How Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards Propelled Daniel Suarez to New Heights in NASCAR Career

Daniel Suarez was one of the first drivers this season to fix a spot in the playoffs. His narrow victory over Ryan Blaney at the Atlanta Motor Speedway back in February set a record for the closest finish in the Cup Series and catapulted his legacy to fresh heights. Arguably at the peak of his career right now, Suarez attributes his success to two individuals: Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch.

The Trackhouse Racing star’s journey from Mexico to the United States wasn’t easy. He stayed on the course and created a space for himself despite financial setbacks and emotional issues. In a recent interview with Fox Sports, he spoke about how former racer Carl Edwards helped him through all the turbulence and touched upon the icon’s Hall of Fame induction.

Daniel Suarez has a connection to two of the biggest news items the last few weeks. He drove a year for Stewart-Haas Racing (which will close after this year) and he replaced Carl Edwards (voted into the Hall of Fame) when Edwards abruptly retired. His thoughts on both: pic.twitter.com/7457FaYpB2

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 6, 2024

He said, “Once I went to the Cup [Series], Carl Edwards was the guy that was helping me a lot. Obviously, he was already a little disconnected. He was kind of slowly going his way, and he was still helping me just to get rolling. Carl’s an amazing guy. He definitely deserves to be part of the Hall of Fame. And honestly, I wish he comes back to race once in a while.”

Suarez had replaced Edwards at the Joe Gibbs Racing camp in 2017 after the latter announced his retirement. He continued, “I will say that Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards were the two drivers that really gave me a hand when I was coming up. When I was in the truck series and Xfinity Series, it was Kyle Busch. He helped me a lot.”

Daniel Suarez’s journey with 2X Cup Series champion Kyle Busch

The Mexican was a driver for Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2015 and 2016. It was one of the first stints that he served in NASCAR and set the base for what was to come. When the 2016 season ended, he joined the ranks of the Joe Gibbs Racing Cup Series team and became Busch’s teammate in the place of Edwards. All the years that they spent together appear to have left a mark on Suarez.

The duo today contend for race wins every week. In a twist of tales, Busch is the one yet to send his name into the playoff list now. They will next compete against each other in the Sonoma Raceway this Sunday.