Daniel Suárez is a dual citizen now after passing his United States citizenship test on Monday of this week and its both a relief and a point of honor for the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion.
For one, Suárez feels it was important to do because he has competed in NASCAR and the United States for 12 years but it also gives him protections he did not have otherwise.
“I feel like it’s a new chapter for my life in the United States,” Suárez said. “Really, everything is still the same. I’m not a different person. Nothing is going to change.
“The reason I did this is because I’ve been here for a long time and I’m going to be here, most likely, for a long time still in the future. With a green card, if something happens, I could get removed if something bad happens, an accident, who knows.
“Once I get an American passport, it’s like yours, we play by the same rules. It’s a little bit safer and I knew I would have the opportunity to be here for a long time.”
Suárez said he has received a lot of support from fans on both sides of the border but he also wanted to point out that he now has dual citizenship. He didn’t change citizenship from Mexico to the United States.
“The only difference is that I will have two passports instead of one and I’ll have dual citizenship,” he said. “It’s good. It’s definitely very good. It was time. I’ve already been in this country for 12 years. It’s very important. It’s given me so much and I’m very happy to be here.”
Suárez says he once was not permitted to ride with the United States Thunderbirds at Daytona because he was not a citizen and this is before he received his green card and other comparable paperwork. Things like that will no longer be an issue.
“It wasn’t easy,” he said of the test. “I had to study for it. I’m not the biggest expert when it comes to history so I had to study a little.”
Suárez won the second race of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway and will be in the playoffs come September seeking his first Cup title to go with his second-tier championship. That was his second career victory following a win at Circuit of the Americas in 2022. He is ranked 18th in the Cup Series standings with two top-5s.
Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.