Foreign drivers taking the charge in NASCAR is not new. While the sport has predominantly seen American drivers participate, some international names also come to the forefront from time to time. In the past, we did have the likes of Juan Pablo Montoya and Marcos Ambrose. And now this banner is carried on by drivers like Daniel Suarez and Shane Van Gisbergen.

Daniel Suarez in particular is leading the charge of the title of an “outsider”. The Mexican driver has already made his place in the history books with a Cup Series win at Sonoma in 2022. Starting his career in 2011 and marking his presence in Cup teams like Joe Gibbs Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing, he has come a long way in his journey. While he may not have exploded during his three years at Trackhouse Racing in recent times, Suarez believes that his struggles were far more different than other drivers. A journey that has been of learning and struggles.

It has been a steep learning curve for Daniel Suarez as a foreign driver in NASCAR

It was the 2021 season when Daniel Suarez made his way into a brand-new team, Trackhouse Racing, led by Justin Marks. Having already competed in more than a hundred races in the Cup Series till then, Suarez still wasn’t able to have his breakthrough season in NASCAR. And then came the 2022 season, where he won his first Cup race. But since then he has been running hot and cold driving the No.99 Chevy for Trackhouse Racing, which has led to some serious questions about his potential as a driver.

Suarez, while speaking to Fox Sports journalist Bob Pockrass, gave his verdict about his journey so far. He said, “There has been a lot of learning in those 250 starts. I’m not a big fan of excuses, but at the end of the day, my journey in the Cup Series has been way different than any other driver. The things I have had to go through and trying to learn those things pretty much by myself without having really somebody to lean on – it’s been a journey.”

“The more I grow and the more I understand the sport, the more I know how difficult it is for drivers from different countries to come and be successful in the sport because it’s not easy(…) I have learned a lot in the last seven seasons in the Cup Series. And I think we’re going to be able to finally become a great team instead of an average [team], which I feel like is what we’ve been the last few years,” the driver added.

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However, talent is not the only propelling instrument a driver needs to be successful in the Cup Series and this is exactly what Suarez has felt over the years.

Suarez believes it takes more than just talent

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Daniel Suarez is a gifted race car driver and his talent alone was good enough to set him apart from the rest in the Cup Series. At least, that is what he thought in his initial stages of the career. But quickly the 32-year-old realized that every driver racing in the Cup Series was as good as him. And it was the qualities and values of being disciplined, focused and dedicated that truly separated a driver from the rest.

“I felt like I was gifted and I still feel that way. But whenever you get to go up the ranks in the Cup Series, you start to realize that everyone is as gifted as you are. 98 percent of drivers in the Cup Series are very very talented. After that, you start to see the details(…) The little things that really matter is how disciplined you are, the hard work you are willing to put in, how good of a team you have, how good of a people you have. There is so many different factors. To be able to understand all these different factors and build these around you, that’s the part that has cost me a lot.”

Suarez will need to buckle up and be ready to dish out some positive results for the 99 team as he has been under pressure from upcoming drivers at Trackhouse Racing who are quickly climbing up the ranks.

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