RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY RACE PREVIEW
Michael Annett • No. 43 Pilot Flying J Ford Mustang
Annett has seven career starts in the Nationwide Series at Richmond
Annett enters RIR in sixth place in the Nationwide Series driver point standings
Annett’s best finish (eighth) came in this year’s spring race at the .75-mile speedway
Michael Annett on Going to Richmond: “It’s always fun to go to Richmond and race under the lights. Night racing is full of beating and banging, and with the ‘Chase’ atmosphere surrounding the Cup guys this weekend I’m sure that will add to the racing excitement in both Series. I enjoy going to Richmond because I like short-track racing. We had a really good finish back in the spring and we are taking that same Pilot Flying J Ford back this weekend. I have high hopes of another good finish on Friday night at RIR.”
Crew Chief Philippe Lopez’s Thoughts on Racing in Richmond: “We practice in the day which really doesn’t have many similarities to what goes on at night, which is when we will race. It’s a very tight race track through the middle of the corners but everyone loses their forward bite coming off of the corners. The field will fight loose race cars all night and that is what causes all of the accidents. We will be looking to have adjustability throughout the night to be able to fix the loose-off condition. That’s just the biggest challenge – practicing in one condition and racing in another. Michael did a really good job at Richmond in the spring with an eighth-place finish, and we are just looking to build off of that. That race was early in the year, and we feel like we have improved a lot since then, both the driver and the team. We are crossing ‘T’s’ and dotting ‘I’s’ and expecting to put on a good showing this weekend in our Pilot Flying J Ford.”
Chassis History: The No. 43 RPM NASCAR Nationwide Series team has prepared chassis No. 644 for the 250-lap race at Richmond. This Pilot Flying J Ford Mustang has been run previously this season at Phoenix, Richmond, Loudon and Iowa.
Notes: Annett has seven NASCAR Nationwide Series starts at Richmond International Raceway. His best finish (eighth) came in this year’s spring race and his best start (19th) at the .75-mile track came in both 2010 and this year’s spring race. Annett heads to Richmond in the sixth position in the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver point standings. His average finish at the Virginia track is 20.0.
Can’t get enough of Annett? Michael will participate in the NASCAR Nationwide Series autograph session on Friday from 2-3 p.m. ET. The session is located in the Amphitheater behind the Commonwealth Tower.
Looking for a Pilot or Flying J store near Richmond? There are 6 Pilot or Flying J stores within 100 miles of Richmond International Raceway. The nearest store is 30 miles away from the race track. (Pilot Travel Center (I-95 Exit 58) 2126 Ruffin Mill Road, Colonial Heights, VA 23834.) There are 37 stores within 250 miles of the track. Go to http://www.pilotflyingj.com/locations find the nearest locations
Race Information
Track: Richmond International Raceway
Laps: 250 Laps/187.5Miles
Track Size: .75-Mile
TV Information: 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2
Radio Information: 7:30 p.m. ET on MRN
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