Daniel Suarez Wins In NASCAR Xfinity Series' Return To Mexico City
The Xfinity Series last raced in Mexico City back in 2008
NASCAR has ventured south of the border for what will be the first international points race, but for the Xfinity Series, it's making a return to Mexico City and the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
And what better way to start the weekend than having Mexico's own Daniel Suarez head to victory lane.
Suarez, who is currently without a Cup Series contract for next season, hopped in the No. 9 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports on Saturday. It was a smart call since it gave the hometown hero (even though he's from Monterrey, but you know what I mean) a little more time on track, which would help put some butts in the seats. It also gave him some extra track to get a handle on a pretty tricky circuit that most of the drivers in the field don't have any experience.
Suarez was one of a handful of Cup Series regulars trying to get some extra reps in before Sunday's race, but it was Connor Zilisch who started on pole, while Suarez started at the back of the field due to a crash in qualifying.
However, as the final laps were ticking away, Suarez found himself up front. Not a surprise given he's a solid road course driver and that one of his two Cup Series wins came at Sonoma. But it also shows the Cup Series folks that there will be plenty of opportunities to make passes and gain track position.
Someone please explain this phenomenon to the Formula 1 paddock.
Late in Saturday's race, Jesse Love had a spin that brought out a late caution.
That meant Suarez and his backup car needed to hang on to the lead through one final restart to get the win, and he managed to do just that.
By the way, how cool do stock cars look coming through the iconic Peraltada toward the finish line? So cool.
As you might expect, with a Mexican driver winning the first race of the weekend, there were some absolute scenes when Suarez did a few burnouts in the track's stadium section known as Foro Sol.
What a performance and what a way to get the weekend started for Suarez.
The Xfinity Series will turn its attention to Pocono next weekend, but Suarez will go back to his normal ride on Sunday for the Cup Series race. He could be one to watch in that one, too, because he'll be starting in 10th place, while his teammate Shane Van Gisbergen — always one to watch on street and road courses — will start on the pole.