The chance to compete in Brazil arose during the NASCAR Cup Series’ two-week hiatus for the Olympics, providing the Mexican driver, who recently gained American citizenship, a remarkable opportunity to both tie the knot and race at the iconic Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace.
His marriage to longtime partner Julia Piquet, daughter of three-time Formula 1 world champion Nelson Piquet, marked a significant moment in his personal life, but the subsequent days were also pivotal for his professional journey.
On Friday, after two practice sessions, Suarez got his first taste of driving a NASCAR Brazil car, which differs from the vehicles he’s accustomed to. This car features a 300 horsepower V6 engine, in contrast to the V8 engine with 670 horsepower found in the Next Gen Cup cars.
The early outcomes were encouraging: He led both practice sessions, one of which included only other rookies. During qualifying on Saturday, Suarez secured the fourth position, about four tenths behind pole-sitter Gabriel Casagrande.
This Special Edition weekend for NASCAR Brazil featured three races, while the national championship typically has two. In Race #1, Suarez quickly acclimated to the car, applying an aggressive driving style familiar to American racing.
He surged from fourth to first position during a tumultuous final lap, but victory eluded him due to a five-second time penalty following a minor incident with Leo Torres, the defending NASCAR Brazil champion.
Ultimately, Suarez was classified in sixth place. As a consolation, Torres felt that the incident should not have resulted in a penalty, suggesting that fortunes might even out in racing.
In Race #2 at sunset, Suarez began from seventh place. The race was chaotic, but he managed to avoid the mayhem and started to battle with the young driver Lucas Mendes as night fell.
Though Mendes crossed the finish line first, he received a penalty for a series of incidents, which enabled Suarez to officially claim victory at Interlagos.
This win made Suarez the first driver to triumph in three international NASCAR championships within the same year, having already captured the NASCAR Cup race at Atlanta and achieved victory in the NASCAR Mexico exhibition at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum.
The accumulation of points from the initial two races determined the grid for the third race, placing Suarez in pole position for the weekend’s main event in Interlagos.
After leading much of the race, the Mexican had to contend with two of Brazil’s top drivers: Gabriel Casagrande and Julio Campos.
The intense contest, particularly during the last half of the race, kept fans at the edge of their seats. Casagrande overtook Suarez with approximately three minutes remaining. The Mexican attempted to retake the lead but lost control entering Turn 1 on the last lap and was pushed down to third place by Campos.
Was he upset about missing out on the win? Not at all.
“It was a very exciting race,” Suarez commented after stepping out of the car. “Casagrande and Campos are exceptional drivers; they performed excellently.”
“The race was fun, aggressive, yet enjoyable. I relished the challenge. I wished to be a bit faster to maintain the lead, but they were slightly better and managed to overcome me.”
Reflecting on the overall weekend, Suarez remained optimistic, even after the penalty that cost him the first-race victory.
“It was fantastic; racing at Interlagos was a lot of fun and provided a great learning experience regarding the race, cars, drivers, and rules as well. Overall, it was a very fruitful weekend.”
When asked if he would consider returning to Sao Paulo for future races, Suarez replied, “I hope to come back and race again someday.”
