Nick Sanchez set to make O’Reilly Series return at Pocono
SANFORD, N.C. — Nick Sanchez will make his return to the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series starting with the next series event at Pocono Raceway.
He joins Peterson Motorsports in place of their current driver, Austin Green, in their No. 87 Chevrolet in four events starting at the tricky triangle.
Sanchez, 24, ran only a partial schedule in the series with AM Racing for the first seven races of the season before the operation folded for good after Martinsville.
Now, the former O’Reilly Series winner steps back into the drivers seat of another series ride after sitting out the last nine events.
“I am excited and ready for this opportunity with Peterson Racing”, stated Sanchez. “The Peterson Racing organization has all the pieces in place, and I hope to be a great asset to their growth. I have been in a similar situation before with their team alliance and am familiar with the people and processes.”
In addition to the Pocono event, Sanchez will pilot the No. 87 Chevrolet in three additional races – July 4th at Chicagoland Speedway, July 11th at EchoPark Speedway and July 25th at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“We are excited to have Nick join the Peterson Racing team,” stated Jody Measamer, crew chief for Peterson Racing.
“We are in a growth process with our program with our sights set on expanding to a multi-car operation in the future and this allows us to have a second driver in our cars at this point. The goal is to provide additional input and help us build our program further. Austin (Green) has been instrumental in our growth thus far and will continue to be a valuable asset to Peterson Racing.”
Austin Green
The full-time rookie of the year contender can take the opportunity to continue his strong road course performances in the series.
In 15 road course starts in the series, Green had finished inside the top ten in ten events with his career best finish coming at the Charlotte Roval in 2025.
“Of course, I am disappointed in not being in the car for a few races, but I welcome Nick to the team,” stated Green.
“Doug Peterson has done a lot to get this organization to this point, and I am committed to helping with our continued growth. I will be in Pocono, Chicago, Atlanta and Indianapolis to learn and help the team any way I can.” he concluded.
He will sit out in four of the next six events and his full-time continuation with the team afterwards is still yet to be decided.
The son of former 1994 series champion, David Green, started his first full campaign off on the wrong foot, But has shown improvement of late.
Green has scored finishes in the top-half of the field in four of the previous six races. He added two top ten’s during the same stretch with a tenth at Talladega and ninth at Watkins Glen.
His full personal statement on the matter can be found below.
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Ryan Kemna View All
Ryan Kemna is a photojournalist for The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2025.
Currently residing in the Minneapolis, MN, area, Kemna brings his passion for motorsports, photography, and a good story to readers.