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Germán Quiroga was number one for the third consecutive season in the NASCAR Mexico Series presented by Toyota. OCESA

CHAMPION PROFILE: Three For Quiroga

Setting the standard again in the Mexico Series
By Luis Aveleyra, OCESA
December 6, 2011 - 11:01am

en español

The name of Germán Quiroga is becoming synonymous with the most consistent driver in NASCAR Mexico Series history. Over the last five seasons, he has scored the last three championships and finished as the runner-up for the 2007 and 2008 seasons as he chases his dream of becoming the first Mexican-born driver to compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

nmsppt_champ11-4c_150.jpgQuiroga, the 31-year-old Mexico City native, has become the face of the Mexican series that continues to grow with car counts in excess of 30 for all 14 events this season. His 17 career wins, nine of which have come in the last three seasons, ranks second on the series’ all-time list behind only Rogelio López, who leads with 20. In fact, Quiroga has won at least one event in each season he has competed in the series.

Perhaps more impressively, Quiroga has registered 62 top-five and 75 top-10 finishes in 95 career starts. That’s just 20 times in seven seasons that he has finished outside the top 10. Consistency wins championships and it’s difficult to argue with Quiroga’s numbers and easy to rationalize the success.

The 2011 season proved to be just another example of his steady performance. Despite not winning a race in the first half of the season, Quiroga scored top fives on five occasions to firmly plant himself atop the point standings. It was down the stretch –championship time – when he flexed his muscle by winning three of the final five races of the year including a dramatic win on Nov. 6 in Aguascalientes in a green-white-checkered finish to clinch the title.

CHAMPION PHOTO GALLERY | CHAMPION CAR OWNER: Monica Morales | CHAMPION CREW CHIEF: Marco Paez

“At the beginning of the season I was very anxious to get a win, but for different reasons it didn’t happen,” said Quiroga. “But I knew that I had to keep calm to get it and so it happened at Queretaro and fortunately two more times.”

He gained control of the points lead following the third race of the season – a second-place effort at Aguascalientes – and never surrendered it the rest of the way. Now with three, Quiroga remains as the only driver in series history with more than one championship.

“This was another important step to reach my dream to compete full-time in a NASCAR national series,” he said. “My goals are focused on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, but I know that this process takes several steps and I’ll take every single one to make it happen.”

When the dust cleared in November, Quiroga was the owner of three race wins, 11 top fives and 12 top 10s to go along with two pole wins behind the wheel of his familiar No. 2 TELCEL/FedEx Dodge. The only two times he finished outside the top 10 were 12th-place showing at Querétaro in June – which he avenged with a winner later in the season – and a 17th-place effort in October at Puebla where he fell victim to a pit road penalty that proved a little too much to overcome.

After three championships, Quiroga hopes to move on to bigger things for 2012 and beyond as he continues to chase his dream.

The following are highlights from Quiroga's championship season:

Quiroga Gets Querétaro Victory | Quiroga Continues Push At San Luis Potosí | Quiroga Clinches Mexico Crown In Style