–Pilot Travel Centers to Continue Backing of Up and Coming Iowa Native–
HOMESTEAD, FL (November 19, 2010) — Officials of Rusty Wallace Racing (RWR) announced today that Iowa native, Michael Annett, will take the helm of the team’s No. 62 Toyota Camry in a full-season bid for the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series championship.
Pilot Travel Centers, a long-time Annett backer, will serve as primary sponsor of Annett’s No. 62 Toyota for his 2011 campaign.
Annett, a 24-year old native of Des Moines, Iowa, will be embarking upon his third full Nationwide Series season in 2011. Considered one of the sports’ most promising up and coming drivers, Annett finished among the top-10 in the Nationwide Series driver standings during his 2009 rookie season. He also has two ARCA Racing Series wins to his credit, including a victory in the series’ most prestigious event at Daytona in 2008.
Said Annett, “I’m really looking forward to joining Rusty Wallace Racing in 2011. This is going to be a great next step in my career and I’m very grateful to Pilot Travel Centers for helping to make this possible.
“Rusty Wallace Racing has fielded top-10 cars consistently over the past few years; I feel we’ll be very competitive right out of the box. I’m looking forward to having one of my good friends, Steve Wallace, as my teammate as well. Coming from a single car team, I’m excited about the resources that having a teammate can provide.
“While I’m focused 100% on finishing out 2010 as strongly as possible, I can’t wait for Daytona. I’m ready to put the Pilot Travel Centers Toyota up front next season.”
Stated RWR team owner, Rusty Wallace, “We’re extremely excited to welcome Michael Annett and Pilot Travel Centers to our team. Michael has shown a lot of promise over his first two seasons and we’re looking forward to helping him continue to develop his career. We fully expect Michael and the No. 62 team to be among the contenders in 2011.
I’d also like to wish Brendan Gaughan all the best as he transitions back to the truck series for next year. With his new child, the reduced schedule should allow him to spend more time with his family and we wish them all well in the future.”
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About Rusty Wallace Racing, LLC
North Carolina-based Rusty Wallace Racing (RWR) is a professional auto racing team steeped in the legendary history of its founder, Rusty Wallace—one of NASCAR’s top-ten drivers of all-time. The team currently campaigns the No. 66 and No. 62 Toyota Camrys in the prestigious NASCAR Nationwide Series. In 2009, RWR stood as the only team with multiple drivers ranked among the top-ten in the final Nationwide Series driver standings. For more on Rusty Wallace Racing, please visit the award-winning rustywallace.com.
About Pilot Flying J
Pilot Flying J is headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, and has more than 550 locations in North America. The company employs more than 20,000 people and is the largest retail operator of travel centers in North America.
