The story of NASCAR and Mexico could never take shape, it was not for two brothers: Carlos and Enrich Contrars – two Mexicans who arrived in the world’s leading stock car divisions. Some people may call their Uday a lucky break, but those who knew him looked like a Destiny.
While Daniel Suarez is the first Mexican to win in the NASCAR Cup series and the first non-American to win the national series championship, Carlos Contraras became the first Hispanic driver to compete in a full session in one of the top three divisions of NASCAR-one achievement that once looked beyond his dreams.
The life of Carlos Contraras was focused on reaching Indycar, following the path determined by a Mexican sponsor Hurdase, which helped the Mario Domingues and Mitchell Jersedan Junior in the open-wheel series. However, during the visit of one of the domingues races – where the NASCAR truck chain was organizing an initial program, the contrarus brothers fell in love with NASCAR.
Steps for nascar
Carlos contrarus
By photo: Michael c. Johnson
Once it set this goal, he went for it.
The next step towards NASCAR was leaving Mexico and local Mustang series to debut in the truck chain. She began at the end of the 1999 season at Fontana Oval, California, which is the same weekend, Edran Fernandez won the same track in Indicar.
“It was a weekend where I didn’t even know what I was doing,” he told Motorsport.com. “I ever got into a truck without practicing. I had never drove NASCAR’s car, not even in the lower categories. The only thing that I had run was Mustangs in Mexico. We did not run on the ovaries. They were 45 minutes of race on the small circuit. I wanted to run on a superspart, we ran on the seventh, and the 14 Stay in place.
That performance inspired Kyle Paytm to meet him in Team Holer. “In my first race, as we mentioned, he came and entered my trailer and when he told me, I was surprised, ‘You have a visitor’, and I saw him. He shook my hand, shook my hand, introduced himself and said, ‘Whatever you have done is just a great job. You are not watching all.
Inducement
Carlos contrarus
Photo by: Earl Ma
Contraras’s strong performance performed its first full season in 2000, and if California was impressive, Detona was ranked 13th. However, there were many limitations behind the results that he himself accepted, mainly due to lack of experience with nascar-style racing.
“I remember that there were races where I (brother) used to ask Enrique, ‘Where did you bring me?” I was not ready for this type of racing.
“I had no experience. That first year, I did not know the track, banking did not know, every track was a new adventure. I was going to the blind. Still, we managed to get good results, such as when we led when we led in Watkins Glenn.”
There was also another factor that was holding him back. Recalling the Enrique Contraction, “Lack of English. My brother did not say much English. It was difficult at first, but we managed to get it through it.”
With those results, Carlos was signed by the box enterprises for the race in 2001.
“It was important for him to run with him because he is a legend. It was a big change for me because we came from a very humble team – great, but humble – and suddenly we were with a completely different team. Earlier, I had to take my Namex suit home, washed it, and until it was discovered, I was ready for a personal team.”
However, the results did not come. Commercially, number 43 trucks became very popular. “It was not a winning team at the time, but when Hot Wheels arrived with number 43, it became a reputed team, which also promoted the popularity of Carlos Contraras. To date, he is still recognized by the NASCAR community in the United States.
“It’s incredible, it’s amazing, and it really feels good,” said the Mexican driver, who unfortunately had only three full sessions through 2002, when the toy company cut its global sponsorship program.
“Sport-wise, I loved to win the race. We were very green overall. Even in the third year, it was still a learning process. NASCAR is not easy. I did not come through the system, and it was complex. But when we were able to fight, we did some very good race-we also led many.”
A welcome atmosphere
Carlos contrarus
Photo by: Jack Durbin
While externally NASCAR can be considered as a tightly closed circle due to its southern roots, some unfortunate orthodoxy around which is hanging, Carlos Contraras never experienced discrimination.
“We were outsider, because no Mexican had ever run before, but it was that,” he remembers Enrique who traveled every race with Carlos.
Carlos said, “The moment we arrived, many people asked us what we need. Honestly, everyone opened my doors.
The success of the contrarass also helped to take the first step towards NASCAR for the diversity program, as well as an initiative to lay the foundation of NASCAR Mexico through his brother Enrique’s truck chain project – an initiative that developed and finally helped to bring the cup series to Mexico.
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