CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The American dream represents a chance for anyone in the United States to be whoever they aspire to be. Daniel Suárez has ridden the American dream to the highest level of motorsports, the NASCAR Cup Series, and now he can further share in the glory as a U.S. citizen.
Suárez and 47 others took an oath on Tuesday to become U.S. citizens. The ceremony took place at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office in Charlotte.
NASCAR President Steve Phelps and numerous Trackhouse Racing representatives attended to celebrate the achievement with Suárez. The ceremony was the final step in a 12-year process for Suárez that started when he first came to the United States with dreams of racing in NASCAR.
"If you asked me 12 years ago 'Are you going to be a U.S. citizen?' I would have said 'I just want to speak English," Suárez said. "It's one step after the other. My advice [to others seeking citizenship] is to work hard and surround yourself with the right people."
Suárez, a native of Monterrey, Mexico, said his impoverished upbringing made him resilient and pushed him to seek more in his life. Phelps echoed those sentiments when he spoke to the crowd.
"When I first heard of Daniel Suárez... he didn't speak a word of English but he didn't give up," Phelps said. "[His] resilience pushed him to learn the English language... by watching cartoons!"
People from 28 nations took the oath during Tuesday's ceremony. USCIS officials said the 48 people who earned their citizenship on Tuesday were among the 9,000 people who become citizens at the Charlotte office every year.
"I will never take this for granted because I know how much it cost me to get here and to get these opportunities," Suárez said. "This group of people was able to accomplish the same thing that I did and it's very special."
Suárez showed talent early in his racing career in the NASCAR Mexico Series, where he won 10 races. He took a chance in 2011 by coming to the United States to drive in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (now ARCA Menards Series East).
Rev Racing signed Suárez in the K&N Series through the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program in 2013. From there, his stock skyrocketed and he made the jump to the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2015 with Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR).
In 2016, Suárez became the first international driver to win a championship in one of NASCAR's top three series when he won the Xfinity Series title.
He was immediately tapped to drive for JGR in the NASCAR Cup Series the following season. He showed signs of talent but did not find victory lane with JGR or Stewart Haas Racing and saw his career headed in the wrong direction in 2020.
However, a stellar opportunity allowed Suárez to be the flagship driver for the startup team Trackhouse Racing in 2021. Suárez has found his best success with Trackhouse, winning two races and qualifying twice for the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. The wins make Suárez the only Mexican driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race.
The next race for Suárez and the NASCAR Cup Series is at New Hampshire International Speedway. Suárez says hearing the National Anthem will mean more to him now that he's officially a citizen.
