In what can only be described as a storybook ending, Mexican driver Daniel Suárez notched his first Xfinity Series victory of the season on Saturday, winning in front of a home crowd at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. “The 33-year-old from Monterrey is going to do it. Happy homecoming, Daniel Suarez,” the commenter spoke moments before Suarez’s homecoming, capturing the hope and drama building up to that moment.

It was far from a dominant performance by the local hero. He crashed out in qualifying and started the race at the back in a backup JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Mid-race incidents shuffled the field: Jesse Love spun late (bringing out a caution with about seven laps to go), and rookie Connor Zilisch’s crash on a restart with 19 laps remaining dealt another blow to contenders. Yet Suárez navigated each obstacle, demonstrating resilience that turned adversity into the foundation for his hard-fought win.

Around lap 46, a dramatic three-wide restart led to Connor Zilisch’s wheel hop and spin, eliminating another frontrunner. Later, Jesse Love’s spin with roughly seven laps to go triggered a late caution, setting up one final restart in which Suárez had to fend off Taylor Gray. After crossing the line first, he spoke emotionally, “It’s everything I was looking for, just a special day,” and described feeling goosebumps hearing the crowd. That blend of setbacks and emotion underscores how much this home win meant.

On the decisive restart, Suárez made contact with Gray and had to correct his course and cut the track short to get back in the lead. This became a point of contention but the officials let this slide. NASCAR determined that, given Gray’s positioning and the dynamics of restarts, penalizing Suárez would be unjustified and inconsistent with earlier rulings in the same event. Yet the shadow of “rigged” talk persisted online, but Suárez’s genuine supporters pushed back swiftly. For example, “Some of you are rude af to Suárez.” This reaction on Reddit exemplifies the contrast. While skeptics cry foul, core fans celebrate the feat. And they were quick to shun down any notion that belittled their favorite driver’s winning moment in Mexico.

NASCAR fans rally in support of Suárez after his win

Daniel Suárez’s loyal followers immediately drew on race details to reject “rigged” claims. One redditor wrote, “He literally ran an amazing race today. How many people can start from last in a BACKUP car and win the whole thing? He blew my mind, and I’m so happy for him! He deserved a win in his home country.” Indeed, coming from 39th in a backup JR Motorsports Chevrolet after that qualifying crash and leading a race-high 19 laps shows skill and execution rather than an orchestrated outcome. Few drivers attempt or achieve last-to-first wins in a backup car, the only recent memory of someone doing that is his teammate Ross Chastain at Coca-Cola 600. The Trackhouse Racing drivers have a knack of staging comebacks and this was far from rigged.

Conversely, firsthand accounts emphasize authenticity. “People suck. I’ll say one thing though – I was in Foro Sol when Suarez took the lead and when he came through on the last lap. The roars from the crowd were gigantic, and people were loving it. It was pretty special!” That genuine wave of noise and emotion in the stadium was proof enough that the home hero had won the race fair and square.

Another user captured the broader cynicism. “I think the only fanbase that will complain more than NASCAR fans is Star Wars fans.” By drawing a parallel to other passionate communities, it shows how vocal skepticism can arise anywhere. If anything, the Trackhouse Racing star was driving in a NASCAR race and that created a buzz about the sport. It was a perfect homecoming story and had it not been for the frantic last few wrecks, the sport would’ve missed out on this Cinderella story.

“Suarez is just very overlooked considering how good Ross typically runs in the same equipment,” argued one fan. Although this was the Xfinity Series race, Suárez has been under immense pressure to perform with his contract situation. Moreover, Ross Chastain is the face of Trackhouse Racing and that at times takes away the limelight away from the Mexican driver. He had his moment on Saturday, yet a few fans wanted to belittle his achievement, crying foul play.

Well, Suárez can have his sweet revenge. Not by responding on social media or speaking to reporters, but do his talking on the racetrack on Sunday.