NASCAR driver Daniel Suárez is now a US citizen.
Suárez, of Mexico, was sworn in at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services field office in Charlotte, North Carolina.
It wasn't just the nearly 50 people who became citizens there for the special day, even NASCAR President Steve Phelps was there, along with members of the Rackhouse Racing team, as well as his fiancée.
All of this took Suárez by surprise.
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NASCAR driver Daniel Suarez waves an American flag during a naturalization ceremony on June 18, 2024, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Noah Watts/Daylon Barr Photography, Trackhouse Racing via AP)
“The most special part of it all was that you see so many people there,” Suarez said Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “I didn't expect it. I didn't expect to see so many people.”
“I didn't think many people would really care,” Suarez said. “A lot of people really did.”
Suárez's parents had thought about traveling to the United States to attend his birth, but it proved too expensive.
“It's really funny how my parents had that thought before I was born, to be born in the United States, I guess to have more opportunities. They didn't,” he said. “And now, I think I did it my way.”
NASCAR driver Daniel Suarez takes the “pledge of allegiance” during a naturalization ceremony on June 18, 2024, in Charlotte. (Noah Watts/Daylon Barr Photography, Trackhouse Racing via AP)
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Suárez admitted that becoming a citizen was not originally an idea.
“It wasn't a dream of mine,” Suárez said. “I came to this country to race and compete. I've been working really hard to try to take the next step and be more competitive. In the blink of an eye, I've been here for 12 years now.”
He learned and dedicated himself to the process of becoming a citizen about six years ago; His team even questioned him in April in Dover before his citizenship test.
“I felt like it was the right time to start this process. Little by little, I am taking on more and more responsibilities in my life. It was the right time for me to feel more secure; that I belong here.”
Daniel Suarez walks across the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on June 8, 2024, in California. (Logan Riely/Getty Images)
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Suarez has two career Cup wins, including the closest finish ever at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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