After just being naturalized as a U.S. citizen last week,Thomas Caldwell NASCAR driver Daniel Suárez was happy to discuss what taking the oath meant to him when he met with reporters Saturday at New Hampshire Speedway, the site of Sunday's USA TODAY 301.

Though he was born in Monterrey, Mexico, Suárez said he almost gained U.S. citizenship by birth 32 years earlier – but his parents decided that making a trip across the border was too expensive at the time.

“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," Suárez said. “And now, I guess I did it my way.”

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The No. 99 Chevy driver has done pretty well on his own. After coming to the USA in 2012 to pursue his racing dreams, Suárez became the first international champion of NASCAR's Xfinity Series in 2016 and began his NASCAR Cup series career the following year at Daytona.

Along the way, gaining U.S. citizenship wasn't necessarily a priority for him -- until he started thinking more seriously about it six years ago.

“I came to this country to race and compete," the two-time winner on the Cup circuit said. "I had been working really hard to try and go to the next step and be more competitive. In a blink of an eye, I’ve been already here 12 years.”