I'll be up front... I really dig Daniel Suarez! I mean, as I told him at the beginning of our conversation, I am a HUGE Tony Stewart fan and now that Tony's not racing in NASCAR anymore, I gotta root for his drivers in the Stewart-Haas stable! That includes Kevin Harvick, Aric Almirola, Clint Bowyer, and Suarez.
Suarez has a stout resume, including being the first Mexican driver to win in the NASCAR Xfinity series, claiming five overall victories in that series. He was the Xfinity Series Championship with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2016 and the Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year in 2015, again the first Mexican driver to win those honors, and he has racked up plenty of other accolades as well. He moved from Xfinity to the Cup series beginning in 2017, replacing the retiring Carl Edwards in the 19 car. Winless after two seasons, he left JGR at the end of last year and took over the 41 Ford from Kurt Bush for Stewart-Haas Racing at the beginning of this year.
The move from the 19 Toyota to the 41 Ford at Stewart-Haas hasn't been the easiest transition for Suarez, but the team has certainly been making some traction over the last several races. It wouldn't surprise me one bit to see the 41 car in Victory Lane before the season's over... and I'm hoping to see it within the next four races so that Daniel can secure a spot in the playoffs! Maybe this will be the weekend. Daniel's track record at Michigan is pretty good! He got his first Xfinity Series win at Michigan and went on to win there three times in that series, plus he finished fourth there with his current team this past June. That fourth place finish is his second best finish of the season behind his third place finish at Texas.
Daniel was kind enough to call in and we talked about the transition from JGR to SHR, this weekend's race at Michigan, road course racing, Charlotte's Roval, mountain biking, and more. Check out our chat below, and don't miss Daniel and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series as they take on the wide 'n' fast 2 mile track at Michigan International Speedway this Sunday at 3 in the Consumers Energy 400 on NBCSN!
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Credit: 360026 Chris Graythen/Getty Images. Charlotte, NC-January 29: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Daniel Suarez poses for a portrait during the NASCAR Production Photo Days at Charlotte Convention Center on January 29, 2019 in Charlotte, NC