For all of you who read my earlier article, (Or read any article about Nascaer in the past couple days) know that Carl Edwards has decided to end his career early. I say early, but I suppose it’s up to each driver when he decides it’s time to call it quits. But the question that instantly crosses every fan’s mind is this: ‘who’s the new guy?’ Well, thankfully, Joe Gibbs Racing has a surplus of young talent in the wings. And one young driver in particular was the man who instantly crossed Joe Gibbs’ mind. Daniel Suarez.

Who is Daniel Suarez? If you are asking that question, you are one of two things. A new fan, or one who pays attention to only the Cup Series. I consider it my sworn duty to educate both. Suarez has been around for only a few years, but he’s left a mark on the Xfinity Series. Last year he became the first foreign born driver to win a championship in one of Nascar’s top 3 touring Series’. He is also the first Mexican driver to win a Nascar race or Championship. Should he win either or both in the Cup Series, he will be the first to do both.

Last year was Suarez’s breakout year. He claimed his first wins as well as the championship, and he did both in style. At Homestead he outdueled veteran competitors for the Championship, and for his first win in Michigan, he beat Kyle Busch, KYLE BUSCH!, for the win in the final laps. Not to mention his domination in the Chase.

So yes, Suarez is quite a worthy driver for the no. 19 Arris Toyota in the Monster Energy Cup Series. After all, he nailed it in the no. 19 Arris Toyota in the Xfinity Series. What are the odds of him getting the same number? Apparently 1/1.

Suarez, a rather fun person to listen to on the scanner, is not the only competitor for the Rookie of the Year honors in 2017. Teammate from the Xfinity Series Eric Jones and fellow Xfinity driver Ty Dillon will be aiming for the prize. Jones will be in the no. 77 5-Hour Energy Toyota for Furniture Row Racing, which is an affiliate of JGR. As for Dillon, he will be in the no. 13 Geico Chevrolet for Germain Racing, which is an affiliate of Richard Childress Racing. Dillon faces an uphill battle to compete with these two, given that Germain Racing is a bit of a bottom feeding team. Eric Jones was the favorite. However, with the addition of Suarez, Jones may no longer be the favorite. Suarez beat Jones last year, and that’s pretty hard to do. Also, Suarez is stepping into a team which has been up and running for some time, while Jones will find himself on a team which is on it’s maiden voyage. So yes, Suarez is undoubtedly the favorite now.

So, the 19 man from Montreal is coming to the Cup Series. Muy Bien. I looked forward to watching Suarez this season. The guy has some skills, and he is stepping into  great ride with a very good team. Success will find him. Vamos a la carrera Suarez!