NORTH LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — NASCAR driver Daniel Suarez, the only Mexican-born driver in the Cup Series, stopped by La Bonita Thursday as a part of Hispanic Heritage Month.
A line of fans, pan dulce, and aguas frescas set the tone inside the supermarket. Suarez was surrounded by a crowd eager to welcome him like family.
“I’m telling you, I feel like I’m in Mexico right here,” Suarez said. “They just make me feel like home. It’s very special.”
As a symbol of pride for many Latinos, Suarez said connecting with fans off the track is just as important as competing on it.
“That’s my biggest pride to say that I’m from Mexico and I was born and raised in Mexico. I came here without speaking the language and things like that,” he said.
North Las Vegas Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown said hosting Suarez at La Bonita, in the heart of a largely Hispanic ward, sends an important message to families.
“To see someone as successful as he is just shows our younger generation that you can do and be anything you want to be,” Goynes-Brown said.
For young fans like Nestor Lopez, seeing Mexico be represented on one of the world’s biggest sports stages is huge.
“It’s like the Mexican pride in NASCAR ever since Daniel Suarez won the 2016 Xfinity Championship. It’s just been amazing for the Latino community to see a Mexican driver in the Cup Series,” Lopez said.
With the South Point 400 just weeks away, Suarez said he left La Bonita with new fans, a full stomach, and a reminder of just how strong the Las Vegas Latino community truly is.
“Puro México,” Suarez exclaimed!
Copyright 2025 KVVU. All rights reserved.
