NASCAR Cup Series Driver Daniel Suárez will have a meet and greet at Fairmont City Library at Noon on Friday, June 3.

Suárez’s racing career began in his native Mexico in 2003. His initial foray into motorsports came via a family acquaintance, whose son was into karting. A young Suárez ventured out to the track with the family for fun, but immediately caught the racing bug. Over the next few years, Suárez dedicated himself to karting. He became a two-time Mexican national karting champion (2004 and 2008) and twice earned a spot to compete in the Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals karting event: 2004 in Spain and 2008 in Italy.

Suárez augmented his karting in 2008 with a full schedule of mini-stock races, an official NASCAR PEAK Mexico support series featuring four-cylinder stock cars. He finished the season with the most wins and returned on a part-time basis in 2009 as he reached for the next rung on the racing ladder.

Suárez made his NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series debut on Sept. 6, 2009 at Autodromo Miguel E. Abed in Amozoc, Mexico. He finished 14th in the first of his four races that year before embarking on a full-time season in 2010. With five top-10 results highlighted by a best finish of fifth on Aug. 22 at Autodromo de Monterrey, Suárez won the 2010 Rookie of the Year award.

Here’s what else is happening in the area:

THURSDAY, JUNE 2

• Alton Night Market: 7-10 p.m., lot adjacent to Jacoby Arts Center, 627 E. Broadway, Alton. Every Thursday from June 2-July 28.

• Grafton Music in the Park: 7-9 p.m., Grove Memorial Park, Grafton. The Owlz will perform.

• Experience HU the Sound of Soul: Noon-1 p.m.,  River Bend Yoga, 100 W. 3rd St., Alton.

• The Gusto: 7-11 p.m., Fast Eddie’s Bon Air, 1530 E. 4th St., Alton.

• Quarter Auction: 6:30-9:30 p.m., The Alton Moose Lodge, 526 E. Delmar Ave., Alton.

• Lanny and Julie: 6-9 p.m., Big Daddy’s Edwardsville, 132 N. Main St., Edwardsville.

• Thursday Night Trivia: 7-9 p.m., The Hall, 7132 Marine Road, Edwardsville.

• Pennsylvania Slim: 5-8 p.m., Gulf Shores Restaurant and Grill, 215 Harvard Drive, Edwardsville.

• Scott and Mechelle: 7:30-9:30 p.m., The Eagles Lodge, 2558 Madison Ave., Granite City.

• Brighton Farmers’ Market: 4-7 p.m., Schneider Park, 414 N. Maple St., Brighton. Every Thursday until Oct. 6

• East Alton History Museum Open: 1-4 p.m., East Alton History Museum, 119 N. Main St., East Alton.

• The National Alliance on Mental Illness Southwestern Illinois Zoom Meetings: 7-8:30 p.m. Registration is required to receive the link to the meetings. Email Pat Rudloff, silverlining6@charter.net to register.

• A Course in Miracles: 1 p.m., New Bethel UMC, 131 N. Main St., Glen Carbon. For more information, call 618-288-7910 or 618-698-5088.

• Karaoke with DJ Toni: 8 p.m.-Midnight, Martin’s Tunes & Eats, 575 S. 6th St., Wood River.

• Karaoke Thursday: 6:30-10 p.m., Holiday Shores Marina, 100 Elm Drive, Edwardsville.

• Cornhole Tournament: 9-11 p.m., Hotshots Sports Bar & Grill, 2511 IL-157, Edwardsville.

• The Roundtable: 4-7 p.m., AOS Alternative Office Space, 219 Eastgate Plaza, East Alton.

• Xtreme Bar Bingo: 7-9 p.m., Edison’s Entertainment Complex, 2477 S. State Route 157, Edwardsville.

FRIDAY, JUNE 3

• World of Outlaws Late Models Series: 2 p.m., Tri-County Speedway, 5100 Nameoki Road, Granite City.

• NASCAR Cup Series Driver Daniel Suárez visit: Noon, Fairmont City Library, 4444 Collinsville Road, Fairmont City.

• Rise Exhibition Opening: 6-8 p.m., Jacoby Arts Center, 627 E. Broadway, Alton.

• Almost Dangerous Unplugged: 6-10 p.m., Flock & Food Truck Park, 210 Ridge St., Alton.

• Olive Oil Marketplace 10 Year Celebration: 4:30 p.m., Olive Oil Marketplace Alton, 108 W. 3rd St., Alton.

• Lazy Lester: 7 p.m., The Lodge at The Lovejoy, 401 Piasa St., Alton.

• PB&J: 8 p.m.-Midnight, Chez Marilyn, 119 W. 3rd St., Alton.

• The Tragg Band: 7-11 p.m., Russell E. Dunham Memorial Post #1308, 4445 N. Alby St., Alton

• Anthony Nanney and Co.: 2-6 p.m., Fast Eddie’s Bon Air, 1530 E. 4th St., Alton.

• Whiskey Dixon: 7:30-11:30 p.m., Fast Eddie’s Bon Air, 1530 E. 4th St., Alton.

• The Stubblefield Band: 7-11 p.m., Bakers and Hale, 7120 Montclair Ave., Godfrey.

• Godfrey – Ridgebrook Subdivision Yard Sales: 7-11 a.m., 2119 Ridgebrook Lane, Godfrey.

• LGBTQ+ Youth Group Kickoff: 6-9 p.m., Rainbow House, 808 N Main St., Edwardsville.

• Number4Combo: 7-10 p.m., 1818 Chophouse, 6170 Bennett Drive, Edwardsville.

• Unite Worship Night: 6:30 p.m., New Hope Church, 903 N. 2nd St., Edwardsville.

• Strangers: 6-9 p.m., Big Daddy’s Edwardsville, 132 N. Main St., Edwardsville.

• Lanny and Julie: 7-11 p.m., Edwardsville Moose Lodge, 7371 Marine Road, Edwardsville.

• Rick Schroeder: 3-7 p.m., The Terrace at Aerie’s Resort Event Venue, 601 Timber Ridge, Grafton.

• Steve and Jackie: 6-10 p.m., Grafton Pub, 225 W. Main St., Grafton.

• Dave Caputo: 5-9 p.m., The Loading Dock, 401 Front St., Grafton.

• For information about Al-Anon Meetings, call 618-463-2429. To find more helpful meeting, visit SIAFG.org and District-18.org.

dylan.suttles@thetelegraph.com