In 2011, Daniel Suárez faced a bleak reality in the United States: he was broke, couldn’t speak the language, and had no guarantee his racing aspirations would ever materialize. He was living with friends of friends in Charlotte and couldn’t even rent an apartment because he did not have a Social Security number.  Now, 14 years later, he calls races from a broadcast booth. That journey from isolation to the announcer’s chair has given him a perspective he’s determined to share.

10 Years Ago, This Kid Didn’t Even Speak English—Now He’s Calling This Race

Speaking to PRN Live, Suárez was asked what he actually enjoys about broadcasting. His answer, peculiarly, wasn’t about how much he enjoyed commentary, but took a different route. “I can’t stop thinking about people thinking, ‘Man, 10 years ago, this kid didn’t even speak English. Now he’s calling this race,” he said.

“Right now, there is a little kid coming from South America that is seeing myself and thinking, ‘Man, I really want to do that one day. And if Daniel was able to do it, maybe I could do it too.’ So for me, that’s very special.” He was then asked if anyone had ever come up to him with that kind of story. In response, he said, “I don’t mean to be cocky with this, but that happens all the time—like almost every race weekend.”

That’s when he also brought in the factor of representation. “In my mind, I’m just a racing driver that happens to be from Mexico and happens to have come with no money and had to learn the language. Well, as time goes by, I start to realize that I’m not just a racing driver—I’m actually a role model.”

From his statements, it can be deduced that he believes racing comes first. Winning is a priority; that is something that isn’t going to change. But taking the platform that he has and using it for something positive is also something that he takes very seriously. “If I don’t use that platform and that story and that journey to inspire and help younger generations, it’s a little bit of a waste.”

This kind of attitude is what got him through the hardest stretch of it all. In the early years, he couldn’t afford language classes, so he watched Disney and Pixar movies, specifically Cars and Toy Story, to pick up conversational English. For faster dialogue, he watched action films.

He has joked about it publicly before, but the isolation factor was quite real. In interviews, he’s admitted to nights where the language barrier left him unable to properly hold a conversation with his crew or even represent himself to sponsors. That scared him more than facing the harsh curves on a track. He once said that learning English was a bigger challenge for him than learning to drive a stock car.

A highlight point of Daniel Suárez’s life came in 2016. He won the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship, becoming the first non-American to win a NASCAR national series title. This threw him into the media spotlight every single day. That was the moment when he stopped translating in his head and started thinking in English.

How Daniel Suárez Went from the Broadcast Booth to the Biggest Stage in the Garage

Suárez’s broadcasting work isn’t a side project for him. Fox Sports uses him specifically to bridge the gap between English and Spanish speakers. He’s called full laps in Spanish during Xfinity broadcasts, has been a lead analyst for Fox Deportes at events like the Daytona 500, and also does regular live translations of his own victory lane interviews for his fan base.

That fan base, his “amigos,” is something he makes sure doesn’t feel left out. After his 2024 Atlanta win, he gave the full interview in both languages on the spot.

As for his on-track performance, he is at Spire Motorsports in the number 7 Chevrolet. This move is one that the team recognizes as a major step in its expansion. Freeway Insurance followed him to Spire, as it is a brand built around reaching diverse communities, and considering what Suárez represents, the move was an easy one.

His most recent performance came at Talladega, where he finished 12th. The booth and his car sit at two different points of the NASCAR spectrum. However, he is making a point with both.