Daniel Suarez Wins NASCAR Xfinity Series Mexico Race From The Back Of The Field

Daniel Suarez wrote the perfect script on Saturday. The Mexican native — and recently naturalized U.S. Citizen — drove from last place to win the first Xfinity Series race held in Mexico City since 2008.

The JR Motorsports driver crashed during qualifying and had to switch to a backup car and start from the rear in 39th position.

He steadily made his way to the front, finishing Stage 1 in 30th and Stage 2 in 20th, but his pit stop strategy had him start Stage 3 in 4th behind pole-sitter Connor Zilisch, fellow Cup Series driver Ty Gibbs and William Sawalich.

Suarez went to the outside into Turn 1 and moved to the front as his three competitors got caught up in contact behind him.

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He never gave up the lead after that, surviving two more restarts. The final one coming with just four laps to go and Taylor Gray alongside him.

Gray forced Suarez wide and off the track in turn two, but he reentered in the lead and NASCAR determined it was Gray’s fault, so he was able to keep the position. Gray got to his bumper in the final turn of the last lap, but couldn’t get by and Suarez drove home with the win as the home crowd erupted in cheers.

“It’s everything about teamwork, you know, like these guys worked extremely hard to get this car ready and, you know, the car wasn’t supposed to be a winner today,” Suarez said during his post-race interview on The CW.

Suarez will have another shot to take the checkered flag during Sunday’s Cup Series race and from a better position, having qualified in 10th position for Trackhouse Racing, while teammate’s Shane Van Gisbergen and Ross Chastain qualified first and third, respectively. RFK Racing’s Ryan Preece will line up on the front row in second position.

The Cup Series race is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET on Prime Video.