Daniel Suarez triumphs in the NASCAR Mexico Series race

Mexican driver Daniel Suarez clinched a memorable win in the NASCAR Mexico Series King Taco La Batalla en El Coliseo at the LA Memorial Coliseum in California.

In the lead-up to NASCAR's pre-season Busch Light Clash, Daniel Suarez, a driver for Trackhouse Racing in the Cup Series, emerged victorious in his homecoming race in the Mexico Series on Saturday. After failing to qualify for the Cup Series main event, Suarez was back to competing in the series where he started his racing journey.

After the Mexico Series was preponed to Saturday due to weather constraints, Suarez, driver of the No. 99 Chevrolet in the Cup Series, secured a resounding victory to redeem his weekend. Starting the race from the sixth position, the Monterrey, Mexico, native exchanged leads numerous times with Abraham Calderon.

However, the latter faced issues with his car and was relegated to a lackluster 17th-place finish at the end of the race. Ruben Garcia, another notable star performer who led the race for a significant portion, suffered a similar fate, finishing outside of the top 10.

Daniel Suarez breezed past Calderon with 18 laps to go, securing a momentous victory in the 150-lap event. Santiago Tovar finished second, whereas Alex De Alba came in third. Rogelio Lopez and Jacobo Cosio rounded out the top 5.

Daniel Suarez reflects on emotional victory at LA Coliseum

Following the race, Suarez expressed his gratitude towards the fans. He stated (via TobyChristie):

"It definitely means a lot. Thank you fans for coming last minute. The people who know me, they know that this race means a lot to me. All of these drivers, this team — my old team — I grew up with this team. If it wasn’t for this series, NASCAR Mexico, I wouldn’t be in the Cup Series today. Thank you NASCAR Mexico, thank you all the drivers, thank you to the fans, you make me feel at home."

Reflecting on the competition from Ruben Garcia and Abraham Calderon, and his approach for the race, the former Xfinity Series winner added:

"Let me tell you man, it wasn’t easy. I didn’t feel like we were the fastest car out there. I think that Ruben with the 88 and Abraham with the two car. Those guys were faster than me. I knew I didn’t have the raw speed to beat them, so I needed to be smart and save my tires, save my brakes for the long run, and luckily it paid off.”

Daniel Suarez failed to qualify for the Cup Series playoffs last season, concluding a winless campaign at 19th position in the drivers' standings.