NASCAR driver, Mexican native Daniel Suarez celebrates becoming American citizen

livemint.com:

Monterrey, Mexico native learned he almost was American at birth. Suarez’s parents flirted with the idea of heading to America ahead of his 1992 birth and having the future NASCAR star born in the U.S. One problem, the cost was too prohibitive so the idea was scrapped.

“In Mexico, I don’t know expensive it was, but it was cheaper," Suarez said, laughing. “It’s really funny how my parents, they had that thought before I was born, about being born in the United States, I guess to have more opportunities. They didn’t do it.

“And now, I guess I did it my way." Suarez indeed did it his way, and was one of 48 citizens representing 28 countries sworn in at the field office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in Charlotte, North Carolina. “The most special part of everything was, you see so many people there," Suarez said Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

“I was not expecting it. I was not expecting to see so many people." His fiancée, Julia Piquet, members of his Trackhouse Racing team, and even NASCAR president Steve Phelps were among the attendees that saw the 32-year-old Suarez complete his journey of becoming an American citizen (he will hold dual citizenship with Mexico). Phelps was a surprise guest and delivered the keynote speech at the naturalization ceremony.

“I didn’t think many people were going to really care about it," Suarez said. “A lot of people really did." Suarez never actually considered becoming an American citizen as he grew up in Mexico. He just wanted to race.