Daniel Suarez’s latest admission in NASCAR is surely going to upset a majority of fans, especially given how the Mexican driver conceded to IndyCar. Despite racing most of his career in stock car racing, Suarez put the Roger Penske-owned competition on top over its fiercest American rival, NASCAR.

In a recent interview, Suarez was asked to share his thoughts on the IndyCar-NASCAR races at Phoenix in March. Addressing the event, the Spire Motorsports driver expressed his appreciation and explained that the two motorsport competitions have different fan bases.

“I think it’s an amazing opportunity,” Suarez said. “And I’m super excited to continue to explore these double duties or whatever you want to call it with IndyCar. Because IndyCar, I think, is an amazing series. I really, really love watching those guys. I have a couple good friends racing that series. And it’s fun.

“And I believe that actually the fan base that they have is quite different from NASCAR. I’m not saying that it’s better or worse. It’s just different.”

Following this, the #7 driver explained how NASCAR and IndyCar are different sports, even though they have their roots in motorsports. While making the claim, Suarez stated that the speed of the IndyCar challengers will make Next Gen cars “running” like “bicycles.”

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“We are heavier. And we are more horsepower. It’s just different. It’s a different kind of racing, where we’re just more physical kind of racing. I mean, you know that. But IndyCars, they are super fast. They’re super, super fast, especially in ovals. But yeah, they are going to make us look like we are running bicycles. But it’s just completely different things. I mean, all over,” Suarez further added.

Notably, NASCAR and IndyCar are indeed different forms of motorsport. Even though they are based in the United States, as one is open-wheel racing, while the other is four-wheel stock car racing, they are functionally and structurally different.

As a result of having more aerodynamic features and being open-wheel, the natural speed of IndyCar challengers is higher, often reaching about 230-240 mph. When compared against NASCAR, it is 190-200 mph.

Now, putting the comparisons aside, NASCAR and IndyCar are all set to shake hands in the first week of March at the Phoenix Raceway. This will be the open-wheel racing body’s first venture to the Arizona oval since 2018.

Besides this, the double header at Indianapolis was also one of the most talked about Motorsports events. It, however, stopped after 2023 as the NASCAR Cup Series moved back to the 2.5-mile layout, something Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney missed dearly.

Roger Penske’s star driver reminisces Indy days

Until 2023, NASCAR hosted its Cup and Xfinity Series races along with IndyCar’s Sonsio GP and the Indianapolis 500 together at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. During this time, Blaney would often visit Team Penske’s box during the Indianapolis 500 race.

“I loved when we had the doubleheader with them at Indy, just kind of being right there and going over and hanging out and watching practice in their box and stuff like that,” Blaney said. “It was cool, and I think it’s going to be fantastic.”

Notably, Ryan Blaney drives for Roger Penske’s team, Team Penske, an organization that fields teams both in NASCAR and IndyCar. With the Indianapolis 500 no longer in existence, all eyes will be on the Phoenix doubleheader in March this season.

Penske, who owns IndyCar, Team Penske, also owns the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Worth over $3.8 billion, he is one of the most influential names in the world of motorsports.