NASCAR O'Reilly Series

The NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) is coming off of a two-week hiatus going into the O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS). It will be the first night race of the season for the series and the second one-and-a-half mile track to appear on the schedule.

The O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway marks the first race for Landon Cassill in the No. 4 Flex Seal Chevrolet. Cassill, the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookies of the Year, comes to the team with a diverse racing experience including multiple starts in each of the top three NASCAR national racing series.

After a two week hiatus from NASCAR Nationwide Series racing, the JD Motorsports with Gary Keller team looks to Texas to continue their march to the front. Led by veteran driver Mike Wallace, the No. 01 G&K Services Chevrolet will attempt to extend their streak of top-25 finishes for the third week in a row.

For Josh Wise, the older the track surface the better. That's why he'll enjoy hitting Texas Motor Speedway this weekend for Saturday night's Sprint Cup Series race. The driver of the No. 35 MDS Transport Ford says he likes track surfaces that have aged over the years, such as Texas, and provide for tire fall-off.

How have you enjoyed your two off-weekends? “Basically I relaxed with the kids and watched the local boys race at the track where I grew up racing, Lonesome Pine Raceway. We also celebrated our oldest (Mabreigh) and youngest (Merritt) daughters’ birthdays while I was at home; the party was a Princess Jasmine theme. I had an enjoyable two weeks off, but I am ready to go back racing.”

Piquet Jr. will make his first career NNS start at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday night, having only previously raced at the 1.5-mile oval in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Piquet Jr., however, is no stranger to success in the Lone Star state with one pole, three top-five and four top-10 finishes to his credit.

Trevor Bayne earned his first career NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) win at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS). In five starts, Bayne holds an average running position of seventh and also ranks second in the number of quality passes (green-flag passes while in the top-15).

After a two-race initiation last year, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Carl Edwards will return to the ESPN broadcast booth as an analyst for the next three races in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

JR Motorsports announced yesterday that Jeffrey Earnhardt, nephew to team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr., will drive the team’s No. 5 Chevrolet in the April 26 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Richmond International Raceway. The announcement was made on JRM 360, a weekly video series housed on the team’s official website, JRMracing.com.

JD Motorsports with Gary Keller has inked a deal with Landon Cassill to be the primary driver of the No. 4 Flex Seal Chevrolet for the remainder of the 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series. The agreement covers all the companion events on the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule, beginning next week at Texas Motor Speedway.