After outshining Cup Series veterans Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch, Daniel Suarez could not have kicked off his 2024 campaign for Trackhouse Racing in better fashion. Not only did this win put Suarez in a prime position for the playoffs, but it also proved to the Mexican that his decision to enter the world of stock car racing was the right one.

However, that could all have changed if Daniel Suarez had chosen open-wheel racing instead, an idea that was quickly dismissed by the Mexican after learning more about the F1 world. While we all know of Suarez’s connections to the world of F1 through his fiance, Julia Piquet, did you know why Suarez chose NASCAR over what many consider the pinnacle of Motorsport?

A revelation: Why did Daniel Suarez choose NASCAR over Formula 1?

Ever since Daniel Suarez started racing, his love for stock cars has been fairly evident. From becoming the youngest driver to win a NASCAR Mexico mini-stock race to now winning the Ambetter Health 400, the Mexican has certainly stuck to the world of stock cars, unlike many others. However, with his roots in karting, the future could have looked vastly different for the Trackhouse Racing star, had it not been for the eye-opening relationship he has with Julia Piquet, the daughter of F1 legend Nelson Piquet and the sister of Kelly Piquet.

For Suarez, the confirmation that he wanted to pursue stock car racing came from learning more about how the world of F1 operates, and how everything may not be as it seems. With Max Verstappen being a regular at family gatherings, it’s safe to say the Mexican got some key insight into the pinnacle of motorsport. Speaking on the PRNLive podcast, veteran journalist Deb Williams shared what Suarez had told her regarding his insights into Formula 1.

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Williams stated, “I asked him earlier at Daytona during media day since he’s marrying into a Formula 1 family if he had any second thoughts about coming into NASCAR because when he was looking at which direction to go with his career.” Suarez was considering both open-wheel categories and NASCAR, with many advising him to go the stock-car racing route since the sport was expanding its popularity in Mexico. While this would have been an enticing proposition on its own, some insight from the Piquet family and Verstappen may have helped solidify that choice in the long run.

Speaking about his second thoughts, Daniel Suarez felt those were crushed by knowing how the sport operated behind the scenes. Williams added, “He (Suarez) sees how political, and those were his words to me, he said, “Formula 1 is so political.”

He said, “Yes there’s politics in NASCAR but nothing like in Formula 1. And his future sister-in-law dates Max Verstappen and he’s got friends in F1 so he’s got a bit of an insight into Formula 1 but he truly believes he is where he is supposed to be and where he needs to be at this point in the career.”

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While it’s safe to say Suarez believes he is exactly where he needs to be in his career in terms of the sport, the case is certainly not the same for his personal goals within the Cup Series itself.

Despite winning at Atlanta, Suarez believes Trackhouse Racing isn’t quite there yet

Now that Daniel Suarez has scored an important win at a super-speedway, it’s evident that the confidence within the #99 Trackhouse Garage is through the roof. For the new #99 crew chief, there could not have been a better start to the season. But for Daniel Suarez, maintaining this newfound momentum is of utmost importance, as he feels the team still has a long way to go if they want to contend for the title.

Speaking to Dale Earnhardt Jr on the latest episode of the Dale Jr Download, Suarez stated; “Honestly, I have not thought on the playoffs in the last three days once. I haven’t thought about it, because the way I’m thinking on this is that, I mentioned this to Swid, my new crew chief, and I mentioned it to the entire team, I said, Hey guys, I feel that I’ve been an okay driver, a good driver. We’ve been an okay team; you know, we have spikes, we get a pole position, and we win one race a year.”

People would be satisfied with being in such a position, but that certainly isn’t the case for the Mexican driver. With a winning mentality much like Verstappen’s, Suarez’s aims are far higher for the crew in 2024, as winning one race is just not enough. Suarez added, “I know that to contend for a championship, you have to win between three and five races.” The Mexican felt the key to reaching the Championship 4 lay in repeating his Atlanta success a handful more times, a prospect that new crew chief Matt Swiderski was informed of well before he came on board.

Speaking about his desire to win more often, Daniel Suarez reflected on his conversation with Swiderski: “Before we hired Matt, I said, Matt, this is what I want to do. Is this what you want to do? Are you committed to this with me? Because I’m not okay with being a good driver, I want to be a great driver. I want to be in the next step of this group of drivers, like William Byron and Kyle Larson, all these drivers. When they win, nobody is surprised. They’re expecting it. That’s my goal.”

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While Daniel Suarez is confident that his decision to stick with NASCAR will pay dividends over a move to Formula 1, can Trackhouse Racing and the #99 crew provide Suarez with the help he needs to be a regular victory lane visitor?