How NASCAR Mexico series is inspiring the Daniel Suarez and Pedro Rodriguezs of the future

NASCAR, a sport that has its foundation laid firmly in the United States of America's southern heritage, has never been more in touch with its roots than it is now. Mexico, a country with significant influence on how NASCAR has developed in the modern day and age, is now directly linked to the sport in the form of the Latin-speaking country's premier stock car racing series, the NASCAR Mexico Series.

Ever since Daniel Suarez drew the country's attention towards the sport after graduating to the Cup Series, interest has been growing steadily in Mexico. The Trackhouse Racing driver's first victory at Sonoma Raceway was also one of the major catalysts in these changing times, as Mexicans started to take notice of NASCAR.

Motorsport, unlike other mainstream sports, is an affair that is hard to justify for the average Joe, especially those who do not belong to the first world. Running a racecar and competitively driving regularly costs a significant amount of money due to which interest from countries such as Mexico needs a catalyst. The Mexico Series is a junior platform that helps drivers grow, realize their potential, and reach the top step.

NASCAR International Manager Victor Pineda outlined the key changes the governing body keeps on bringing to the grassroots level in Mexico and said:

“The important thing is to be clear that we are a prime form of motorsports in our region, NASCAR has changed the way we do races. Everything changed from the way we build new tracks to the way we build race cars. We understand that on the technical competition side we are grassroots series on the touring series level, but for us, it is the most important thing in motorsports in Mexico.”

Before Daniel Suarez, the last Hispanic driver to have driven in the highest echelon in the sport was Pedro Rodriguez, who competed in six different races between 1959 and 1971. Rodriguez's best result came at the 1965 World 600, where he finished in P5.

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Daniel Suarez's role in NASCAR's popularity in Mexico and being an inspiration for future drivers

The most notable alumni to have graduated from the Mexico Series has to be current Trackhouse Racing driver and Cup Series winner Daniel Suarez. The Monterrey, Mexico native started his journey in stock car racing through the junior series, where he managed to make a name for himself.

After graduating to runaway success as he moved to America to pursue his dream in the sport, the 2016 Xfinity Series title paved the way for his Cup Series debut in 2017. Now crowned the sole Hispanic driver to have ever won a race, he inspires millions of others to take the same route as him.

Victor Pinada, NASCAR International manager, looks back on Suarez's journey and says:

“We saw Daniel since he was a young kid, he started racing with us in the support series, so he was like 14 or 15 years old. So this was just like, really young guy with braces on his teeth and now we are seeing this great sportsman racing on the big ovals. I mean it’s just fantastic. It’s an inspiration for every one of us.”

Watch drivers try and seal their spot into the 2022 Round of 8 for the final time at Charlotte Roval this Sunday.