Baltazar Leguizamón’s quest to become the first driver from Argentina to start a NASCAR National Series start will continue in 2025 as the driver is set to pilot the No. 35 NASCAR Xfinity Series entry for Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen at Circuit of the Americas.
Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen announced the acquisition of the young talent on Wednesday morning via a social media post and graphic.
Welcome to the team @baltaleguizamon ! We are excited to have Baltazar driving our #35 @COTA ! He will be the FIRST ever Argentina to make a start in the @NASCAR_Xfinity pic.twitter.com/HNcWCnizWi
— Joey Gase Motorsports (@J_G_Motorsports) January 22, 2025
“Welcome to the team @baltaleguizamon! We are excited to have Baltazar driving our #35 @COTA,” the post from the team stated. “He will be the FIRST Argentina to make a start in the @NASCAR_Xfinity [Series].”
Leguizamón, who attempted but failed to make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut during the 2023 season as he missed the show in the No. 74 Mike Harmon Racing (then branded as CHK Racing) Chevrolet, will look to pull off his first start this time around.
Initially, Leguizamón, who was the first Argentine driver to ever hold a NASCAR National Series license, was hoping to make his debut start for MBM Motorsports, but when sponsorship funding dried up, Leguizamón landed with the Harmon team, which ultimately failed to make the race.
The 24-year-old is a road racer by trade, who worked his way up through the open-wheel ranks. Leguizamón finished second in the 2018 F3 Americas Championship point standings, and he won 10 of the 13 races in the 2018 Atlantic Championship Series in 2018, a season where he was crowned champion after defeating American racer Blake Mount by a margin of 99 points.
Leguizamón also picked up a victory in the Formula 4 Sudamericana Series in 2016, and a victory in the Formula 4 United States Championship Series in 2017, according to DriverDB.com.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Circuit of the Americas is set for Saturday, March 1. That race will be televised on The CW and coverage will kick off at 2:30 PM ET. Leguizamón will attempt to lock his place in the field through qualifying, which takes place on Friday, February 28 at 6:00 PM ET.
