Daniel Suárez Gets Real on How the Likes of Keelan Harvick Have a Head Start Over Aspiring NASCAR Drivers From South America

NASCAR Cup Series driver Daniel Suarez (99) walks the track before practice for the Clash at Bowman Gray at Bowman Gray Stadium.

Young and upcoming drivers like Keelan Harvick, 12, and Owen Larson, 10, are often in the news for the achievements they unlock on their way to potentially becoming full-time NASCAR drivers. They have plenty of experience on different track types, particularly ovals, for their age and they use it all to their benefit when they transition to the bigger playgrounds.

But this isn’t the case everywhere in the world. A kid who is of Keelan’s age in South America just doesn’t get the chance to practice racing on oval tracks. Road courses are available to them aplenty but it isn’t until they are at least 17 years old that they get to race on and understand how ovals work. Daniel Suárez spoke to Dale Earnhardt Jr. about this inequality on Dale Jr. Download.

He said that with road courses being given priority in markets like Mexico, children interested in racing initially look up Formula 1, IndyCar, and the like as their preferred destinations. It is only after growing up do they realize that NASCAR is a viable venue to aim for as well. But, by then, they lack the required skill and experience to tackle ovals.

“When you start to realize all these things, you start to learn that you don’t know anything about ovals, which was my experience. I didn’t do my first oval race until I was maybe 17 years old. If you think about it, a kid here in the United States that is 17 years old already has 10 years of experience in all those. So, it’s just way different,” Suárez said.

He revealed that he was talking to Kevin Harvick recently about how no kid in Mexico could come close to matching the level of experience that Keelan has already got on oval tracks. But this isn’t about a lack of interest in racing on ovals. The children there simply lack the resources for it until they get to the NASCAR Mexico level.
This disparity is why the recent Cup Series race in Mexico City mattered a lot. It brought a lot of exposure to stock car racing to the entire country and proved to be crucial for the local racing series as well. Suárez explained, “It was such a big deal not just for us as an industry but also for the local series because that was the most important race for them to be able to race in the same stage as what they call the big boys.” 
Hopefully, the international visit will prove to continue reaping benefits for a long time to come and put the upcoming drivers from Mexico on a more equal footing with their counterparts from the United States.
Post Edited By: Abhishek Ramesh
Daniel Suarez Keelan Harvick Kevin Harvick

About the author

Avatar photo

Gowtham Ramalingam

Gowtham is a NASCAR journalist at The SportsRush. Though his affinity for racing stems from Formula 1, he found himself drawn to NASCAR's unparalleled excitement over the years. As a result he has shared his insights and observations by authoring over 3000 articles on the sport. An avid fiction writer, you can find him lost in imaginary worlds when he is not immersed in racing. He hopes to continue savoring the thrill of every lap and race together with his readers for as long as he can.

Don’t miss these