BREAKING NEWS: In what can only be described as a storybook ending, Mexican driver Daniel Suarez won Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race in front of a home crowd in Mexico City. But after a bit of controversy, some fans believe the series rigged the race in Suarez’s favor.

In a dramatic turn of events, Daniel Suárez clinched victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ inaugural Chilango 150 at Mexico City’s Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on June 14, 2025. Starting from the back of the grid after a qualifying crash, Suárez, racing for JR Motorsports, surged through the field to secure his fourth career Xfinity Series win and his first of the season .

The race, which marked NASCAR’s return to Mexico after a 17-year hiatus, was charged with emotion as Suárez raced in front of a home crowd. However, controversy arose during a late-race restart when Suárez made contact with Taylor Gray, pushing him off track. Some fans speculated that Suárez gained an unfair advantage by cutting the corner, leading to accusations that NASCAR had rigged the race in his favor. NASCAR officials did not penalize Suárez, citing that the contact left him with no other option .

Critics have pointed to this incident as part of a broader pattern of “entertainment cautions,” where cautions are used strategically to bunch up the field and enhance the spectacle of the race. While NASCAR has not officially acknowledged such practices, the controversy surrounding Suárez’s victory has reignited debates about the integrity of race officiating .

Despite the controversy, Suárez’s win was a historic moment for Mexican motorsport, highlighting both the passion of the fans and the complexities of race officiating in modern NASCAR.