR competition in the United States.
Personal Life
Suárez resides in Huntersville, North Carolina. In 2022, he became engaged to Julia Piquet, daughter of three-time Formula 1 World Champion Nelson Piquet. The couple married on July 30, 2024, in Brazil. On April 29, 2024, Suárez announced that he had passed the U.S. Citizenship Exam, and on June 18, 2024, he officially became a dual citizen of Mexico and the United States after completing the Oath of Allegiance.
2025 Season Performance
Daniel Suárez entered the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season with Trackhouse Racing. He opened with a thirteenth-place run in the Daytona 500, but a late-race wreck at Atlanta sent him home in thirty-third. A second DNF followed at COTA after an incident involving teammate Connor Zilisch, and a twenty-third-place result at Phoenix rounded out a tough early stretch.
At Las Vegas, Suárez broke through with a second-place finish, leading late before Josh Berry took the lead with thirteen laps to go and the win. That result marked his first top-five of the season and offered a glimpse of the form that delivered his 2024 Atlanta victory. On July 1, 2025, Suárez and Trackhouse Racing announced a mutual decision to part ways at the end of the year.
In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Suárez added another highlight, driving the JR Motorsports No. 9 car to victory lane at Mexico City. The 2025 campaign closed a five-year run with Trackhouse that included his historic Sonoma win, a dramatic Atlanta photo finish, and consistent growth for the young organization. His next chapter begins in 2026 behind the wheel of the No. 7 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports.
