Big Names Competing in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300

Photo - Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Photo – Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Nothing gets the fans more excited than seeing their favorite drivers and this Friday they will get the chance to see all the NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers and some of the top NASCAR Sprint Cup Series contenders competing at Texas Motor Speedway Friday night in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300.

NASCAR’s most popular driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be back in the JR Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet this weekend. Earnhardt has made two starts this season posting one top-ten and an average finish of 11.0. He has made seven starts at Texas, posting one win (first series career win; 1998), three top-fives, five top-tens and an average finish of 8.7. He finished fifth in this race last season.

2010 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, Brad Keselowski will drive the No. 22 Ford this weekend with crew chief Greg Erwin. Team Penske’s No. 22 Ford now leads the car owner standings by eight points over JR Motorsports’ No. 88 Chevrolet. This will be Keselowski’s third start of the season. Keselowski has made 14 series career starts at Texas posting one win (2013), eight top-fives, ten top-tens and an average finish of 11.4.

2013 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Austin Dillon will be in the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet at Texas. The No. 33 is now fifth in the owner standings 37 points back from the lead. Dillon has made five series starts at Texas posting threetop-fives and an average finish of 5.2.

Sam Hornish Jr will drive the No. 98 Ford owned by Fred Biagi this weekend. Hornish has made eight series starts at Texas posting one top-five, three top-tens and an average finish of 16.0.

Denny Hamlin will be in the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in place of the injured Kyle Busch. Hamlin has 11 Xfinity Series starts at Texas with six top-fives and eight top-tens.

Watch the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway, Friday, April 10th at 8:30 pm ET. Fox Sports 1 begins their pre-race coverage at 8 pm ET.

Fan4Racing with Catchfence NASCAR Weekend Preview – April 9, 2015

Hey race fans, catch our NASCAR Weekend Preview with host Sharon Burton from Fan4Racing, co-host Chris Knight from Catchfence and Fan4Racing writer, Zach Roethlisberger.

We’re chatting about all the hottest topics and what fans can expect at the track over the upcoming weekend of NASCAR Xfinity and Sprint Cup Series racing at Texas Motor Speedway and K&N West at Irwindale Speedway. We’ll bring  guests from around the NASCAR world to give their perspective too.

Our guest is Tim Clagg, broadcaster for the ARCA Racing Series to help us preview the Troop Aid 200 at Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville this weekend.

This is an interactive show, so give us a call at 714-202-9918 to join the conversation or tweet us your questions/comments during the LIVE broadcast @Fan4RacingSite @Knighter01 @ZRoethlisberger.

Check Out Sports Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with Fan vs Fan Radio Network on BlogTalkRadio

Our show starts at 8:30 pm ET on Thursday, April 9, 2015.

Thanks for Listening!

Throwback Thursday: Texas Motor Speedway Milestones and Memories

Photo - Getty Images
Photo – Getty Images

With a week off from racing action in NASCAR’s top-three series, just thinking about the action this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway just has to get every fan excited. So for this Throwback Thursday, I’m taking a few moments to recall some milestones and memories throughout the history of the Lone Star track. Continue reading →

Throwback Thursday: NASCAR Hall of Fame Nominee Isaac has ‘Big’ Win in Texas

BobbyIsaac

In a record-setting season, one race stood above all for NASCAR Hall of Fame (NHOF) nominee Bobby Isaac. Despite setting a still-standing NASCAR record with 19 pole awards and winning a career-high 17 races, Isaac most cherished his 1969 season-ending victory at Texas World Speedway.

The two-mile track in College Station, Texas, was built as a ‘sister track’ to Michigan International Speedway, which also hosted its first NASCAR premier series race in 1969.  Its inaugural race, the Texas 500, was dominated by NHOF nominee Buddy Baker who led 150 laps in a Cotton Owens owned Dodge.  Baker coughed up the potential victory, however, when he crashed under caution trying to read the pit board with 21 laps remaining. Isaac was in position to snatch the win, and led 19 of the final 21 laps to end the season in Victory Lane.  Continue reading →