Gates are now open for the second annual NASCAR Xfinity Series Pacific Office Automation 147 at Portland International Raceway (PIR). This year’s race weekend will again feature stock car racing from ARCA Menards Series West and the NASCAR Xfinity Series, plus exciting new event features join the schedule – live concerts from Grammy-nominated country music stars Sam Hunt and Brothers Osborne.
Today fans can enjoy a jam-packed schedule both on and off the track including NASCAR Youth Series quarter midget and Spec Miata racing, an ARCA Menards Series West driver autograph session and other fan activities in the Speed Zone on the southside of the front straightaway. The green flag drops on Friday’s feature race at 5:03 p.m. PT as ARCA Menards Series West drivers battle for 57 laps on the 1.97-mile, 12-turn track. After the checkered flag, festival goers can head to the infield to see Brothers Osborne and opening act Kendell Marvel perform.
Tomorrow (June 3) the NASCAR Xfinity Series takes to the circuit for the 147.75-mile feature race with the green flag waving at 1:46 p.m. PT. Following the celebration in victory lane, the Sam Hunt concert featuring opener Drew Green caps off Saturday’s festivities.
Saturday’s race will bring a number of interesting story lines to the permanent road course. Drivers at the top of the NASCAR Xfinity Series standings like first-place John Hunter Nemechek (477 points) and second-place Austin Hill (467) will continue to jockey for championship position. Other competitors are eager for a second chance at PIR, like Sam Mayer who finished last in the wet and wild 2022 Pacific Office Automation 147.
“Portland has varied characteristics to its racetrack, purely because of what the front stretch looks like with that first corner,” said Mayer, driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro for JR Motorsports. “Obviously, I got the short end of the stick last year, but we had a lot of speed in the wet weather conditions. So, maybe if it’s dry this year, it’ll be a little different for us. I’m looking forward to redemption either way.”
After qualifying fourth, Mayer crashed out of the race after completing only 12 laps in 2022. Despite a tough day in Portland, the now 20-year old finished seventh in the points standings in his first full NASCAR Xfinity Series. He enters the weekend at 11th in points for 2023.
The weekend will also feature two young local drivers making their ARCA Menards Series West debuts today. Caleb Shrader from Tigard, Ore. and Eric Johnson Jr. from La Center, Wash. will both pilot entries for Bill McAnally Racing on Friday.
“Racing locally in my hometown, just across the river in Washington, the support I feel from all the locals has been outstanding,” Johnson Jr. said. “I’m really hoping to put our best foot forward and make a good impression. I couldn’t be more excited.”
Tickets are available in advance or at the Pacific Office Automation 147 gates. All race tickets provide access to the daily post-racing live concerts positioned behind Grandstand K in the infield. Children 12 and under receive free general admission when accompanied by a ticketed adult. All ticket options and pricing are posted online at NASCARPortland.com.
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