Of the 82 drivers competing full time in the NASCAR Cup, O’Reilly Auto Parts and Craftsman Truck series, only five are people of color. Additionally, only three were born outside the United States.
One of the two drivers of color born outside the U.S. is Daniel Suárez, a three-time Cup Series winner and the 2016 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion. As a competitor from Mexico, Suárez may be considered a hero to children in his home country who dream of becoming race car drivers. One of those kids grew up to join Suárez as a full-time NASCAR driver. That driver is Andrés Pérez de Lara.
The 2024 ARCA Menards Series champion is currently in his second full-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season. Currently, the 21-year-old drives the No. 44 Chevrolet Silverado RST for Niece Motorsports, where he has competed since the 18th race of the 2025 season.
Along with Suarez, Pérez de Lara views his father, Ricardo, as a hero. His dad had five championships across three road racing series from 2011 to 2015.
“My Dad was a racing driver in Mexico and also in the US, he did a whole variety of series,” Pérez de Lara said. “”I’d say his biggest focus was on the GT and endurance racing. He won the Ferrari Challenge North America Championship and he also did a good amount of 24 Hours of Daytona starts on the GT side of things. He also did some NASCAR Mexico Starts back in the day, but his biggest focus was on GT cars.”
Racing Origin
The first professional racing series Pérez de Lara competed in was the 2019-20 North and Central American Formula 4 Championship. This is a regional series on the FIA development ladder, where many drivers share an ultimate goal of racing in Formula One. After finishing third in the championship with five victories, COVID-19 forced the entire world on lockdown.
From lockdowns came iRacing. The NASCAR Cup Series hosted eight race iRacing Pro Invitational Series with live broadcasting on FOX. Less notably, the NASCAR Mexico Series hosted a similar iRacing series.
“I got an opportunity to do a NASCAR Mexico iRacing Series race and I won on my first try,” Pérez de Lara said. “That gave me the opportunity with TelCel to start my career in NASCAR Mexico. I became pretty successful pretty quick, so I just kept opening doors in the NASCAR world for me up until 2021 when I got an opportunity to join the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program.”
In 2020, Pérez de Lara drove full-time in the NASCAR Mexico Series’ development program, the Mikel’s Truck Series, and won the championship. From there, he moved to the main series (NMS) and placed fourth in points. As Pérez de Lara mentioned, this is when he joined the Drive for Diversity Program.
“I got an email saying that I was accepted for the program and I should start packing my bags,” Pérez de Lara said. “I wouldn’t say (it happened) out of nowhere, but everything happened really quick.”
For Pérez de Lara, the Drive for Diversity program has provided him with sponsorship, knowledge, tools, and mentorship. The Mexican immigrant went as far to describe it as the most influential part of his NASCAR career so far.
The next season, he captured his second championship in three seasons with his 2022 NASCAR Mexico Series championship. Additionally, he made his American racing debut late that year. David Gilliland Racing (Now Tricon Garage) brought the Mexico City native on for two races in the ARCA Menards Series West and one in the main ARCA series. Both West starts saw top-3 finishes while his ARCA debut saw a 7th-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Moving to America
2023 featured a full season in America for Pérez de Lara. Rev Racing would have him drive their No. 2 in all but one ARCA Menards Series race in 2024.
“It’s hard,” Pérez de Lara said on moving to America. “The culture is different, the language is different, and leaving home is a very hard thing to do. I feel like I’ve always been very connected to my roots in Mexico, it’s definitely a very hard thing to do. It’s a big sacrifice that me as a driver and other international drivers have to make because in order to be successful in NASCAR, you have to be pretty committed to the craft and be in the US.”
The rest of his family did not move to America with him. This forced him to live independently, and while Pérez de Lara did have hard times, he’s found joy dedicating his entire life to racing. Of all the cultural shifts, the biggest adjustment was the food.
“I’m a big Mexican food fan, and I don’t really find a lot of good Mexican food places around here in Charlotte,” he explained.
Racing-wise, the 2023 ARCA season was strong. A year with ten top-5s, fifteen top-10s, and one pole led to him finishing runner-up in points to 2025 NOAPS champion Jesse Love. The following season, Pérez de Lara finished one spot higher in the standings, solidifying all his sacrifices up to that moment feeling worth it.
“It was an awesome feeling,” the 2024 ARCA champion said. “(With) all the sacrifices and all I put behind that, it was a really cool accomplishment for me as a person and also for the people that have supported me to get to this point.”
Truck Series Career
In 2024, Pérez de Lara made his Craftsman Truck Series debut at Gateway.
“It was a really big opportunity, so there was a lot of stakes involved,” Pérez de Lara said. “We made it successful, I had a top-10 result, which was pretty solid, so that opened more doors for me in the NASCAR world.”
One of those doors was a full-time opportunity with Spire Motorsports for the 2025 season. Or, at least, that was the intention. After the 17th race of the 2025 season, it was announced that Pérez de Lara would be leaving the team effective immediately due to Spire downsizing from four trucks to three. As his No. 77 lowest entry in Owners Points with only one top-10, the rookie was let go. Within the same day, Pérez de Lara solidified his move Niece Motorsports, where he has driven ever since.
“You want continuity in this sport, so at that moment (leaving Spire) didn’t feel like it was the ideal thing, but it worked out pretty good for me,” Pérez de Lara said. “It was a move that gave me my confidence back and also some great results, and I found a really good spot at Niece to create something. It feels like a family to me.”
His Chevrolet development team have supported him greatly throughout his time in NASCAR. In 47 Truck starts so far, Pérez de Lara has earned six top-10 finishes. When not racing, he’s found a love of running, walking, outdoor sports, and eating new food. So far, a burger with lettuce and tomato is his favorite American food.
When asked what he would tell a kid from Mexico who wanted to follow their dream, the 21-year-old advised them to follow their dreams, capitalize on any opportunities, and work hard.
“The more you work, the better results you’re gonna have,” Pérez de Lara said. “There’s gonna be setbacks, but if one door closes, another one opens. So just keep the work (up) and trust the process.”
