FIRST MEXICAN DRIVER TO WIN
NASCAR NATIONAL SERIES RACE
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DAYTONA BEACH , FL . ( June 11 , 2016 ) -- Daniel Suárez earned his first career NASCAR XFINITY Series win on Saturday at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn , Michigan , becoming the first Mexican-born driver to capture a NA- SCAR national series victory .
With the victory , Suárez clinches a spot in the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase .
Suárez , a graduate of both the NA- SCAR Drive for Diversity and NA- SCAR Next programs , has accomplished a long list of accolades since joining NASCAR in
2011 . Last season , he became the first Mexican driver to win the NA- SCAR XFINITY Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award , finishing fifth in the championship standings . This season , Suárez became the first foreign-born driver to lead the points in any of the three NASCAR national Series , topping the NA- SCAR XFINITY Series standings for six consecutive weeks . He is the current points leader in the NA- SCAR XFINITY Series , the series where " Names Are Made ."
Suárez , 24 , has quickly climbed the NASCAR ladder system throughout his career , with full-time stops in
the NASCAR Mexico Series and the NASCAR K & N Pro Series East before joining the NASCAR XFINI- TY Series with Joe Gibbs Racing for the 2015 season .
During his four years ( 2011-14 ) in the NASCAR Mexico Series , Suárez won 10 races and finished in the top 10 in championship points in all four of his seasons , including a runner-up championship finish in 2013 .
In two full-time seasons in the NASCAR K & N Pro Series East , Suárez won three races and finished third in the final standings in 2013 .
Suárez had scored six runner-up finishes in the national series prior to his win on Saturday .
With the victory , Suárez becomes only the fifth Latino driver to win a NASCAR national series race , joining Frank Mundy , Juan Pablo Montoya , Aric Almirola and Nelson Piquet Jr .
NASCAR Next is an industry-wide initiative designed to spotlight to best and brightest rising young stars in racing . NASCAR Drive for Diversity , operated by Rev Racing , is an academy-style development program for female and multicultural drivers and crew members who have the potential and determination to succeed at the highest levels of NASCAR .
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