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Last weekend's Toyota/SaveMart 350 race at Sonoma Raceway crowned the fifth foreign-born driver in the sport's history to win a race in the NASCAR Cup Series. Trackhouse Racing's Daniel Suarez drove his #99 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to his first victory in the highest echelon of the sport and the third victory for the team in 2022.
The 35-mile-long race at Sonoma Raceway saw the 30-year-old driver born in Monterrey, Mexico take the checkered flag in the first place. The post-race celebrations saw an elated Suarez celebrate with a taco-shaped pinata while celebrating with customary wine from the surrounding Californian wine country.
Since its inception, NASCAR has been a sport mainly dominated by drivers from the United States of America. Throughout the history of the sport, only five foreign-born drivers have managed to achieve the highest accolade in stock car racing.
Five foreign-born drivers to win a NASCAR Cup Series race
#5 Mario Andretti (Italy)
The Andretti surname is firmly etched in global motorsport history courtesy of the former F1 driver and 1978 Formula 1 world champion Mario Andretti. The 1967 Daytona 500 saw the Italian win the prestigious race alongside teammate David Pearson. Andretti is one of the few drivers in the world who can boast of a Formula 1 world championship as well as a Daytona 500 win.
#4 Earl Ross (Canada)
Earl Ross competed in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series from 1973 to 1976. His career's only race win came in 1974 at Martinsville.
#3 Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia)
Juan Pablo Montoya is one of the most versatile drivers in the world and is best known for his exploits in Formula 1 with historic teams such as Williams. Montoya is a fierce competitor on the track, as was evident by his battles with a certain Michael Schumacher in his F1 days. He has seven Cup Series victories to his name, the last of which came in 2010 at Watkins Glen
#2 Marcos Ambrose (Australia)
Marcos Ambrose has experience driving in the V8 Supercars Series in Australia as well as all three national series in stock car racing. Ambrose won 2 Cup Series races over 7 years, the last of which came in 2012 at Watkins Glen.
#1 Daniel Suarez (Mexico)
Daniel Suarez became the latest entrant into the elite club of foreign-born drivers to have won in the highest echelon of the sport. The 30-year-old Mexican won last weekend's Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, becoming the first from his country to win a NASCAR Cup Series race.
