NASCAR O'Reilly Series

With the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series in Texas this weekend and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heading to Rockingham, this weekend marks the first split schedule between the three series and the first night races of the season at Texas.

Larger than life figures who built NASCAR lap by lap and bolt by bolt from the post-World War II era into the 21st century comprise the 25 nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2014.

NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Jeffrey Earnhardt will be making his Texas Motor Speedway debut this Friday, April 12th in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 racing the #79 Uponor Ford Mustang for Go Green Racing.

Two Camry drivers earned top-five finishes in Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race at Virginia's Martinsville Speedway -- Clint Bowyer (second) and Kyle Busch (fifth). Mark Martin (10th) also earned a top-10 result subbing for injured Denny Hamlin. Camry drivers led 153 laps (of 500) with Matt Kenseth pacing the field for 96 laps, Busch out in front for 56 laps and Travis Kvapil leading one lap.

Johanna Long and the ML Motorsports team are eager to get back to NASCAR Nationwide Series racing action this Friday, April 12 at Texas Motor Speedway.The O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 can be seen and heard live beginning at 8:30 pm ET on ESPN2 as well as MRN and PRN Radio.

Chris Buescher heads back home to Texas to make his fourth NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) start overall, and his second this season for Roush Fenway Racing (RFR). Buescher previously competed at Bristol Motor Speedway in the No. 16 Ford Mustang, finishing seventh. Friday’s race marks Buescher’s first NNS start at Texas Motor Speedway.

Travis Pastrana will make his first start at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) this weekend. Pastrana previously competed at TMS in Global RallyCross last season, finishing 15th.

In 71 starts at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) dating back to 1997, RCR has recorded one win (Jeff Burton, April 2007), eight top-five and 27 top-10 finishes with drivers Burton, Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Green and Paul Menard. Prior to TMS's inaugural season in 1997, Richard Childress, a former driver in NASCAR's top division, earned a pair of top-10 finishes at the now defunct Texas World Speedway

Michael McDowell is taking the reins of the No. 00 SR2 Motorsports Toyota this week at Texas Motor Speedway. He'll be making his sixth Nationwide Series start at the 1.5-mile oval in Friday night's O'Reilly Auto Parts 300. McDowell has two top-20s. His best finish is 17th place, which he scored in 2009.

Bowman will pilot RAB Racing chassis No. 42 in Friday night's NASCAR Nationwide Series race. This chassis last saw action at Auto Club Speedway two weeks ago, when Bowman piloted this Toyota Camry to a 12th-place finish.