Daniel Suárez says ‘Texas is a special place for me,’ following Goodyear tire test
Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, and Daniel Suarez participated in a Goodyear tire test this weekn in preparation for the Sep. 24 Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 NASCAR Cup Series playoff race.
Last year’s race set a Texas record for cautions with 17, many of which were due to tire-related issues which in part prompted Tuesday’s tire test. Logano (second), Hamlin (10th) and Suárez (12th) all placed in the top 15 in last year’s race despite the difficulties.
Suárez and Logano spoke with the media after the test on Tuesday about how they felt about the track and their outlook for the rest of the season.
“We’re definitely not where we want to be this season with only one win in the bank,” said Logano, “To have Goodyear tire test ... is huge for us at this point of the season, especially at this type of racetrack.”
Logano, the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series champion, emphasized that the season was a marathon, not a sprint but referenced his 2018 NASCAR Cup Series Championship saying he knows how quickly a season can turn around.
The defending champion also spoke about how the Texas Motor Speedway stood out from other racetracks.
“The amount of banking change from one end to the other is unlike anywhere else we go,” said Logano, “It’s a unique place.”
Suárez agreed with Logano’s sentiment.
“This is a very tricky place,” said Suárez, “It took me a few laps to get used to the high speeds... in comparison to what we see in some other places.”
Suárez, a native of Mexico, talked about the support he received from Latinos in Texas and around the country.
“I’m very fortunate, very lucky to be the Latino driver that can connect and represent many many Latinos in this amazing country,” said Suárez, “Not just here in Texas, but everywhere we go there is a huge [Latino] population.”
Suárez also stated his desire to see a NASCAR race in Mexico similar to the recent street course race in Chicago.
“That would be awesome, I mean just a race itself would be amazing,” said Suarez.
Because of Suárez’s proximity to Texas while growing up in Monterrey, he has been a frequent visitor to Texas and Fort Worth over the years and has family throughout the state.
“It’s always great, I’ve been in Fort Worth several times, I’m just a handful of hours away from my hometown,” said Suarez, “I used to come here a lot with my dad to hunt old cars and it’s a lot of fun... Texas is a special place for me.”
NASCAR fans can buy tickets for the September race at the Texas Motor Speedway on the racetrack’s website.
