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[/media-credit]TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY RACE REPORT
Michael Annett
No. 43 Pilot Flying J Ford Mustang
Michael Annett started the originally schedule 117-lap NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Talladega Superspeedway from the 10th position. Annett finished the Aaron’s 312 as follows:
23rd—Michael Annett, No. 43 Pilot Flying J Ford Mustang
· Annett made his 113th NASCAR Nationwide Series start this weekend.
· Annett ran in the top-15 for nearly the entire 122-lap event and was scored as high as fifth late in the race.
· The first caution flag of the event flew on Lap 20 and Annett relayed to Crew Chief Philippe Lopez that the car was handling good. Lopez elected to bring the Pilot Flying J Ford onto pit road for left-side tires, fuel and a windshield tear-off.
· Restarting in the top-10, Annett communicated to his crew the he was happy with the car and it was fast.
· The No. 43’s next stop came at Lap 30, and the crew added fuel only. Annett came down pit road again on Lap 64 for right-side tires, fuel and another windshield tear-off.
· Continuing to be pleased with how the Pilot Flying J car was handling, Annett’s main focus was on keeping the car out of trouble and as close to the front as possible.
· The No. 43 team had one more pit stop to make in order make it to the end of the race on fuel, and came down pit road under caution on Lap 83 for fuel only. Entering the pits in the 13th position, Annett gained four spots and restarted in ninth place.
· Running in the top-10 for the next 32 laps, Annett was scored in sixth place before being caught up in a late-race accident on Lap 116, just one lap shy of the originally scheduled checkered flag. Annett’s car was badly damaged and unable to complete the race.
· The 10-car incident caused the red flag to be displayed on Lap 118 for 19 minutes, setting up the race to end under green-white-checkered conditions.
· Joey Logano claimed the victory Saturday night in a race that saw the caution flag wave seven times for a total of 27 laps.
· Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was the highest finishing (third) Ford Mustang at Talladega.
· Unofficially, Annett fell one spot in the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver point standings and sits in sixth position heading into Darlington next weekend.
Annett’s Thoughts After the Race: I am fine, just really disappointed. We were sitting there in fifth on that final restart and got a really good push from the No.18 and we shot the middle. Everyone is doing what they have to do at these races. The No. 33 came over to try to block us and we had such a run going that if I slammed on the brakes it was going to turn me, so I just stayed in the gas and tried to shoot the hole. When it closed it was too late to do anything. Unfortunately, we tore up a bunch of race cars. Everybody is trying to get everything they can on those last two laps. It is just the way this racing is.”
