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Rookie Daniel Suárez is improving with the help of the driver he replaced, Carl Edwards

Daniel Suárez has a gigantic void to fill in his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.

Although four races into the 2017 schedule, the rookie appears to be transitioning up from the XFINITY Series – where he was the 2016 champion – fairly seamlessly with his best finish so far on Sunday in the Camping World 500, placing seventh.

But Suárez tossed much of the credit for his swift improvement to the crucial help provided by the driver he replaced: Carl Edwards, who unexpectedly stepped away from racing in January after 13 years in the Cup Series.

To the new No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) Toyota driver, Edwards’ support and shared knowledge is more than welcomed.

“It’s always good to have someone with the experience that he has helping me in this new chapter of my career,” the 25-year-old driver told For The Win.

Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Suárez said they text nearly every week and he got on-track help from the veteran at the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 in Atlanta – finishing 21st – and before the season during a test run at the Phoenix International Raceway.

“He’s been very, very helpful and, for sure, (it’s) just important to have his help moving into the Cup Series,” Suárez said. “It’s a hard step. It’s one of those things that takes time and takes a process to be competitive, and to have help from someone like him helps me to make that process a little bit easier.”

Etching himself into NASCAR history, Suárez was the first foreign-born driver to win a national series championship last season, and this year, he became the first Mexican national to compete in the Cup Series.

Along with helping him elevate his racing, Edwards is also offering guidance on Suárez’s new JGR team, where he spent his final two Cup Series seasons.

Former NASCAR driver Carl Edwards (right) talks with Daniel Suarez and crew chief Dave Rogers at Atlanta Motor Speedway. (Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)

Suárez said the most beneficial advice he’s received from Edwards is about how best to communicate with his new team – not just the pit crew but also fellow JGR drivers Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth.

But, as Edwards told ESPN.com earlier this month, he’s only going to be “at the race track as a tool for Daniel to pick (his) brain if he wants.”

The rookie and retired driver are also together in a new SUBWAY commercial – briefly seen talking in a garage for Suárez’s first national TV ad. The sandwich company is sponsoring the No. 19 car in four races this season, including Sunday’s Auto Club 400 in Fontana, California.

With the excitement over it noticeable in his voice, Suárez described Edwards’ role in the commercial as “very cool” – just one more area where the seasoned vet is lending a hand to the newcomer.

In the commercial, Suárez says he wants “to be the last person anyone wants to see in the rearview mirror. I came here to race.”

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