After four years of competing for underfunded teams in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Nick Leitz is getting the biggest opportunity of his career to date.
The Chesapeake, Virginia-native is set to get his first opportunity behind the wheel of top-tier equipment in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season-opener at Daytona International Speedway.
There’s a new kid in town. @NickLeitz_ will make his TRICON debut, piloting the @semproducts No. 5 at Daytona! pic.twitter.com/1mGzXDPXBo
— TRICON (@TRICONGarage) February 9, 2026
Leitz will be piloting the No. 5 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, the fifth entry for TRICON Garage, with SEM Products serving as the primary sponsor of the entry in the February 13 event.
The 29-year-old driver will be making his ninth career start in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series when the event gets underway, but his first on a superspeedway. In his previous starts, Leitz has a career-best finish of 19th-place twice, at Nashville Superspeedway and Phoenix Raceway in 2023.
In 2025, Leitz dedicated the majority of his focus to the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, running a 12-race schedule in the No. 07 Chevrolet for SS-GreenLight Racing, with a best finish of 11th at Talladega Superspeedway. Leitz also got the opportunity to run the season-finale in the No. 28 for RSS Racing, where he scored a top-20 result.
TRICON Garage will be fielding five entries in the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway, with full-time drivers Kaden Honeycutt (No. 11), Tanner Gray (No. 15), and Gio Ruggiero (No. 17), and a rotational vehicle (No. 1) with a driver yet to be announced.
The No. 5 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro ran the full NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule in 2025, with Toni Breidinger behind the wheel for her rookie campaign in the series. Heading to Daytona International Speedway, the entry sits 28th in Owner Points, meaning Leitz will likely need to make sure he has a solid qualifying lap in order to make the show.
The Fresh From Florida 250, the season-opener for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, will take place on Friday, February 13 at 7:30 PM ET from Daytona International Speedway. Coverage of the event will be on FOX Sports 1, NASCAR Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
