The youngster had unseated the veteran.
No, this was not June 11 when Joe Gibbs Racing driver Daniel Suarez passed Kyle Busch on the last lap of the Xfinity Series Menards 250 at Michigan International Speedway to become the first Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR national series race.
This was a few weeks later in early July when Coca-Cola Racing endorsers got the June results for Coke’s “Chug for Charity” program, which grants money to a charity of the endorser who drinks the most soda on air. With the load of media appearances he made in the days following his first major victory in America — from ESPN’s “SportsCenter” to Univision’s “¡Despierta América!” — Suarez earned more Coke Points than Sprint Cup driver Joey Logano, one of the company’s perennial top chuggers.
 |
Daniel Suarez could help propel the sport beyond its Southern roots.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
|
When NASCAR founded the Drive for Diversity program in 2004, it was this sort of scenario — a Hispanic driver working his way up the sport’s developmental ladder, winning a major race, forging corporate involvement and drawing mainstream media buzz — that Chairman and CEO Brian France believed could propel the sport beyond its traditional Southern roots.
“One of the things you learn about diversity in sports is you can do lots of things to help
out, clear pathways and give opportunities,” France said this month, “but there’s a certain level of organic-ness that has to happen.”
On the heels of his first Xfinity victory, and having led the series point standings for most of the season, Suarez appears to have a legitimate shot at becoming one of the sport’s most important poster boys. He’s a direct avenue to the Hispanic population in the U.S., which is up to 55 million, or 17 percent of the total population, according to a 2015 Pew Research Center Study. In comparison, Hispanics make up approximately 10 percent of NASCAR’s fan base, according to Nielsen Scarborough.
“We don’t talk too much about our Chug for Charity program, but [Suarez winning in June] shows that he’s embracing the brand,” said Ben Reiling, director of motorsports marketing for Coke, one of the biggest and most influential sponsors in motorsports. “That’s the very first thing he told us when we sat down — that he has Coca-Cola in his refrigerator and it’s a natural for him.”
Reiling described Suarez, who’s in his first year endorsing Coke and whose mother coincidentally used to work for the company in Mexico, as “engaging and inquisitive about our business.” It’s this reputation across the sport — affable, energetic, gracious and cerebral — that has seen Suarez play a more visible role for NASCAR, JGR and their partners this year than last, when he was the Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year.
“He knows that right now he’s sort of the Hispanic poster child of NASCAR, and he’s willing to play that role,” said Lou Garate, NASCAR managing director of partnership marketing. “The important thing to know about Dani is … the effort he put into learning the English language, the effort he puts into cultivating relationships here in the U.S. with myself and other people — he wants to succeed in NASCAR.”
Along with Coke, Suarez’s other top sponsors are his primary sponsor Arris, plus Juniper Networks, Toyota and Mexican telecommunications company Telcel, owned by billionaire Carlos Slim, whose son, Carlos Slim Domit, has backed Suarez and a host of other Mexican drivers throughout their careers.
“Suarez clearly is one of those guys who probably is going to have a very bright future, so we’re excited about that,” France said. “When you’re winning on the national level and running up front consistently, you have the talent — that’s what demonstrates it in our business.”
While Toyota and Coke both have robust multicultural marketing departments and advertising budgets, executives for both companies said they are using Suarez more at track with experiential activations like the Toyota Pit Pass or meet-and-greets with Coke customers than in television creative. That’s in part because Coke, for example, typically uses its Sprint Cup-level endorsers for its main communications — TV ads and point-of-sale displays — and because the companies want the 24-year-old to focus on getting to that level and further establishing himself.
Emily Spiegel, vice president and group director of Team Epic, which counts Arris among its clients, noted that Suarez’s breakthrough also points to the notion that Hispanic drivers can serve as a specific solution for a company if it needs a brand ambassador in Latin America, as was the case with Arris.
“This is certainly part of the Arris story and why the relationship with JGR and Carlos [Slim Domit] and Daniel made sense to Arris,” Spiegel said. “One of Arris’ greatest growth opportunities is Latin America. If [companies eyeing ties in Latin America] can partner with a driver who can tell their story, build their awareness and kind of just get interest in them in Latin America, then that works — that’s successful for them.”
