IMSA and Trans-Am star Cameron Lawrence will return to NASCAR at his home track Circuit of the Americas on 25 March when he enters the Xfinity Series race in the #66 Toyota GR Supra for MBM Motorsports. It will be his first time racing in the Xfinity Series after débuting in the Truck Series two years prior.
Lawrence finished ninth in the 2022 Trans-Am TA2 standings with three podiums and a sixth in the season finale at COTA. He won the championship in 2013 and 2014.
For 2023, he is competing in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge for Turner Motorsport in a BMW M4 GT4 with Robert Megennis. Last Thursday, the team scored a 1-2 finish at the 12 Hours of Sebring with Lawrence and Megennis in second.
When NASCAR began visiting COTA in 2021, Lawrence was entrusted with the #33 truck by Reaume Brothers Racing. Despite an impressive qualifying effort in which he started seventh, he finished last due to mechanical trouble.
“We certainly surprised everyone with our top-ten qualifying effort in the NASCAR Truck Series in 2021, and we have the chance to surprise people again,” said Lawrence. “I look forward to working with MBM Motorsports and having a strong run in their Toyota Supra. I’m hopeful this opportunity will foster future growth in the NACAR Xfinity Series.”
Baltazar Leguizamón was supposed to pilot the #66 at COTA in his maiden NASCAR start, but the plan was aborted for now due to a lack of funding.
“While this news may come as a disappointment, we want to express our appreciation for all the support we have felt from the fans in Argentina and throughout South America,” reads a team statement. “Leguizamón and the MBM team remain on good terms, and the possibility of a debut later in the 2023 season remains on the table, if funding can be acquired.”
MBM’s #66 struggled to start the 2023 season, failing to qualify thrice with Timmy Hill, Mason Maggio, and Dexter Stacey while making two starts with Hill and Caesar Bacarella. The entry is fortieth in owner points with Hill holding its best finish of thirty-second at Fontana.
