Entry List: Tifft Headlines XFINITY Series O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge

The NASCAR XFINITY Series returns this weekend to Texas Motor Speedway for the second race in its Chase Round of 8 following two off weeks. Just two more races remain before the field will be cut to the Championship 4 who will compete for an XFINITY title at Homestead.

As of Monday, there are 40 cars entered for Saturday’s race, the 31st of 33 scheduled this season. That means all drivers will qualify barring any entry list updates.

Matt Tifft leads the list of XFINITY part-timers competing; he’ll jump in Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 for the sixth time this season. Tifft has finished inside the top 10 in each of his last four starts, including a fifth-place run at Kentucky following his return from brain tumor surgery.

25-year-old Corey Lajoie also returns to the series driving the JGL Racing “Young Guns” No. 24 Toyota. Lajoie has two straight top-10 finishes in the car, including a career-best sixth-place run at Dover and hopes to build on that momentum at Texas.

Defending race winner Brad Keselowski returns behind the wheel of the No. 22 for Team Penske this weekend. He is currently winless in the XFINITY Series this season, earning only four top-5 finishes in 13 starts. If Keselowski is unable to break through for a win before the season ends, it will snap his eight-year streak of scoring at least one victory in the series.

Saturday’s field also features one Cup Chase contender; Kevin Harvick will pilot the No. 88 for JR Motorsports in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge. Harvick has five series wins at Texas, but none since 2012 although he was second in this race one year ago. Four of those career victories at Texas have come in the November race.

Action from this 1.5-mile oval begins on Friday with two practice sessions, the first at 2:30 p.m. and second at 5 p.m. (all times ET). Qualifying begins at 11:45 a.m. on Saturday followed by the race at 3 p.m. on NBC.