This season, NASCAR is casting its net globally, with plans to bring international flair to its roster. The initiative began by welcoming racers from different series like IndyCar’s Helio Castroneves to events such as the season-opening Daytona 500. The promotion is set to top it off with a landmark international tour to Mexico City in June, and the venture could see another notable Mexican driver, besides Daniel Suarez, join the fray.
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While this should ostensibly make Suarez happy — the appearance of Sergio Perez, one of Mexico’s racing luminaries — the news has stirred both excitement and caution from Suarez.
Daniel Suarez has openly invited his fellow countryman and former F1 standout Sergio Perez, to the NASCAR circuits, although with a note of caution about the rigors of American motorsport. In a dialogue with SpeedFreaks, Suarez seemed hesitant to see Perez test his mettle in a Cup Series race this year.
Despite Suarez being thrilled at the prospect of ‘Checo’ Perez competing in NASCAR as a promotional tool, he also referred to how transitioning from the Formula 1 circuit to the NASCAR track is not the easiest of tasks, despite Perez’s track record in F1.
Addressing the prospects of Perez driving a NASCAR Cup car, Suarez said, “It’s not that easy.” While Suarez praised the Mexican driver for his contributions to his homeland, he issued a cautionary warning about transitioning to NASCAR, stating,
“For him to come to NASCAR, the reality is it’s a big risk because he has never raced these cars before, he doesn’t have experience with these cars, he doesn’t have experience with these drivers, we do!”
Suarez further explained that this lack of familiarity diminishes the likelihood of his countryman finishing in the top five or top ten in stock car racing, which could be disheartening for Perez, especially after he sits without an F1 drive for the 2025 season. Nevertheless, he expressed enthusiasm about the potential inclusion. Whether the same comes to fruition is another matter altogether.
Saurez on the prospects of having Pato O’ward in the NASCAR Mexico race
For Pato O’Ward, another Mexican driver big in the open-wheeled scene, Suarez offered a perspective similar to that of Perez. He pointed out that although Checo is more famous in Mexico, having been a fixture in Formula 1 for over a decade, the NASCAR landscape will present a different challenge for both.
Despite their experience, competing in NASCAR, particularly with the Next Gen car among the elite racers, is fraught with risk. Suarez shared insights from a conversation with O’Ward.
He said, “I had this conversation with Pato… and you don’t have time to prepare, and they’re going to just throw you in there. Most chances are that you’re going to get your a*s kicked because these guys, we do it every weekend.”
Amidst NASCAR’s new policy aiming to attract more world-class drivers to the sport, particularly as open drivers in order to grab eyeballs from different countries and communities, there is growing concern among established competitors.
The worry was highlighted when Suarez’s race was compromised by Katherine Legge, an open driver at Phoenix. Both Suarez and Kevin Harvick voiced criticisms of NASCAR’s policy of permitting inexperienced stock car drivers in top-tier events, which can negatively impact those who are performing well.
While the likes of Perez from the world of F1 and O’Ward from IndyCar might not struggle as much as someone like Legge, you never know how a driver might react to or what situation they might get themselves into on the track. That solidifies Daniel Suarez’s apprehensions to some extent.
