Daniel Suárez breaks down what changed after joining Spire, from restructuring how the team operates to aligning with his “RPM level.” He credits owner Jeff Dickerson’s hands-on honesty and describes how Spire’s in-race adjustments helped them recover track position and stay “back in the game” after setbacks at Texas. Suárez also talks driver development beyond the U.S., arguing Mexico and Brazil need clearer pathways through ARCA and truck racing, with rules and experience aligned to NASCAR. Outside racing, he shares soccer and World Cup plans.
Daniel Suárez opens up about Spire Motorsports, NASCAR Cup Series competition, Texas Motor Speedway, playoff goals, teammate chemistry, NASCAR Mexico Series growth, NASCAR Brasil expansion, and his long-term future after racing in one of the most revealing NASCAR interviews of the season. Kevin Harvick sits down with Daniel Suárez on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour to break down Suárez’s first season with Spire Motorsports, his top-10 finish at Texas, working alongside Carson Hocevar and Michael McDowell, helping grow NASCAR internationally, and what life could look like once his driving career ends.
0:00 - Intro
0:13 - Daniel Suárez Joins The Show!
0:33 - First Season Driving for Spire Motorsports
3:10 - Goals Heading Into Spire Motorsports
5:30 - Relationship With Jeff Dickerson
8:08 - Finishing 6th At Texas
10:17 - Relationship With Crew Chief Ryan Sparks
11:59 - Relationship With Teammates Carson Hocevar & Michael McDowell
13:54 - Goals For The Rest Of The Season
18:10 - Falling Out With Ross Chastain
19:17 - Becoming Friends With McDowell Despite Fight
20:28 - Growing Up Fighting
23:08 - Preparing To Becoming A Dad
24:52 - Advancing NASCAR Mexico & Brasil Series
31:53 - Future After Racing
33:18 - Love For Soccer
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"So what are the, first off, you guys were on the front row last week at Texas.
[454.6s] Major accomplishment, right?"
“Front row” means starting in the first two positions on the grid (pole and outside pole). In NASCAR, starting up front reduces the odds of getting trapped in traffic and can make it easier to control the opening laps and pit strategy.
"Major accomplishment, right? Like, Spire Motorsports leading the field to the green flag."
The green flag is when the race is officially going again and cars can race at full speed. If you’re leading when the green flag comes out, you usually have a big advantage right away.
The “green flag” signals the race is actively running at full speed after a restart or caution. Leading “to the green flag” means the team was positioned to take control immediately when racing resumed, which can strongly influence early momentum and track position.
Concept
anchor out
"To me, the more impressive thing was when you put the anchor out in the first run, it went straight to the back."
“Anchor out” is basically the last push of a run—when the team sends the car out to finish that part of the race. It matters because the car’s grip and handling can change as the tires wear.
“Anchor out” refers to the final segment of a run—typically the last car/driver in a multi-car or multi-stage context—being sent out to complete the stint. In NASCAR terms, it’s often tied to timing and performance at the end of a run, when tires and balance may be changing.
"But to me, when you can see a team that can make adjustments to the car and strategy go your way
[474.8s]"
During a race, teams don’t just drive—they change the plan. “Adjustments” are tweaks to help the car handle better, and “strategy” is the timing and decisions (like pit timing) that help you stay competitive.
In NASCAR, “adjustments” usually mean changing how the car behaves during a run—often via setup changes and pit decisions—and pairing that with “strategy” like when to pit and how to manage tires and track position. The goal is to correct what’s not working after the first practice/run and then improve performance as the race evolves.
"and then you get your track position back and you make the adjustments on the race car to be able to run up front again."
A “race car” in this context means the purpose-built NASCAR stock car configured for that event, not a generic road vehicle. Setup changes and adjustments are made to the race car to improve handling, tire behavior, and overall speed during the stint.
"and then you get your track position back and you make the adjustments on the race car to be able to run up front again."
Track position just means where you are on the track compared to other cars. In NASCAR, being in front can make it easier to control the race and avoid getting stuck in traffic.
Track position is where a car sits on the circuit relative to other cars—especially important in NASCAR because it affects clean air, tire wear, and how easily you can pass. Gaining track position after a pit stop or during a caution can be as valuable as outright speed.
Term
tires start going down slowly
"Eventually the tires start going down slowly, we went through a debris and it blew."
Racing tires wear out during a race weekend. As they wear, the car can start feeling worse and slower because there’s less grip.
In racing, tire wear changes grip over a run. When the tires “go down slowly,” the car can feel less stable or lose speed as tread and surface condition degrade.
"Eventually the tires start going down slowly, we went through a debris and it blew. And then we dragged the skirts, bottom of the car."
In a race, “debris” means stuff on the track that shouldn’t be there. It can hit the car and cause damage, like a tire puncture or underbody scraping.
“Debris” in a race context is loose material on track—like parts, rubber, or wreckage—that can damage a car. Hitting debris can puncture tires or scrape underbody components, affecting speed and handling.
"And then we dragged the skirts, bottom of the car. How much adjustment you're going to make on the car to qualify for one lap?"
“Skirts” are the underbody panels that help manage airflow under the car. If they get dragged, it can mean the car’s ride height or underbody clearance is compromised, which hurts aerodynamics and can cause further damage.
Term
adjustment you're going to make on the car to qualify for one lap
"How much adjustment you're going to make on the car to qualify for one lap? The team did an amazing job."
Qualifying setup means tuning the car for its best performance over a very short run. Teams change settings so the car feels right for one fast lap.
Qualifying setup is the set of car changes aimed at maximizing performance for a short run—often just one lap. Teams adjust things like ride height, aerodynamics, and balance to make the car fast in that specific window.
"So we missed our balance, balance bad. But we went to work, you know, there was a little frustration at that time, which is normal."
“Balance” is basically how the car handles. If it’s “balance bad,” the car doesn’t turn or grip the way it should, so the driver has to fight it.
“Balance” is how the car behaves at the limit—how well it’s set up to be stable and predictable through turns. “Balance bad” means the handling was off (for example, too loose or too tight), so the car didn’t respond the way the driver wanted.
"But we went to work and by stage 2, we got the car back and then the car became what it was again, which was a top 10 car."
NASCAR races are divided into stages. After stage 1, teams can adjust the car, and by stage 2 the car started working better.
In NASCAR, races are split into stages, and teams can make adjustments between them. “By stage 2” implies the team changed the car after stage 1 and then the handling/performance improved.
"So we have to continue to create this path.
[1770.8s] So what are the two or three things that need to be fixed from Brazil and Mexico
[1777.9s] to make it more relevant to get to the ARCA series or truck series here?"
A “development path” is the ladder of racing steps a driver takes to get better and move up. He’s saying Mexico and Brazil need clearer, more effective routes into the U.S. series.
A “driver development path” is the structured route a driver follows through increasingly competitive racing series. In this context, Suárez is arguing that Mexico and Brazil need better pathways into U.S. stock-car categories so more drivers can reach the top levels.
"So what are the two or three things that need to be fixed from Brazil and Mexico
[1777.9s] to make it more relevant to get to the ARCA series or truck series here?
[1784.5s] And do you think that the cars that they race currently are good to prepare yourself for?"
ARCA is a racing series in the U.S. that helps drivers build experience before they try to move up to bigger NASCAR-level events. It’s like a stepping stone for learning how to race on ovals.
ARCA is a U.S. stock-car racing series that sits below NASCAR in the development ladder. Drivers often use it to gain experience with oval-track racing, racecraft, and team operations before moving up.
"So what are the two or three things that need to be fixed from Brazil and Mexico
[1777.9s] to make it more relevant to get to the ARCA series or truck series here?
[1784.5s] And do you think that the cars that they race currently are good to prepare yourself for?
[1790.8s] I probably can't just go straight into a truck, right?"
The “truck series” is a NASCAR-level racing league where the cars are pickup-truck-shaped race cars. It’s usually a step up from smaller series, so it can take time to adjust.
The “truck series” refers to NASCAR’s national series that races pickup trucks on oval tracks. It’s a common next step after lower-tier series because the cars are heavier and the racing style differs from smaller stock cars.
Concept
stock-car oval racing ladder
"And do you think that the cars that they race currently are good to prepare yourself for?
[1784.5s] I probably can't just go straight into a truck, right?
[1793.6s] No, it's a huge job.
[1826.4s] Eventually that's going to change."
The “oval racing ladder” describes how drivers progress through different stock-car series that race primarily on oval tracks. Suárez contrasts Brazil and Mexico’s current cars and setups, implying that the training value depends on how closely those cars resemble the ones used in the next series.
"But the NASCAR series in Brazil has been only around with the NASCAR branding for a couple of years. [1836.9s] So it's still very new."
This is NASCAR trying to grow racing in Brazil. It’s still early, so the goal is to get drivers and teams used to the rules and racing style before they can move up to bigger NASCAR events.
The NASCAR series in Brazil is a regional feeder/expansion effort that uses NASCAR branding to grow stock-car racing outside the U.S. Because it’s described as “very new,” the key idea is building local participation and infrastructure before expecting drivers to move up to higher-level NASCAR competition.
"implement 100% of the rules that we have here, which Brazil is slowly getting there. [1847.3s] Mexico is already there. [1848.9s] Implement the rules."
He’s talking about making sure the local series follows the same rules as the main NASCAR world. That way, when drivers move up, they’re not learning a whole new rulebook.
This refers to aligning a developing regional series with the full rule set used in the main NASCAR ecosystem. Standardizing rules helps drivers, teams, and officials learn the same technical and procedural expectations before stepping into higher competition levels.
- Intro
- Daniel Suárez Joins The Show!
- First Season Driving for Spire Motorsports
- Goals Heading Into Spire Motorsports
- Relationship With Jeff Dickerson
- Finishing 6th At Texas
- Relationship With Crew Chief Ryan Sparks
- Relationship With Teammates Carson Hocevar & Michael McDowell
- Goals For The Rest Of The Season
- Falling Out With Ross Chastain
- Becoming Friends With McDowell Despite Fight
- Growing Up Fighting
- Preparing To Becoming A Dad
- Advancing NASCAR Mexico & Brasil Series
- Future After Racing
- Love For Soccer
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What's the process been like with everything you've done at Spire this year, because it seems to be a great transition for you?
Yeah, Kevin, you know, it's been definitely a lot of work.
Back in November, I remember when I first met with Matt McCall, with Jeff Dickerson.
At first, we didn't know how the 17 was going to look like, because I was struggling.
The 17 was struggling as well. So, they wanted to make a big change.
We're talking about a crucial change. We're talking about many different positions.
And when we're, you know, putting all the pieces of the puzzle on the table,
we start to realize that there were a few things that maybe we could do better with the people that we already have, you know?
Right in the sparks, I felt like it's very difficult to be the best possible cruise ship when you are doing several things at the same time.
And I felt like that was his position. So, that's just one example of a few different things.
So, I felt like we had to, in a way, restructure a little bit the way that the team was operating.
And that definitely helped. I mean, it's not a surprise to me that Spire is doing this well.
That's interesting. Most of our said the exact same thing, that we aren't surprised.
But everybody else from the outside looking in is a bit surprised.
Exactly. Yeah. But, you know, even from the outside from last year, I raced against Spire more sports last year.
And I knew how fast they were, because I was racing against them.
And I didn't know what they were doing at the time, but I used to think,
I don't know what these guys are doing right now, but they're bringing speed to a racetrack.
And it's a young team. They're hiring good people.
I was very intrigued last year. I was, OK, what are they doing right?
And now that I'm part of the organization, I'm understanding, right?
People are very important, but it's also many, many pieces that they have put together.
They have a good foundation to be able to build what they have right now.
So, when you go from the situation like you ended with a trackhouse and you go into Spire,
I know when I went from RCR to Stuart Haas, like I sold my house, race teams,
I was like, I'm starting over here. I don't, I want this to look different.
Did you have things that you wanted to do differently when you went into Spire to kind of set the tone
and things compared to what you, from what you'd learned in the past from your experiences?
Did you have new personal goals as to what you wanted to be and do different?
What did that look like for you as you went into the new situation with Spire?
Yeah, that's a very good question. I think that for a long time in trackhouse in the beginning,
I felt like I really liked my role because I felt like I was able to help make some sort of decisions
in different things, in the direction that we're going.
And I felt like I lost a little bit of that the last year or so, a year and a half.
And I felt like whatever I wanted things to go, I don't feel like things were moving as much anymore.
So I felt a little helpless, right? And when you feel like you are not reporting anymore
or you're not being here, you start having questions about, you know, it is going the right direction or not.
So that was my first, the very first meeting I had with Jeff Dickerson is I want to be able to,
for you guys to allow me to use my experience because fortunately or unfortunately,
I've been part of a lot of organizations and I have had to learn a lot of things the good way
and the hard way as well. So I want to use that to my advantage. I have seen a lot of things.
So I was very open with him. I'm always like that. And I felt like he allowed me to express, you know,
the things that I believe because they're doing a lot of things right.
But there were a couple of things that I thought may I felt like if we do this,
this way probably can be a little better, a couple of different things.
So I feel like that has been good for me, you know, to be able to use my experience
and to be able to push them in the right direction.
When it comes to the way I work, the way I'm doing things outside of the racetrack,
honestly, it didn't change much because I felt like my work ethic, I think it speaks by itself.
I'm very dedicating what I want to do, how I want to do things.
I just wanted to make sure that the team was going to be in the same RPM level that I was going to be.
When you talk about Jeff Dickerson, I mean, he's been very public in being a part of what Carson does.
And he mentions his name a lot, Carson. You mentioned his name.
What does he do differently than a lot of, I guess we'd call him general manager?
I mean, I guess you could put a number of different names, titles on his role.
But he seems to have a very different approach in letting guys kind of beat themselves.
Is that fair to say?
I would say that, yeah. I mean, I'm still new, you know, getting to know Jeff really.
He's honest. He'll tell you when you do something wrong.
And I like that because I'm actually the same way. And I really, really like that.
The one thing that I have noticed is that he truly, truly loves racing. It's passionate.
I have seen him at the race shop way more than what I have seen many owners in the past.
And that goes long ways.
That's a 24-7 job.
Long ways. So when you as an owner, you know what's going on.
You don't have to relay on somebody to tell you what's going on.
It's a whole different picture. So he loves racing. He understands racing and he's involved.
So I feel like that's just in that industry thing, you're already ahead.
Obviously, you know, you have the big organizations that the owners, they have several people involved, right?
And they are maybe not involved, which is fair. You know, they have built that.
But when you are of this size, you have to be involved.
If not, there's going to be things that you're going to miss in the communication, right?
Because one thing is for you to see it and another thing is for me to see it.
And for me to tell you how things are going, there's going to be something that's going to be missing that communication.
So the fact that he's super involved, he's super passionate, very competitive.
That's something I love. You know, I really love this organization.
I believe that the best days of Spiremore Sports, honestly, I don't feel like we have seen those days yet.
So what are the, first off, you guys were on the front row last week at Texas.
Major accomplishment, right? Like, Spire Motorsports leading the field to the green flag.
To me, the more impressive thing was when you put the anchor out in the first run, it went straight to the back.
But to me, when you can see a team that can make adjustments to the car and strategy go your way
and then you get your track position back and you make the adjustments on the race car to be able to run up front again.
To me, the more impressive thing was that.
I know that the front row was pretty special for the pictures and all the things that go with that.
But where do you think you are with your team? Because you obviously have speed and we've seen that several weeks.
Last week, in my opinion, was a big step because of the fact that you made those adjustments
and got yourself back in the game and it didn't unravel through the day.
So where do you think that you are as far as that progress?
I mean, it seems like you guys, Carson thinks that he's won and thinks that you guys can race for a championship.
Same thing, not surprised, one bit of how you guys are performing.
So where's the seven teams as far as that?
And would you agree with the adjustments last week and making yourself go forward?
I think that shows a lot of maturity with the team.
Totally. And I want to tell you something even bigger than that.
Like Texas for us, it was one of those race weekends that we grew a lot as a team.
We went out, the car is fast, something feels weird.
Eventually the tires start going down slowly, we went through a debris and it blew.
And then we dragged the skirts, bottom of the car.
How much adjustment you're going to make on the car to qualify for one lap?
The team did an amazing job. I told them, I drag from here to here, we're going to adjust this.
To me, what I told them among these, that's a championship team.
Maybe we don't have the speed today to be a championship team, but that's the mentality that we have to have.
Nothing to put us down too bad and understand what is, don't tell me about the problem, let's think about the solution.
Because our car was damaged a little bit.
We could have qualified on the pole for 3,000, right?
So I was super proud of that effort.
And then on Sunday the same thing, we didn't know exactly what we were, right?
Because we knew we had a little bit of extra wear, but we didn't know how much exactly.
So we missed our balance, balance bad.
But we went to work, you know, there was a little frustration at that time, which is normal.
But we went to work and by stage 2, we got the car back and then the car became what it was again, which was a top 10 car.
So I was very proud of that effort.
But just like you say to me, it's not just about, OK, we finished 6, yeah, that's pretty nice.
But how we finished 6, you know, what we have to go through.
And that's a lot of credit to Ryan, to my main engineer, Johnny.
And the entire team, I have a great team, very, very good group of people.
And they don't point fingers, you know, they don't look off, OK, this is the problem.
They look up solutions and I really, really like that.
Sparks cracks me up.
You know, he's a fireball and you can be fiery too, but you're 34 now and have been around this for a long time.
So who's the one that calms the other down?
Is he calming you down?
Who's the one, like who on the radio is it, the spotter?
You know, that's a very good question because in the race, normally he's the one that is calming me down.
But outside the racetrack is the other way around.
Outside the race, not outside the racetrack.
Outside the car, you know, when we're in meetings and we're talking about car, I'm the one that is trying to take it.
We're fine, you know, we just have to do this, we have to do that, whatever, or whatever that may be,
or with a strategy or whatever.
So I feel like we complement fairly well.
And also, we have a great group of engineers, a great group of mechanics.
So far, we are complementing extremely well, but the beautiful thing about this is that I believe that our potential is so much bigger than this,
you know, because we're still learning from each other.
That's why we miss it on Sunday in Texas because we still make mistakes, but the potential is there.
And that's the amazing part, you know, that once we clean up these small mistakes, these deltas that we have to work on,
I believe that the 7th team can be pretty dangerous.
Do you ever just mess with them and just yell at them in Spanish?
Yeah, but the problem is that my spotter has been working with me for 56 years and now he understands.
So he can translate.
Yeah, he can translate, but no, he's good, man.
I have a great group of people and I'm super excited.
It's been a while since I have had this much fun in the first third of the season.
So you've got two totally opposite teammates with McDowell and Carson.
What's the relationship between the drivers and how you guys work together in the meetings and what's that culture like?
You know, I've been friends with Michael for several years.
With Carson, just a competitor, right?
Like I was in friend with him.
Now when I got to Spider-Man Sports, I realized right away that the relationship, the dynamic between drivers as soon as Justin left was a little broken
because Justin was one way, Carson Michael was a different way.
And nobody was bridging those gaps and I felt like they were not really working together efficiently.
Like they were only doing their own thing.
And sometimes they were focused more on beating each other than beating the rest of the guys.
So I had a conversation with both separately and eventually together in a competition meeting and I say,
I want to win.
Carson, I know you want to win. Michael wants to win.
But if we don't work together, we're not going to beat them.
There's no way.
It's impossible.
It's impossible because it's hard.
It's very hard.
So I want to work together, get the front.
When we're off front, we can kill each other if we have to.
But let's do it off front, not for 20th.
And we have to work together.
And we have to do it efficiently in meetings, in information, in all these different things.
And still, personalities are personalities.
Michael is very analytic, very involved with the team.
Carson is more, he's very young.
He's more outspoken.
He's different.
So I feel like I'm kind of like in the middle guy.
And I'm able to connect both bridges very well.
And it has worked so far.
Definitely, we still have always work to do.
But I really like the fact that Michael and Carson are so different.
And I'm kind of like in the middle because we're able to bridge those gaps and understand the strengths and weaknesses of the three of us
because we all have those, right?
But to understand them and accept them and trying to work on those, I feel like it's very important.
So what are the realistic goals for the 17th as you go through the rest of the year?
I mean, everybody always says, well, we want to win.
Obviously, you want to win.
But what are the strengths and weaknesses of your team right now?
And what is the long-term goal to get to the end of 26?
So in the start of the year, my goal was to, I didn't care where we're going to start the season.
It was starting 20th.
That was fine.
But to continue steady progress from there.
And I believe that we have done that.
I believe that we've been consistently getting a little bit better, better.
I don't think if we see the seven in the top five, top 10, I don't think it's a surprise anymore, which I love that.
I don't like when, oh, look at this guy.
I want you guys to get used to that.
So I feel like that's, we're getting in that position.
But I want to be able, and this is something that is very tough.
And you know this, I feel like right now we're already a top 10 team, top 10 team.
Sometimes 12, once in a while, top five.
But to break that barrier from being a consistent top 10 team to a top five team is very difficult.
It's probably the most difficult step because there's a lot of very strong dogs in the fight.
So that's the next goal.
How can we, because we know that we can get top fives when we are running top 10s, right?
Good research, things like that.
But it's very hard to win races when you're running top 10 only.
To do that, I feel like you have to be in the top five battle.
So the goal is inch or way there.
It's not going to happen overnight, but inch or way into the top five battle with those guys that are always there.
And eventually we're there.
Now you can eventually get a good research, have a good car or whatever that may be and fight for a win.
But yeah, that's the next goal.
I feel like slowly inch or way into the battle of the guys that realistically have the speed to win races.
So you've been on a few different teams.
Does this feel like it could be a long-term spot for you?
Do you get a feeling of just this is a good spot for me to be because of the culture and everything?
Timing is the most important thing.
You know it.
I mean, timing is everything.
I'm not the kind of person that I like to feel sorry for myself and things like that.
But I feel like in the first half of my career, timing was very bad.
And to be quite honest, a couple of years ago, a few years ago, maybe three years ago,
I thought that I was going to be in dragos for the rest of my career.
And things changed a lot in 12 months, a lot.
So my answer to you is yes.
I really want to be with Esparmore Sports for the rest of my career.
If I can, especially with the performance, people,
especially with the culture that I believe that everyone is building, Esparmore Sports,
you never know.
I learned in the last few years is that you never know what is going to happen.
A lot of things changed in the last few years for me.
But do I want to?
Of course I want to.
If things continue to head in the direction where Esparmore Sports is today,
I really want to be part of this organization the rest of my career.
Because I believe that they have great people, they have good culture,
they have that mentality of racing.
What do we need to win?
And that's what I want.
I do this because I like to be competitive.
If I wasn't going to be competitive, I wouldn't be here.
You talk about the track house thing.
And I think we were all a little bit surprised in just the tension between you and Ross.
Because you guys obviously did a pretty good job of not exposing that to the world.
And you talk about how good the culture is between the three of you right now.
Did that all pop up at once?
Or was that something that was building over the last few years?
Because I was caught off guard.
And I've been around you guys on the racetrack, off the racetrack.
Never once did I was like, man, there's a problem there.
And I think that was a surprise to me personally.
To be honest, it was a little bit...
Ross and I, we were never friends.
We were teammates.
Which is normal.
Which is normal, right?
Earlier in our career today in track house, we had a few things happening.
But I felt like after we cleaned up those things, I felt like we were okay.
We were good.
But he had his way of doing things, I had my way of doing things.
And I felt like especially the last year, I felt like things got a little bit weird.
But not just with him, with several other people as well.
And he was just part of that.
But 100% honest, I was very surprised with the stuff that he said.
For me, he was just one more competitor.
But I didn't have anything against him.
I knew that we were not the best friends, but I didn't know that we were that bad.
You didn't know you were enemies?
No, I didn't know we were enemies, but I didn't know.
I don't know, but you know, he's just wetter.
Well, it's always interesting to deal with those things.
And you learn a lot about, as you go through the years and you go through from a teammate to a non-teammate,
you learn quickly what they think about you when it becomes competitive.
But it's interesting.
So that brings me, and I didn't even have this written down, and I think back to Phoenix.
How did you and McDowell break that ice?
Or did that already happen years ago?
No, it happened years ago.
It's funny how things happen.
Sometimes, did you ever wear in a situation when you were at school that you hate somebody
and then you got into a fight with somebody and then you guys became friends?
Oh yeah.
Most of my enemies become friends.
Exactly, that happened to me.
I can tell you, one of my best friends in Mexico, we used to hate each other and we fought.
We were all beat up and then we actually became friends after that.
So I felt like the same thing happened with Michael.
Michael, before the incident in Phoenix, I didn't care about Michael, he didn't care about me.
And then we got into each other and then we started getting to know each other and we actually became friends.
So I believe that since then, we actually became a little bit closer.
So in high school or in school, it was fighting normal?
Because that was another situation for me.
I was like, holy crap.
So I just put that guy on his back in an instant and that was probably normal when you were a kid.
Yes.
When I grew up in Mexico, I wish I can show people where I grew up.
I went to public school and the neighborhood where I was growing up and the school where I was going,
it was one of those schools that if you didn't know how to defend yourself, you were going to get your ass kicked.
And my dad was always very A.
You are never going to start a fight, but if you are in it, you better finish it.
And I remember that he got me in classes of karate, karate and kung fu.
So I started to learn how to defend myself and then my sister was always one year younger than me
and she was very good looking.
So everyone was messing with her and I used to fight people all the time.
So I used to just fight all the time.
And I got my butt kicked a couple of times, but I learned from that and then I got better.
And just like everything, I was always very competitive.
You know, I remember when a few kids were beating me up, I used to go to my classes of kata kawando
and I'd say, hey, this happened, this happened and I used to get better at it.
Wow.
Yeah.
So, you know, but I was a young kid at the time and I got in big trouble a couple of times as well, you know.
But yeah, it was fun and I guess I still have a little bit of that background.
Were you like a black belt in Taekwondo?
I was black and red, you know, which is one level below black belt.
That was in Taekwondo and then in kung fu, I made it, I can't remember.
It was like a different way of measuring it.
But yeah, I was doing Taekwondo and kung fu.
Dwayne and I used to do Taekwondo together and then it would turn into like a full sparring session
and we'd put like full gear on.
And I mean, we would just mess around in sparring.
One day I did a roundhouse kick and just kind of hit her in the face a little bit too hard
and she went full redneck on me.
It was one of the funniest moments that we had during that time.
But we used to do Taekwondo.
I don't remember.
I think I wound up like a brown belt, but whatever it was, blue and red or whatever was right below that.
So that was fun times to be able to do that.
Now you're going to be a dad and there's this terrible thing called YouTube
that has really been a real nuisance for me with Keelan because he's on YouTube all the time
and he'll walk in the room and he'll say,
Hey dad, why did you jump over Biffle's car right here?
Why did you turn this guy around?
That's so funny.
And are you prepared for that?
Are you prepared for this whole fatherhood situation?
I don't think so.
That's normal.
I was trying to wait until I realized I was never going to be ready to do it.
But I can tell you something.
I'm below excited.
I'm super excited for this new chapter with Julia and it's something we've been talking about for a while.
And it just felt right and I'm super excited for this.
But honestly, I'm not ready for whatever it is going to come.
I think we're going to just have to learn as we go.
But just like you mentioned, that is with today's world technology,
I mean, all these videos and information, they never go away.
Never go away.
Unfortunately, they're always there.
They never go away.
And you know something is funny.
One of the, actually the very first race that Julia attended with me,
it was Phoenix when I fought McDowell.
Oh my gosh.
She has a story that she was landing in Phoenix.
And she opened her phone to see how qualified I went because it was the same day.
And I was on the highlight and she said, oh great, he got pulled.
Oh no, fight interrupted on Pier Road.
So she says, oh my god, I'm dating a crazy guy.
So yeah, that was one of our first dates.
Yeah, well, I think that fatherhood will, it's the best experience I've ever had.
And actually, I think it made me better because I jumped over less cars
and realized that the accountability that comes with that is much different
than the reckless don't care what anybody thinks approach.
I want to talk to you about, we had an interesting conversation a while back
about the Mexico series racing in Mexico
and your experience of outlets and things that they have to get to where we are.
Where is the Mexican racing series as far as how we get them to NASCAR?
And where do you think that that is good, bad, can be better?
Because I think you have a louder voice in that than most people.
You should have a louder voice than that than most people give credit for.
And you've gone through this whole experience of going from nothing to get to America
to race at the highest level.
What do we need to do to the system to help that series be more recognized
with their drivers, age limits, whatever it is,
what do we need to do to make that a better path to get to trucks, O'Reilly and Cup?
That's a great question, Kevin, because it's something that I've been talking about
analyzing for several years, not just in Mexico but also in Brazil.
Brazil is also a very important country right now that is growing a lot,
a lot of talent down there.
That we never hear about.
That we never hear about and there is a lot of talent.
I've been very fortunate.
I'm kind of like one of a kind when it comes to, I have a wife that is Brazilian
and I'm from Mexico so I get to know a lot of people in Brazil and Mexico and Europe.
And you've run in both series, obviously the Mexico series, but you've run in Brazil as well.
Yeah, and the competition is tough.
So I believe that the talent is there.
But we're talking about this a little bit of camera that the different series,
the different cars, the different culture of racing is just not the same.
They have Gokars and one of the best Gokar drivers I have ever seen are in Brazil.
They're amazing, but they don't have oval racetracks.
They have one or two, actually they have one.
They just built it a couple of years ago.
So they're still learning all these processes.
They're still learning how to race in ovals.
They're still learning the rules.
They're still learning all these different things, but they have a huge desire of coming over here.
You're like, I had it, or I still have today, I'm here.
But I believe that part of my job here is to try to create a path through all the different series to come to the United States.
Either through the drive for diversity, through the trucks, because a lot of these drivers,
they reach out to me and say, hey, Daniel, I have a little budget to do something.
What should I do?
Should I go lame old racing?
Should I go arca racing?
Should I go trucks?
And sometimes it's a little bit tricky.
And you know this because if you only do one race, that's not it.
You need a little bit more than that.
So I feel like that's where NASCAR has to continue to step in and continue to build this platform of, OK,
if you're doing well in Mexico or in Brazil or in Canada, Europe, whatever that may be,
you get to race in the truck series or you get to race in the arca series for a year.
And if you do well here, you get to do this, you get to do that because we have to create a platform
because here is something that people don't realize until you are actually in it.
And I was in it.
When you come to the United States by yourself, like I did, you're starting over.
You don't know anyone.
In my case, I didn't even speak the language.
You don't have connections.
You know, you don't have friends or family or anything.
So the percentage of failure is extremely high.
Honestly, I got almost 100%.
I got a little lucky.
I got a little lucky that I was almost coming back to Mexico.
I got a little lucky that NASCAR started helping me a few sponsors and a few teams
and then things started working out.
But it's tough.
And I mentioned this to NASCAR in the past.
If every driver in the future from Mexico or from Brazil is going to have it as difficult as I had it,
90% of them are not going to make it.
So we have to continue to create this path.
So what are the two or three things that need to be fixed from Brazil and Mexico
to make it more relevant to get to the ARCA series or truck series here?
And do you think that the cars that they race currently are good to prepare yourself for?
I probably can't just go straight into a truck, right?
No, it's a huge job.
So the path is Mexico Brazil series to what?
Well, Brazil and Mexico would be best.
I would say ARCA.
Brazil and Mexico, they are also, I would say, Mexico is 10 years ahead of Brazil.
So Mexico, I feel like you can grab a driver from here, putting an ARCA,
and he or she is going to be competitive.
In Brazil, the cars are completely different.
From Mexico?
From Mexico completely different.
Actually, the car, you're sitting in the center of the car.
It's more like a little sport car.
Eventually that's going to change.
I have talked to the people from Brazil.
Eventually they want to change that.
But the NASCAR series in Brazil has been only around with the NASCAR branding for a couple of years.
So it's still very new.
But I think that the first thing is to, just like Mexico is doing right now,
implement 100% of the rules that we have here, which Brazil is slowly getting there.
Mexico is already there.
Implement the rules.
And then once you understand the rules, how it works, how physical it is,
okay, now you get to start having opportunities over here.
Maybe you do a few tests in lay models, so you can understand, you know, how it works.
And then you do a race in ARCA, or you do well, you start getting a few more races,
and then eventually you go to trucks.
And then, but always, but always with a path, you know, always with a little bit of a path.
Because what I noticed is that if I didn't have somebody helping me once in a while,
I was not going to make it because I just didn't know what was next, what I needed to do.
Or I didn't have a father or an uncle or a friend like a Kevin.
What should I do?
You know, I didn't have anyone.
And some of these guys, most they don't have that person.
And sometimes they reach out to me and I try to help them.
But I felt like the platform has to be, NASCAR has to continue to help this series to say,
OK, if you're doing well in this series, we want you to come over here.
And we want to help you make that jump.
And this is going to be the path.
The Drive for Diversity, if you were watching for the Drive for Diversity,
10 years ago, when I was part of that, I would have never come here.
And that program right now is a little different.
You know, there is not one team anymore.
I feel like it's just a little different.
So I'm not saying that it's worse or better.
It's different.
So we have to understand how it is so we can have real opportunities for these guys.
Because if you don't have that program well established and with the right process
to make it at least to the trucks, it's going to be very tough for these guys to make it.
I know it's always hard to think about, but I think that you're 34 now.
Do you ever think about what's next?
Because I listened to you talk about that.
You have a passion for that.
It sounds like you could have a driver agency.
It sounds like you could be a consultant.
I mean, do you ever think about stuff like that?
I have.
I definitely want to do something.
Not a lot of people have experience that I have when it comes to the United States
and what is outside of the United States.
So I really want to do something to help bridge that gap.
But not just for drivers.
Drivers are obviously the biggest thing, right?
Because everyone talks about drivers.
They want to do interviews.
But what about engineers?
What about mechanics?
When I moved to the United States the very first year, two of my mechanics of Mexico,
they said, Daniel, I would love to go over there.
I said, man, I don't even speak English.
Let me try to figure it out.
Well, today I can help them.
Six months ago, we hired an engineer from Mexico.
His name is Juan.
He's my third engineer.
He's doing an amazing job.
So I felt like slowly we have to continue to open opportunities
because there is many, many people in Mexico, in Brazil, in Canada, in Europe
that the dream is to come to the United States to either be a driver,
a pick crew member, an engineer, a mechanic, a crew chief, you name it.
But I felt like the more diverse that we become here in the United States,
the more popular we're going to be.
International popularity is at a different level.
Last question.
Soccer.
I don't know much about it.
I see you posting pictures about it and around it.
Are you going to go to any World Cup games?
And are you like the guy that's going to watch all the time?
I love it, man.
I really love soccer.
When I was way younger, I played soccer for a long time.
In high school, I was the captain of the team.
Oh, wow.
Yeah.
But I never thought I was like super talented.
I was good because I used to work hard and I was good like leading people.
Sounds like a common theme here with the work hard.
Yeah, right.
Yeah, it's the same thing.
But I had some friends that were super talented and I was just kind of like the guy there.
And I was good, but I wasn't the best.
Yeah.
And I have always loved soccer.
I mean, I feel like 99% of the kids in Mexico like soccer.
And I have my team in Mexico.
I have my team in Europe.
Obviously, the Mexican team, the American team, the Brazil team.
So I feel like I have a few...
You got a few chances.
I have a few chances.
So yeah, I'm super excited.
I got to see the trophy actually in Atlanta.
I saw that, yeah.
I got to see that and that was a lot of fun.
I learned a lot actually about the World Cup that day.
And I'm really talking to my amigos at Fox, to my amigos at Coca-Cola to see if they can get me to a couple games
because it would be amazing for me to attend some of these games.
I really, really love it.
Yeah.
Well, it's going to be...
I'll actually watch soccer during the World Cup because it's intriguing and it brings the whole world together.
But that's what I love about the World Cup.
You know, is that it's not about...
It just brings everyone to one place.
It's crazy.
It is.
It's crazy.
I mean, the amount of eyeballs that are going to be watching these games and it's about your country.
You know, it's about the culture and the people.
I mean, it's just...
It's unbelievable.
I love it so much.
It brings everyone together and not a lot of sports are able to do that.
And the World Cup, they're very fortunate that they can represent their own countries
and because of that, you just bring a lot of people together.
It's pretty cool.
Well, it seems like you're in a great spot.
I'm happy for you with the success that you guys have had this season and hopefully you can keep it going.
Good luck.
Thank you, Kevin.
Appreciate it, brother.
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