NASCAR O'Reilly Series

Perdue Foods will be riding along with Jeffrey Earnhardt when he challenges Richmond International Raceway in Friday’s ToyotaCare 250 Nationwide Series race. JD Motorsports with Gary Keller announced the Perdue sponsorship Tuesday. The partnership renews a very special relationship for Perdue, which once worked with and sponsored Dale Earnhardt Sr., Jeffrey’s grandfather and one of NASCAR’s all-time greatest drivers.

Austin Theriault will make his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut this season, as JR Motorsports has signed him to drive three races in the No. 5 Chevrolet.

"Richmond is another track that I've never been to. I've heard it's fun and a little tricky, but one good thing is that Philippe (Lopez) and the team have run well there in the past. They have the baseline figured out, so it will be about going there and turning laps and getting used to the track.

"Each year I look forward to race at my hometown track in front of my loyal Virginia fan base. My excitement level is higher than normal, since this week I'll be running a special green paint scheme on my No. 11 OneMain Financial Toyota.

Richard Childress has nine NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories as a car owner at Richmond International Raceway - five with Dale Earnhardt, three with Kevin Harvick and one with Clint Bowyer. Additionally, in 141 starts at the Richmond, Va. track, RCR drivers have claimed 36 top-five and 65 top-10 finishes.

Many NASCAR fans are hoping history repeats itself this season for Dale Earnhardt Jr. In 2004 when Dale Jr. claimed the Daytona 500, he went on to win at NASCAR’s Most Competitive Track – Talladega Superspeedway – that same year. Dale Jr. won the season-opening Daytona 500 this year, and fans hoping to see a repeat performance at Talladega live and in person have some incredible ticket offers to choose from for the Aaron’s Dream Weekend, May 2-4.

Friday Night Under the Lights...After a cut left-front tire spoiled the No. 99 RAB Racingteams chances for their first top-10 of the season at Darlington Raceway, the Rheem team comes to Richmond regrouped and looking to string together some solid results.

We could probably name 50 activities to guarantee a memorable April 25 & 26 NASCAR race weekend at Richmond International Raceway, but we’re paring that list down to the Top 5 things every fan should do while at America’s Premier Short Track for the TOYOTA OWNERS 400 weekend.

Next Friday at Richmond International Raceway, NASCAR will introduce their new group of NASCAR Next stars. NASCAR chooses a group of young individuals coming up the racing ranks that the fans should keep an eye on the future.

Kyle Busch’s tenure in racing is developing like Mark Martin’s, producing victories but not scoring the ultimate goal: championships.