How Could the Mexico City Race Write a New Chapter in Daniel Suarez’s NASCAR Career?

Back in February 2024, Daniel Suarez needed a miracle. At Atlanta Motor Speedway, he found it. In one of the wildest finishes in NASCAR history, Suárez edged out Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch in a breathtaking three-wide photo finish. Just 0.003 seconds separated him from Blaney. It was the third-closest finish ever recorded in the Cup Series. What made it sweeter? Suarez had started that day in chaos, caught in a Lap 2 wreck that crumpled his hood. But he didn’t back down.

He fought forward, hung on, and launched to the outside in the final lap. With sheer guts and razor-sharp timing, he claimed his second Cup Series win and snapped a 57-race winless drought. After the race, the emotion poured out of him. “I just can’t believe this. I’m so happy. So proud of everyone who helped me get here,” Suarez said, drenched in sweat and disbelief. Suarez, NASCAR’s only Mexican-born Cup winner, had struggled with inconsistency and criticism.

But that day, in that finish, he silenced it all. But just a few months later, the momentum from Atlanta had faded. Since that thrilling win, Suarez has yet to return to Victory Lane. He now heads into NASCAR’s historic first points-paying Cup race in Mexico City with the weight of another winless streak. This race isn’t just another stop on the calendar; it could be the turning point that defines the rest of his career.

Suarez’s career at the crossroads in Mexico City

For the first time in modern Cup Series history, NASCAR will race for points outside the United States. The setting? Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City. It’s not just another race, it’s a landmark event. And at the center of it stands Daniel Suarez, the face of Mexican motorsports. The Monterrey native has become the unofficial ambassador for this race, guiding fellow drivers through the culture, cuisine, and chaos of his homeland. But while he’s wearing a proud smile in public, inside, he’s carrying the weight of a career on the brink.

Suarez’s 2025 season has been full of frustration. His average finish is just over 21st. He has only three top tens in 15 starts and four DNFs. Last week at Michigan, he fought back from a tire issue and a spin to finish 14th, but it wasn’t enough to gain ground. He sits 68 points below the playoff cut line. The numbers don’t lie. With Ross Chastain winning again at the Coca-Cola 600, nonetheless, and rookie Shane van Gisbergen showing steady improvement, Suarez’s spot at Trackhouse Racing is no longer secure.

Add to that a rising prospect like Connor Zilisch waiting in the wings, and it’s clear that Suarez has to deliver now. As he returns home, Mexico City is not just another race for Suarez. It’s personal. He’s raced at this track 13 times before on different layouts, with three wins in the NASCAR Mexico Series. Over 100 of his friends and family will be in the stands this Sunday. This is where he first dreamed of going big. And now, with everything on the line, it’s where he must prove he still belongs.

Este será el casco que usaré en NASCAR Mexico City weekend! Es un casco muy especial diseñado por el gran artista mexicano y amigo @jlatapi . Este casco representa mi cultura, mi país y el guerrero que todos llevamos dentro! Es un gran orgullo para mí ser mexicano y poder… pic.twitter.com/awnU9XiMrh

— Daniel Suárez (@Daniel_SuarezG) June 12, 2025

“It’s not the first time that I’ve been in this position. Definitely the first time with the Mexico race, but it’s not the first time that I’ve been in the position that we have to win or in the position that we have a contract negotiation in the middle of the season. It’s a distraction. I won’t say it doesn’t matter. But I’m trying to put it to the side and do my thing,” Suarez recently admitted. The stakes are immense. Trackhouse Racing has only three Cup seats. Chastain is locked in. Van Gisbergen, despite struggles, has value as a global brand and road-course ace.

Zilisch, just 18, is already turning heads with two Xfinity wins. Team owner Justin Marks is watching closely. “Honestly, I don’t know what I want out of a new deal,” Suarez said. “But we talk all the time. I just want to help Trackhouse get better. I think we’re starting to find some speed again. But we need results.” A win in Mexico would likely lock him into the playoffs—and possibly save his ride. Suarez knows how much this race means. He has trained specifically for the altitude of 7,342 feet, arriving early to adjust and prepare.

Can Daniel Suarez repeat his 2016 heroics?

In many ways, this weekend mirrors Daniel Suarez’s 2016 championship run in the Xfinity Series. That year, he stunned the field at Homestead-Miami, winning the title and becoming the first foreign-born driver to claim a NASCAR national series championship. He started from pole and led 133 of 200 laps, showcasing poise under pressure. “It doesn’t feel real… I just can’t believe this,” he said then, overwhelmed by the moment. Now, nearly a decade later, he faces a similar defining opportunity.

If he wins in Mexico City, he not only revives his playoff hopes but forces Trackhouse to reconsider any plans to replace him. As he put it, “With that being said, once we get to Friday, it’s time to be selfish because I want to be the best version of myself, and I know we can win the race. But for that, I have to execute everything right, and I have to be on my game.”

The stakes are brutally clear. A win would be his third in the Cup, his first ever in his home country, and it would likely lock him into the 2025 playoffs. It could also buy him another year at Trackhouse, perhaps more. Without it, his resume, two career Cup wins, three top 10s this season, and a rank of 28th in points, may not be enough.

And if he does win? It won’t just be a personal triumph. It would be a landmark for NASCAR’s international expansion, a full-circle moment for the sport’s most successful Mexican driver, and could inspire the next generation of Latin American racers. “It’s not just a very special moment for me, but also for the sport, for the industry. Obviously, I’m very proud of being part of this race, of this event. I’m very proud of bringing you guys in the media, the teams, and the drivers to my home to teach you a little bit about myself and about my culture,” Daniel Suarez said.

That blend of pride and performance is what Suarez must channel when the green flag drops. He’s not just driving for points; he’s driving to prove that his story in NASCAR is far from over.

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