NASCAR O'Reilly Series

Johanna Long and the ML Motorsports team will head to Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) for this Saturday’s Dollar General 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race. For coverage of the 200-lap event, watch and listen live on ESPN2, SiriusXM Channel 90 and MRN Radio starting at at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Aric Almirola will make his return to NASCAR Nationwide Series competition for the first time since competing full-time in 2011 when he finished fourth in the point standings. Almirola will substitute for Michael Annett, who was injured in a crash at Daytona International Speedway, in the No. 43 Flying J Ford at Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway.

SEASON DEBUT: At Daytona International Speedway in the inaugural races of the 2013 season, Toyota driver Kyle Busch gave the new NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Camry its first victory when he won one of the qualifying 'Duels' last Thursday. In the Daytona 500, veteran driver Mark Martin registered a third-place result in the 55th running of the Daytona 500 and rookie Alex Bowman (third) and Parker Kligerman (fifth) earned top-five results in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) race at Daytona.

Blake Koch is taking the wheel of the No. 24 SR2 Motorsports Toyota in this week's Dollar General 200 at Phoenix International Raceway. It will mark his fifth Nationwide Series start at the one-mile oval. His best finish to date is 14th place, which he achieved in 2011.

HEADRUSH Brand Apparel Inc. is joining Jason White at Phoenix International Raceway as sponsor of the SR2 Motorsports No. 00 Toyota Camry for the Dollar General 200. The race will mark White's first Nationwide Series event at Phoenix. He has five starts in the Camping World Truck Series, earning a best finish of 10th place, which he scored in 2011.

First Race in the Books...Piquet Jr. kicked off his NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) full-season campaign in the No. 30 WORX Chevrolet at the DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway this past weekend. During the final practice session, the Brazilian driver finished inside the top five, showing he was a threat for the victory in the season-opening event. During the 300-mile event on Saturday afternoon, Piquet Jr. worked his way up from the 17th starting position and completed of all the scheduled 150 laps, finishing in 11th place.

Ordinary NASCAR fans enjoying the Nationwide Series race Saturday afternoon acted heroically when fellow race fans were injured following the last lap crash. No fan expected to be in danger when they entered the Speedway that day but, when disaster struck, fans helped fans to make sure everyone was alright.

RCR at "The Desert Jewel" ... Team owner Richard Childress has four victories at Phoenix International Raceway, ranking him third on the all-time car owner victories list at the Avondale, Ariz.,-based facility. This includes RCR's most recent points-paying NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win with driver Kevin Harvick last November; and Harvick's sweep of both races at PIR in 2006.

Jimmie Johnson has his second Daytona 500, Chad Knaus has his first, and Dale Earnhardt Jr finished second again. Some will remember the race more for Danica Patrick starting at the pole, leading some laps, staying up front all day, and finishing eighth. Still, even more people will remember the weekend at Daytona for what took place the day before at the end of the Nationwide race.

Daytona International Speedway, the World Center of Racing. It oozes passion and history. No matter how many times you come back, you still get chills when you go through the tunnel or get onto the high banks.