Nick Sanchez: The Miami Native Paving New Roads for Latinos in NASCAR
In the NASCAR racing world, speed and determination rule the track. Miami native Nick Sanchez knew this from the moment he started his racing career.
“In racing, it doesn’t matter where you’re from, your background, your culture, everyone wants to win,” he tells mitú. “Everyone wants to compete and do their best.”
The 22-year-old Cuban American won the Sunoco Rookie of the Year award in 2023 and earned his first career win at the Daytona International Speedway’s 2024 season opener.
Most recently, Scott Borchetta, CEO/Owner of Big Machine Racing, announced Nick Sanchez will drive the #48 Big Machine Vodka SPIKED Coolers Chevrolet in the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series. This way, Sanchez joins Big Machine Racing from the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, where he has won twice this season, driving the No. 2 Gainbridge Chevy Silverado with Rev Racing.
In his third season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Sanchez is not only turning heads but rewriting the narrative of what it means to be a rising star in the fiercely competitive world of motorsports.
However, behind the wheel of his No.2 Chevy, he’s still a kid from Miami whose passion was ignited by his father at a young age.
“What got me into racing was my dad’s love for cars. From a young age, I loved anything with an engine,” he shares. “Eventually, that got to the point where I wanted to become a racecar driver. There wasn’t a certain thing that made me want to race. There wasn’t a certain driver that made me want to race. It was just the art of racing that I fell in love with. I was fortunate enough to pursue that.”
Now, a part of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program, he’s become a role model for Latinos on and off the track.
When passion and culture collide
Beyond the accolades and triumphs, Sanchez’s perseverance and unyielding determination are helping him pave a new way for Latinos in NASCAR. His road to success included challenges, obstacles, and an adaptation process.
“I’ve been very fortunate. The sport has been very welcoming. But, initially, I’m Cuban American—my dad’s from Havana, Cuba, and I’m living in Miami—and the culture, the people, and the racing you do are different,” he explains. I raced on a circuit that had more Latinos than Americans. My mechanic only spoke Spanish growing up.”
Adding, “Then you move up to a place like Charlotte, North Carolina—talk about a culture shock. There are just a lot of differences when working with people. Latino culture and American culture are a little different in the racing world. It was definitely quite different. I had to adjust to it.”
However, his adaptation paid off, with fans seeing themselves reflected in his success and hoping to one day mirror his achievements.
“Every race, at least one or two people come up to me and say, ‘We have the same last name,’” he says. It’s an instant bond because, in racing, you don’t see too many Sanchezes; you don’t see too many Suarezes.”
He continues, “It’s a unique name to have in this industry, and when someone with the same last name or a Latino name sees you thrive in a sport that isn’t predominantly Latino, it might inspire them to watch more, to look in ways to get in the sport.”
For Sanchez, inspiring Latino kids to pursue NASCAR is immensely rewarding.
“A lot of young Latino kids may show some interest when they see someone from the Latino community in the sport,” he says. “So it’s pretty cool to connect and realize how big of a deal that was.”
The importance of diversity and representation
As part of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program, Sanchez has seen the positive effects of diversity for racing. After all, you can’t be what you can’t see.
The NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program was created in 2004 to develop and train top drivers from diverse backgrounds and experiences, both on and off the track. Rev Racing, which operates the program, brings together championship-caliber executives, competition staff, and equipment in a unique academy-style environment. The team owned by Max and Jennifer Siegel is based in Concord, N.C.
Since the program’s inception, several graduates have moved on to compete at the national series level, achieving important milestones. Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace, and Daniel Suárez are currently in the NASCAR Cup Series, and all three have left their mark in history books.
“The diversity programs help me immensely. I give them a great deal of credit for why I am where I am right now,” Sánchez says. “As you know, in this sport, it’s really hard to make it. There are so many reasons: funding, connections… And living in Miami, I was very disconnected from all that.”
He explained that the program provided him “an opportunity to race, fully funded, which is hard in this sport.”
Shánchez added that the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program opened an opportunity to make it in on talent “and also bring a new culture to the sport with me.”
“It’s a great program. I highly recommend any Latino driver to look into it because it really, really can make a difference.”
You can find more information on driver eligibility here.
While Sánchez hopes to continue racing in the future, his best advice to the Latino community is to open their eyes to the opportunities the sport has to offer.
“I think it’s definitely a path for Latinos in America, really all over the world, to have a career in NASCAR,” he says. It might look a little bit different from the outside, looking in on where we race, how we race, and the culture, but I think it’s a great experience. I’m sure you’ll start to see many young Latino drivers come in and ask our next school year.”
