Argentine driver Baltazar Leguizamon hopes to make NASCAR debut in 2023

There have been several international drivers who have successfully raced in recent years in NASCAR, the most prominent cases being those of Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, Brazilian Nelson Piquet Jr. and Mexican Daniel Suárez, the latter being the 2016 champion of the Xfinity Series and became a first-time winner the Cup Series this past season.

Now there is an Argentinean looking to continue the international – and Latin American – presence in NASCAR: Leguizamón, who is in advanced sponsorship talks to join the Xfinity Series in 2023 with MBM Motorsports.

“We are close to being able to race in NASCAR Xfinity next year with the MBM Motorsport, which was the team that opened the doors to the series for me,” Leguizamón, 22, told Motorsport.com.

“A manager I had in the United States called me a little over two months ago and contacted me with the team. We were talking and as soon as the idea of what to do started to close, the team contacted me with NASCAR, where I had a very important acceptance because everyone welcomed me and that was very good because it helped me to do everything quickly to get the license.”

Aiming for COTA debut

Leguizamón’s goal is to make his debut on the weekend of March 25 at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, will is the first of eight series races scheduled in 2023 to be held on road or street circuits.

“The idea is being able to complete the support, either in Argentina or in the United States. The team is helping me a lot with that part and the plan is to make my debut at the Circuit of the Americas, which is a track I know a lot,” he said.

Leguizamón’s experience at COTA comes from the years he raced in the U.S. in Formula 4, Formula 3 and Formula Atlantic, the latter series where he won the championship in 2018.

“It’s a serious project and the idea is to start at COTA. We are working and we are well set for that. The plan is to debut there and to be able to do the rest of this year’s events on mixed circuits,” he explained.

Leguizamón, who due to the pandemic had to stop racing at international level to focus on Argentina where he excelled in Top Race and recently made his debut in TC Mouras, confesses he has been a NASCAR fan for many years.

“I have always liked NASCAR. I always had Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon as my role models and when I heard about Richard Petty, when I was 12 years old, I started to follow him as well,” he said.

“For me, racing in NASCAR would be like touching the sky with my hands. From my point of view, it’s the biggest thing there is, beyond Formula 1, where I was close to achieving something very important at the time.

“But this in NASCAR is something concrete, it is a project that I see that can be done and we are very close to being able to do it. To be able to race in NASCAR, being the first Argentinean driver in history, is a huge pride.

“I still don't fully understand how big it is, but it is something very big.”