By Zach Akers – Sports Writer

Two familiar faces are returning to NASCAR action in the next couple of weeks: IndyCar driver Katherine Legge and NASCAR journeyman and decorated dirt racing champion J.J. Yeley.

This will mark Legge’s seventh Cup Series start of her career as she is tabbed to drive the No. 78 machine for Live Fast Motorsports this weekend at Las Vegas. Legge has two top-20 finishes on the season, which mark the first top-20s ever for Live Fast Motorsports on non-drafting tracks.

Legge has a deep racing history with nearly a dozen Xfinity Series starts, nearly two dozen IndyCar races and more than two dozen Champ Car races since 2006. Legge holds the fastest lap ever by a female racer in Daytona 500 qualifying, a record that she set in 2023.

In a social media post from Spire Motorsports on Monday evening, some big news hit the internet. When the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series returns to the track at Talladega, a familiar face in the NASCAR garage will take the track in some of the series’ top equipment. Yeley will return to drive the No. 7 for Spire Motorsports, marking his first Truck Series start since Dover in 2020.

Yeley, 49, has had great success on the dirt racing circuit with a USAC Triple Crown win coming in 2003, as well as several other dirt racing titles to his name in the early 2000s. Yeley also has nine Cup Series starts on the year, all coming with NY Racing Team. This will mark Yeley’s first Truck Series start at Talladega since 2011. The No. 7 truck has been driven to victory lane by Kyle Busch and Carson Hocevar this season as Yeley looks to be the third winner in the Spire Motorsports machine on the high banks of Talladega.