Michael Annett Montreal News and Notes
The Headlines:
NNS Heads North of the Border: Saturday’s NAPA Auto Parts 200 will be Michael Annett’s third career start on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve’s 2.71 mile road course, the circuit’s only stop outside of the United States. The 74 lap race will be the third and final road course race for the Nationwide Series before their final ten races of the 2011 season.
From the Rink to the Racetrack: Stock car racing hasn’t been the only sport that 25-year-old Annett has competed in outside of the United States. The former AAA ice hockey defensemen for Team Illinois performed on the rink in games versus Canadian teams in Calgary and Toronto at the age of 16.
Rusty Wallace Racing at Montreal: In seven career starts at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, the RWR organization has earned two top-10 finishes with the team’s best finish at Montreal of ninth scored by the No. 62 team in 2009. RWR total road course starts tally 31 with two top-five finishes and 11 top-10 finishes.
Code Spotter Contest: Nationwide Insurance offers up the chance to win a VIP prize of spending the day with the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion. Enter to win at codespotter.com, and type in Michael Annett’s code “ANNETT”. Fans can enter once per day through midnight on September 5 to win Nationwide’s exclusive NASCAR Champion VIP Experience.
Most Popular Driver Voting Still Underway: 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 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.
From the Cockpit:
Michael Annett on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve:
“Finishing seventh at Road America earlier in the season definitely gives me more confidence on road courses. In last week’s road course race at Watkins Glen we struggled with brake and overheating issues, but we kept our car in one piece and we’ll race that same car this weekend in Montreal. We’re focused on staying on track, staying clear of damage and taking care of the transmission. Pit strategy can also be to your advantage on road courses. We’ll take these plans and look for a strong finish for Pilot Flying J this weekend in Montreal.”
The Machines:
Team 62 Primary: RWR-055 – Reconfigured as a road course car, RWR’s No. 62 team raced at Phoenix International Raceway, Richmond International Raceway and Iowa Speedway in May with this chassis. The team notched a seventh place road course finish with this car at Road America in June and competed last week with chassis 055 at Watkins Glen International.
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 Your Way:
Pilot Flying J provides 62 convenient Pilot Travel Center and Flying J locations throughout Canada. There are five Flying J locations in the province of Quebec. For more information on Pilot Flying J and to map their nearest locations along your route, please visit www.pilotflyingj.com.
Flying J Hwy 15 Exit 21 1 Rang St-Andre Napierville, QC J0J 1L0
Flying J Hwy 540 Exit 3 2900 Felix-Leclerc Vaudreuil-Dorion, QC J7V 9J5
Flying J 1181 Ave. Gilles Villeneuve Berthierville, QC J0K 1A0
Flying J 1196 Chemin Des Olivieres Bernieres, QC G7A 2M6
Flying J 152 Highway 20 569 Rue Principale Ste Helene, QC J0H 1M0
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:
The NAPA Auto Parts 200 can be seen live on ESPN at 2:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 20.
