“Mexican driver – Daniel Suarez!“. The phrase is going down in the history books as No. 99 of Trackhouse Racing finally achieves his dream. The dream of settling in the United States, not only under the scrutiny of a work visa or green card but as a permanent resident, Congratulations to Suarez, as he is now a dual citizen of both countries, i.e., the USA and Mexico.

Was the process easy for him? Certainly not, but the results! Surely the one for which he worked hard for years. The 32-year-old describes the journey from coming to this “great country” to make his name in the racing world to becoming a resident. Needless to say, excitement was all over his face.

Daniel Suarez could not control his excitement as he passed the citizenship exam

An excited Daniel Suarez opens up to Peter Stratta, revealing the whole process. He has resided in the United States for the past 12 years and is now on the verge of becoming a citizen. The news came out last week confirming that the Trackhouse Racing driver has passed the test. Soon, he will officially hold U.S. citizenship. Despite the struggles for 12 long years, Daniel Suarez mentioned that it was worth the wait.

Suarez said, “It’s a long process man, very long process. And actually, you know, in a way, I’m glad it’s a long process because it shouldn’t be easy. I think that this is one of the best countries in the world and it shouldn’t be easy. I do think it should be a little bit cheaper, it’s pretty expensive to do the whole thing. But listen, I’ve been here already for 12 years, and until now I’m actually becoming a citizen. I could have done it sooner if I wanted to. But I never pushed the times, as much as I could have.”

As he stated, the process was not cheap either. He splashed around $13,000 to $14,000 on application fees, attorney costs, and filing fees during the 18-month journey. “But yeah I moved here with a tourist visa. And then eventually I got a work visa and eventually, I got a green card. And then after five years, I had the option to apply for the citizenship. So it’s been a 10 or 12-year process for me,” he added.

Before becoming a household name in the US, Suarez went through considerable hurdles to make his name out there as a successful driver.

His journey to become an American citizen

A swearing-in ceremony later, Daniel Suarez will be fully deemed a United States citizen. Let’s look at the journey of a dreamy 20-year-old lad who drove for two days with his father from Mexico in the solemn hope of achieving something great. The year was 2011. Suarez made the move to the United States with minimal connections and a basic understanding of English. He improved his language skills by watching Saturday morning cartoons.

Suarez’s debut in the NASCAR National Series? It happened in 2014 with Joe Gibbs Racing, driving an Xfinity car at Richmond Raceway. After earning Rookie of the Year in Xfinity in 2015, he clinched three victories to win the 2016 Xfinity championship. Thus becoming NASCAR’s first international champion. A record in itself!

Following Carl Edwards’ unexpected retirement, Joe Gibbs Racing selected Daniel Suarez to take over in the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series. He then joined Stewart-Haas Racing in 2019 and spent the following year with Gaunt Brothers Racing. In 2021, Suarez began driving the No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro for the newly established Trackhouse Racing. He finally achieved all forms of success in American motorsports when he received the checkered flag at the Sonoma Cup race in 2022.

Now, as he progresses towards his next Cup Series outing, he’ll field his #99 Chevy Camaro as an American driver. Fans from both nations will be on their feet if he wins. Are you a fan of Daniel Suarez too? Let us know how you feel about him in the comments.