A new car on a new track did little to hold Daniel Suarez back on Saturday as he won the second of two NASCAR Brasil preliminary races.
The Trackhouse Racing driver, who celebrated his wedding last week, drove the No. 91 Chevrolet in two races at the Interlagos Circuit in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He crossed the finish line first in the mid-afternoon race but received a five-second penalty for contact with another driver.
Suarez then rebounded by crossing the line second overall in the evening's Sunset Race. However, the driver who crossed the line first received a penalty, which put Suarez into victory lane for the first time. Suarez has now won a race in the Cup Series, the NASCAR Mexico Series, and the NASCAR Brasil Series this season.
— Daniel Suárez (@Daniel_SuarezG) August 3, 2024
This win capped off a busy day in which the Cup Series regular adapted to a track on which he only had experience in video games.
"I was lucky enough that I'm experienced enough to be able to adapt quick, but the car, I'm still learning so much," Suarez said in response to a question from AltDriver after his Saturday evening win.
"When you need to go fast, transition, how like the balance of the cars in the beginning of the run versus the end of the run. That is a lot of things that I still need to figure out."
As Suarez explained, the cars used by the NASCAR Brasil Series are nothing like anything used in the Truck Series, Xfinity Series, or Cup Series. These cars used in the NASCAR Brasil Series have far less horsepower, as well as a center-mounted steering wheel.
Suarez said that they are like a sports car crossed with a go-kart.
"Honestly, the car is a lot of fun because it doesn't have a ton of power," Suarez said. "It has a little over 300 horsepower, and it doesn't have a lot of grip. The brakes are great."
While Suarez has little experience with the NASCAR Brasil Series cars, he will be able to gain even more on Sunday. He has one more race remaining in the Special Edition.
This is one more opportunity to compete against a new group of drivers and one more opportunity to pursue his second win of the weekend.
It's also an opportunity for Suarez to learn more about the rules of the series.
"As we all know in NASCAR, you are aggressive," Suarez said. "I don't think you're dirty, but you're aggressive. And my level of aggressiveness for what I'm used to in the United States is just different than here.
"Here, you get a five-second penalty if you blink, and so it's been a little bit different, but I'm just learning a lot and I'm enjoying the experience."
The final race of the NASCAR Brasil Series Special Edition will take place on Sunday, Aug. 4, at 1 p.m. ET. Coverage is available on YouTube.