The race is back on for Poole College senior Harrison Rhodes

A new number, a new car and a new racing team: Otherwise, NC State student Harrison Rhodes is ready for another full schedule of racing on NASCAR’s Xfinity Series.

Now a senior in the Poole College of Management, Rhodes has joined the Obaika Racing team and will drive its No. 97 car in the Powershares 300 on Saturday at the Daytona International Speedway. The race is slated to begin at 3:30 p.m.

Rhodes, a native of High Point, North Carolina, drew attention last year along pit road for his NC State racing suit and helmet, as he participated in 28 events on the Xfinity circuit. He had his best finish of the season, ninth overall, last July at Daytona.

“There will be some differences in driving with a new team, but I have my same crew chief, so that will make the transition a little smoother,” Rhodes says. “I’m just looking forward to another good year on the track.”

Rhodes, still carrying a full academic load in pursuit of his business degree, left Wednesday for this weekend’s race events, which will be his fourth start at NASCAR’s famed superspeedway. Last year, he caught the attention of racing fans for spending the week in Raleigh in class and the weekends on the road racing.

Don’t worry, though: He did all of his classwork before he left for Florida.