After a win at Charlotte, Daniel Suárez joins Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour for a Victory Lab interview that blends emotion, mentorship, and race problem-solving. Suárez describes the weekend as “a roller coaster of emotion,” including being at the track “to be at the racetrack without him.” He explains how helmet-on focus narrows to execution, then credits Kyle Busch’s early help as inspiration. Despite adversity—“a tire coming apart” and “for 70% of the race, I didn't have radios”—Suárez points to strategy, timing, and “mother nature” before looking ahead to Nashville.
On this episode of Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, Kaitlyn Vincie sits down with NASCAR Cup Series driver Daniel Suárez as he breaks down his win at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Specifically, Suárez discusses dedicating his win to Kyle Busch, his relationship with Busch and how he helped get him to where he is in his career today, and the overall emotions behind racing after Busch’s passing.
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"I mean, we had a loose wheel. We had a tire coming apart."
A loose wheel means the wheel wasn’t firmly attached. That can make the car shake and can be dangerous, so it’s a big deal in a race.
A loose wheel means the wheel isn’t properly secured to the car, usually due to a fastening problem. In racing, it can cause vibration, loss of control, and even wheel damage, so teams treat it as an urgent safety and performance issue.
"We had a loose wheel. We had a tire coming apart."
That phrase means the tire started failing and separating. When that happens, you lose traction and the car can feel unstable.
“Tire coming apart” describes tire failure where the tread or internal structure separates. That can drastically reduce grip and stability, and it often forces drivers to manage the car differently or pit to prevent further damage.
"We had issues with the radios because some drums or whatever that were happening there. We realized actually today that that signal was a mini."
“Radios” here means the communication between the driver and the pit crew. If it’s not working, the driver can’t get important race instructions.
In NASCAR, “radios” refers to the driver’s two-way communication system with the pit crew. If the radio link is unreliable, the driver may not receive key instructions about strategy, cautions, tire wear, or adjustments.
Term
signal was a mini
"We had issues with the radios because some drums or whatever that were happening there. We realized actually today that that signal was a mini."
This sounds like the radio problem was caused by some kind of interference with the signal. They figured out what was messing with the communication after the race.
This appears to describe an unexpected radio-frequency interference or signal condition that affected communications. The key idea is that the radio problem wasn’t just “bad luck”—it was caused by a specific signal interaction that they later identified.
"We had a fast car, but we didn't get to show it because we had all these different issues. I spent 60% of the race a lap down because of these extra issues."
“A lap down” means you’re behind the leaders by one full lap. It’s tough because you have to catch up while still dealing with traffic.
“A lap down” means the car has been lapped by the race leader, so it’s one full circuit behind. In NASCAR, being a lap down usually makes it much harder to win because you’re fighting for track position while also trying to recover lost time.
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It was like a roller coaster of emotions.
It's the first time probably ever.
I don't feel like I was ready.
Happy, I'm blessed to be able to talk about the importance
and the impact that Cal had.
Welcome in to the Victory Lab.
I'm Caitlin Benzzi and so very excited to have Daniel Suarez,
our big winner out at Charlotte Mentor Speedway,
joining the program now.
Daniel, great to see you.
I saw where you did some celebrations with the taco pinata.
How was everything celebrating such a monumental win
with the family?
And I know that's a rare occurrence.
Yeah, yeah, Caitlin.
It definitely was a very special win for many different reasons.
You know, the most important one of all is already Cal,
you know, the week and weekend that we had.
It was like a roller coaster of emotion.
That's exactly what it was, you know, like,
like I felt like at one point I was perfectly fine.
And then I was, you know, seeing his old Cal
or a picture of him or something at the racetrack
and he's almost like the emotions were coming back.
And like I said, the entire weekend was the same way.
So it was very surreal, you know,
to be at the racetrack without him.
And I believe, you know, on the good side of things,
you know, having my family and friends from Mexico
and putting ourselves in position to be able to battle
for this win, obviously, was amazing.
But I'm telling you, the second that they told us
that we were the winners of the race,
I mean, I celebrated for like three seconds
and then I just started crying because I started thinking about
him and about the meaning of winning that specific race.
Because next year, the Coca-Cola 600 is going to be
extremely special, but it's not going to be the same.
So that meant a lot to me.
For me, it was very personal.
So very, very blessed.
The team did an amazing job.
And just happy to be able to pull this one off.
And I know he obviously had an integral role in your career
believing in you over the years.
Did you kind of feel his presence in that final drive
to the finish or did you think about him in those moments
and some of the things he's taught you over the years?
You know, a lot of people don't really understand this,
but when you are driving, you don't really think about anything.
You are in a zone that nothing is crossing your mind,
but the present moment, the restart,
the way that you're going to execute the restart,
who is around you, all these different things.
So when I have the helmet on, no, I wasn't thinking about him.
I wasn't thinking about anything but the race.
But the second I took the helmet off, it came quick,
especially after we won.
I started thinking about him and the meaning of this particular race.
So like I said, it was just very emotional.
It's the first time probably ever that I have gotten to my race car
to start the race and I don't feel like I was ready
because, you know, being in the national anthem with Kyle family,
with Samantha, with Kurt, Brexton, Lenny.
So all, you know, Kyle's dad and mom and like,
it was just very, very, it was just very strong.
You know, a lot of people crying.
It was very, very emotional moment.
So, you know, the entire weekend, like I said, it was that way.
So just very, very happy and blessed to be able to represent
not just the win, but to be able to talk about the importance
and the impact that Kyle had on my life and on the sport.
Do you remember your first initial interactions with him
and what those were like and how it progressed over the years?
Yeah, yeah.
I remember like it was yesterday because, you know, for me,
you know, growing up in Mexico, I just didn't know anyone here.
So when I used to think about Kyle Bush, Jeff Gordon, Jimmy Johnson,
for me, these guys were like superheroes.
You know, they were, that's exactly what they were.
They were like Superman, like something like that.
You know, and when I went to race for Javi Racing,
my first race ever in Richmond, 2014,
I get to cross some words with Kyle.
And for me, it was like a little shocking.
Not normally I'm not the kind of person that I get nervous
or anything like that, but with him, I mean,
I've been watching this guy for 10 years, right?
And then I got to race full-time for Javi Racing in 2015.
And that's when I believe that I start building a relationship with him
and we start talking on the weekly basis and he was helping me.
And really, he was helping me when I needed it the most
because that made a difference, right?
For me to build the driver that I became
and eventually winning the championship
and that led me to, you know, coming into the Cup Series.
So for that, many people don't know this,
but for that, I will be forever grateful.
You know, he gave me a hand when I needed it the most.
I think that's one of the most interesting parts about Kyle
that makes him also so incredibly rare
was the initiative he had to help other drivers.
You know, you're one of many that he kind of lended a hand to.
Why do you think that's so important that we focus on that
as we continue his legacy?
Because he's literally helped build our current stars.
Yeah, I mean, for me, it's an example of how
a good, complete racing driver should do things, right?
Because he was already very successful.
He has won pretty much everything.
And he was helping young drivers just to come along
and to give them a hand.
And I'm pretty sure that when Kyle was very young,
somebody gave him a hand as well.
And that's why he thought, okay,
eventually I'm going to repay that.
And he did it to me.
He did it to everyone.
He did it to the bus.
He did it to several of us.
For me, obviously, me personally was very impactful
because I was just a kid coming from Mexico.
So he didn't have to help me, right?
Like I was just a stranger.
And he did.
So that's why for me it was just very impactful.
And I promise you that that taught me that eventually,
well, not eventually, but right now I'm actually doing it,
helping the future generations as well.
Giving a hand to the drivers from Mexico, from South America,
and every time that I get asked a question or an advice.
So it's important to pave the road for the future as well.
Kyle Bush has definitely made incredible contributions
to the sport and so many people in it.
I do want to talk about your win for a moment
and what you and your team were able to do
because you had to overcome some adversity,
a couple times to get this victory.
So what are you most proud of,
of what you guys were able to do on Sunday?
I would say that the most proud of I am,
of going through the adversity and never giving up
because we had everything going against us.
I mean, we had a loose wheel.
We had a tire coming apart.
We had issues with the radios because some drums
or whatever that were happening there.
We realized actually today that that signal was a mini.
It's supposed to be almost impossible,
but it was riding in our signal of the radio.
So for 70% of the race, I didn't have radios.
So we had everything, but we had a fast car,
but we didn't get to show it
because we had all these different issues.
I spent 60% of the race a lap down because of these extra issues.
So it was a tough race for us,
but I knew that the car was good.
I don't know if it was good enough to win,
you know, like speed wise right away,
but for sure good enough for a top 10.
But we never really got to see it
because of these different things.
So as soon as we got back in the game,
Ryan Sparks and my team, they did an amazing job,
you know, mixing the stride there,
and then they just gave me the ball.
And I was ready to bounce
and I was ready to do whatever it takes
to be able to hold the lead.
And luckily things work out, you know.
We made good decisions, a good strategy.
I made some good decisions, a strategy
on the racer as well,
but also, you know,
really mother nature help us a little bit in there.
But I felt like we took advantage of the opportunities,
you know, I don't feel like anything was given to us.
And that was the beautiful part about it.
Yes, so you learned that win fair and square,
no doubt about it.
You mentioned your crew chief.
He was very complimentary of you in an interview
he did towards the tail end of the race on the broadcast,
saying like, you're the right guy for the job.
How has he been the right guy for the job
for you on top of the pit box?
You know, six months ago, I was trolling.
The 17 was trolling.
And, you know, in this business,
you have to have a lot of confidence.
You have to believe in yourself.
And if you don't do that,
sometimes you start second guessing yourself.
And we have to make very quick decisions.
And sometimes if you don't have that trust and confidence,
it's difficult to make those decisions.
So when I sat down the first time with Ryan,
I, you know, we had these conversations about, hey,
how bad, how bad are we going to do this?
You know, how bad do we want to be successful in this level?
And what are we going to do to be able to make that happen?
And we had some very honest conversations
and I never leave that him and I would click right away very well.
And we start, you know, rebuilding the team.
You know, some people are the same from last year.
We brought some new people and the team and myself,
I feel like it's almost like a new version of ourselves.
The team has been always strong since the get-go.
In our first race together, we finished top five
in the Bowman Gray race, exhibition race.
And I feel like we've been solid.
Maybe not the best car just yet,
but we've been solid and building on top of that.
So very happy with that and looking forward to continue to build
because I believe that Ryan, Johnny and the rest of the team
they're doing an amazing job.
We just have to continue to learn from each other
and continue to get better.
It's been really fun watching you guys coming into your own this season.
We talk about it on Harvard Cappy Hour all the time.
It's been neat.
Congratulations on your win.
It was beautiful, very powerful moment.
Also, congratulations on fatherhood.
Haven't had a chance to tell you on the pregnancy.
So very exciting things for you and we're really happy for you.
Thank you so much, Kelly.
Yeah, super, super excited.
I think there is just a lot of amazing things happening in my life right now
and I feel super blessed, super, super happy
and I can continue to enjoy this moment.
And I enjoy maybe for a few more hours
and then start thinking about Nashville
because Nashville is going to be here before we know it.
That's right.
Well, we're wishing you all the continued success.
Best of luck, of course, in Nashville as well.
Thank you so much, Daniel.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
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