The Headlines: Short Tracks Back-to Back: With his homecoming at Iowa Speedway just one week away, Nationwide Series driver Michael Annett is gearing up for two consecutive weeks of short track racing. Driving for a team owner known as a short track ace, Annett has his eyes on two strong finishes in back-to-back short track races at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis and his home track Iowa Speedway. Saturday’s 30th Annual Kroger 200 will be the Des Moines, Iowa native’s third career Nationwide Series start at Lucas Oil Raceway.
RWR’s McKinney Visits Home State: Car chief and rear tire changer of the No. 62 Pilot Flying J Toyota, Ryan McKinney, hails from the Hoosier State. McKinney’s 14-year tenure in the sport led him to his current position with Rusty Wallace Racing at the beginning of the 2011 season. The Anderson, Indiana native’s initial interest in racing was sparked back at his hometown track watching his uncle race at Anderson Speedway.
McKinney is no stranger to Victory Lane at Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Raceway. The Rusty Wallace Racing car chief visited Lucas Oil Raceway’s winners circle with late model driver Brian Rievley in his early years in racing as a late model mechanic. In his spare time, McKinney enjoys working on hot rods and spending time with his daughter Kendall and wife Allison, who also works in the Nationwide Series.
Rusty Wallace Racing at Lucas Oil Raceway: Since 2008, the two-car Rusty Wallace Racing team has one top-five and four top-10s in six starts at Lucas Oil Raceway. The No. 62 entry recorded a sixth place finish in Lucas Oil Raceway’s 2010 Nationwide Series event. Annett’s teammate, Steve Wallace, has finished fifth and tenth respectively in his last two attempts at Lucas Oil Raceway’s .686 mile oval in a Rusty Wallace Racing powered Toyota Camry.
Most Popular Driver Voting Continues: Nationwide Series Most Popular Driver voting has returned for the fourth consecutive year in 2011 and is underway on NASCAR.com. Fans can cast their vote for Rusty Wallace Racing’s Michael Annett once per day by visiting www.NASCAR.com/nnsmpd. Voting runs from now until November 17. The winner of the Nationwide Series Most Popular Driver award will be announced at the year-end banquet on November 21.
For the latest updates on Michael Annett, visit www.michaelannett.com.
The Machines: Team 62 Primary: RWR-059 – RWR’s No. 62 team most recently earned a seventh place finish with chassis 059 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The team has also competed with this chassis at Texas Motor Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway and Michigan International Speedway in 2011.
Team 62 Back-Up: RWR-051 – The No. 62 Pilot Flying J team’s last race competing with this chassis was at Bristol Motor Speedway in March.
Pilot Flying J Locations on the Way: Pilot Flying J provides 34 Pilot Travel Center and Flying J locations throughout the state of Indiana. Fourteen of these locations are conveniently positioned within a 50 mile radius of Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis.
For more information on Pilot Flying J and to map their nearest locations along your route, please visit www.pilotflyingj.com.
Pilot Travel Center I-465 and IN 37 Exit 4 4607 South Harding St. Indianapolis, IN 46217
Flying J I-465 Exit 4 1720 W. Thompson Rd. Indianapolis, IN 46217
Pilot Travel Center I-70 Exit 96 2640 North 600 West Greenfield, IN 46240
Pilot Travel Center I-65 Exit 95 2962 East 500 North Whiteland, IN 46184
Flying J I-65 Whiteland Rd. Exit 95 4982 North 350 East Whiteland, IN 46184
Pilot Travel Center I-74 Exit 109 1851 West 400 North Shelbyville, IN 46176
Pilot Travel Center I-74 Exit 39 4403 East State Route 32 Crawfordsville, IN 47933
Flying J I-65 Exit 139 520 South State Road 39 I-65 Lebanon, IN 46052
Pilot Travel Center I-69 Exit 14 7455 South State Road 13 Pendleton, IN 46064 Pilot Travel Center I-69 Exit 34 15876 West Commerce Rd. Daleville, IN 47334
Pilot Travel Center I-69 Exit 34 15151 Commerce Rd. Daleville, IN 47334
Flying J I-70 Exit 123 5300 South State Rte. 3 Spiceland, IN 47385
Pilot Travel Center I-70 Exit 23 4376 North SR 59 Brazil, IN 47834
Pilot Travel Center I-70 and IN 46 Exit 11 5555 E. Margaret Ave. Terre Haute, IN 47803
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. Follow Pilot Flying J on Twitter at @pilottravel. Broadcast Info: Final Practice Saturday, July 30, 11:30 a.m. ET ESPN2 Qualifying Saturday, July 30, 4:30 p.m. ET ESPN2 30th Annual Kroger 200 Saturday, July 30, 7:30 p.m. ET ESPN
