Suárez to drive in NASCAR Brasil Series during Olympic break

During the 2024 Summer Olympics break in the NASCAR Cup Series, Daniel Suárez plans to make the most of the downtime by competing in the NASCAR Brasil Series on August 3-4, as announced on Tuesday.

Suárez, aged 32 and currently driving the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, will take on the challenge at São Paulo’s Autódromo José Carlos Pace, famously known as Interlagos. This event serves as Stage 5 in the 2024 NASCAR Brasil Series calendar, leading up to the season finale scheduled for November. Established in November 2022, the NASCAR Brasil Series debuted in March 2023.

“Brazil is a country that is very close to my heart. Julia (Piquet, fiancée), she’s already from Brazil,” Suárez said during a media availability. “Her entire family is in Brazil. I’ve been competing in Brazil since 2015, endurance races in go-karts, and I have got to know the culture, the people and the motorsport love to a different level. I’ve been competing almost every year, pretty much, since 2015, and I love it so much. That’s why I do it. We’re gonna be getting married in Brazil in a couple weeks, and when I found out that they were gonna be having a NASCAR Brasil race in Interlagos on a race track that is so historic … it was a no-brainer for me. I started having some conversations with NASCAR and NASCAR Brasil, and I got the opportunity, so super excited. Very fortunate to have this opportunity.”

Chad Seigler, Vice President and Chief International Officer at NASCAR, also expressed enthusiasm about Suárez’s participation. He believes Suárez not only enhances the visibility of NASCAR’s premier series internationally but also serves as a role model for aspiring drivers worldwide.

“Anytime we have that opportunity to really just bring that exposure internationally, it’s huge. It’s an opportunity from several sides,” Seigler said during a media availability. “For us, on the NASCAR side, internationally, we try to grow the brand. We try to make people have a better understanding of stock-car-style racing and NASCAR-style racing, so that’s big for us.”

Suárez, who made history as the first Mexican-born driver to win a Cup Series race with his victory at Sonoma Raceway in 2022, continues to enjoy a memorable 2024 season. His achievements include a thrilling win at Atlanta Motor Speedway, along with two top-five and three top-ten finishes in the Cup Series. Additionally, he celebrated becoming a United States citizen in June.

Excitement mounts for Suárez as he prepares to marry Julia, daughter of three-time Formula One World Champion Nelson Piquet, just days before the Interlagos event. Originally planning to return to the United States, the couple adjusted their plans to accommodate Suárez’s participation in the race.

“When I got the invite, the very first person I had to go through was Julia,” Suárez said. “I’m very convinced that Julia loves racing either more or the same that I do. She loves racing so much. She’s with me at all the races, and actually, something that is very interesting is that this series, NASCAR Brasil, before it was called NASCAR Brasil a few years ago, this series came to the United States … they did a few races, and Julia got invited, and actually she raced with this series a few years ago.

“So I thought I may have to go ask for advice. We’re super excited. It’s going to be a lot of fun. Her brother, Nelson, her mom live in São Paulo and going to go to the race and have some fun with us.”