RIDGEWAY, Va. (WPRI) — For the first time in 25 years, a Rhode Islander will be racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Tyler Tomassi is officially making his Xfinity Series debut Saturday at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia. Courtesy: Tyler Tomassi The 21-year-old from West Greenw ich started racing small cars, like bandoleros, in 2017 at Seekonk Speedway. From there, he jumped up to full-size stock cars and ran there before moving on to race in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. "It's really about who you know," Tomassi explained. "It was harder to find funding for it. You know, how to save up a lot of money to be able to afford to go and make my one off start." ALSO READ: NASCAR Xfinity Series announces 2025 schedule on The CW After running in both the Truck Series and ARCA Series last year, he decided he wanted to run some Xfinity races this year. Courtesy: Tyler Tomassi "Definitely excited to represent the state. Rhode Island is not known for its racing," Tomassi said. "It's cool to finally bring Rhode Island on to a big stage and hopefully bring some attention to the state," he continued. "We're looking to bring on some Rhode Island companies. We're in talks with some people so we can represent them and try to bring people to the state of Rhode Island." As of now, Tomassi has two scheduled Xfinity races: Martinsville Speedway on Saturday and Bristol Motor Speedway on April 12. For the first time in NASCAR Xfinity Series history, all practices, qualifying sessions, and series races can be found exclusively on The CW Network. Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the new 12+ smart TV app. Follow us on social media:                     Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now 12 Sports this Week SIGN UP NOW ...read more read less