For Daniel Suarez, the win in Charlotte wasn't about a race. It was about paying tribute to a man who welcomed him into the sport with open arms. And that's what the Spire driver did.

After winning the Coca-Cola 600 for his new team, Daniel Suarez dedicated his win to Kyle Busch.

Suarez reflected on Busch's impact: “Kyle, he was special, man. This one is for Kyle. For Samantha, for Bexton, for Lennix, for his family.

The roots of this relationship go deeper than a decade. Back in 2014, when Suarez was trying to make a name for himself, Steve de Souza, executive vice president of O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and development for Joe Gibbs Racing, introduced him to Rowdy.

And in the following year, Suarez called Busch regularly, asking him for advice as the latter was mounting a campaign to win the 2015 Cup Series title, even going as far as explaining what line to drive in an era where SMT data wasn't common. It culminated in Suarez becoming the only international champion in NASCAR's Xfinity (now O’Reilly Auto Parts Series) Series.

That's why, even before the race, Suarez talked about just how important Busch was, not just to him, but a generation of young drivers. And he did so after the win as well.

“Every win is special but definitely this one had a special flavor because of Kyle. This one is for him. If it wasn’t for Kyle, I wasn’t gonna be an Xfinity champion here, I wasn't gonna have my shot in the Cup Series, and to be able to win this race for him is unbelievable.”

Suarez Wasn't Alone in the Victory Lane Celebrations

In a race that saw 10 cautions, Suarez kept his composure and focused on his performance throughout the race. He was in tears on Victory Lane, wearing a Busch 8 cap to honour the man who helped him get an Xfinity drive when he came over from Mexico.

Speaking after the race, Suarez said, “This one really means a lot. I’ve been saying for years that this is my favourite race of the year. I get to have my family here every year. This is most of the time the only race I get to come, and it’s been a very tough week.”

Suarez was later joined by Jimmie Johnson, who came to congratulate him on his win. He was also joined by another driver Kyle Busch mentored: Bubba Wallace.

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Debrup Chaudhuri

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar