HScott Motorsports NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race Preview
Michael Annett
No. 46 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona 500 | February 22, 2015
“If we’re in it, we can win it”…Michael Annett raced his No. 46 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet into the Daytona 500 via a 14th-place finish in Thursday night’s Budweiser Duel at Daytona. Annett, making his first start for a startup team at HScott Motorsports, was without the prominent point standings cushion likely needed for a provisional starting spot. In the waning laps of Thursday’s first Duel race, he held off two former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions to secure a transfer spot. Sunday will mark his second Daytona 500 start, rolling off 27th for “The Great American Race.”
New Team, New Crew Chief…2015 marks Annett’s second year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series; however, it is first with Spartanburg, S.C.-based HScott Motorsports. Annett’s longtime anchor partner, Pilot Flying J, will adorn the No. 46 Chevrolet SS for this Sunday’s Daytona 500, which will also serve as the first points-paying race in which Annett will work with new crew chief Jay Guy, hired three weeks prior to the start of the season. Annett is optimistic about his new working relationship with Guy.
“Steve Addington, Harry Scott and I sat down and talked,” said Annett. “We didn’t want to build a team and then bring in the captain and say, ‘OK, here’s what you have to work with.’ We wanted to get Jay Guy hired, and he and Steve sat down and brought in people for interviews to build the team around Jay. That was a really important thing. A lot of guys would ask, ‘Well who’s your underneath guy? Who’s your crew chief?’ And I’d have to say I don’t know yet. We hadn’t hired him. But starting off with your captain and build the team he wants… I’d rather have some little issues early and be really good the rest of the year rather than saying that this person isn’t going to work out and have to replace him.”
Former Daytona Winner…Annett is quite familiar with the illustrious racetrack’s victory lane; he visited the coveted parking spot following a win in the 2008 ARCA Racing Series race at the facility. He led 32 of the event’s 80 laps en route to scoring one of his two victories in just 10 series starts.
Michael Annett on Daytona International Speedway:
“The cool thing about the Daytona 500 is that if 43 cars start, then 43 cars have a chance. If your equipment holds up till the end, come that last lap everyone has a chance. That’s probably why some of the smaller teams circle those superspeedways on their calendar because if you keep yourself in the top 30 of owners’ points, there’s those four races where you have a really good chance of getting yourself in the Chase.”
No. 46 Pilot Flying J Team Members:
Driver:
Michael Annett
Crew Chief:
Jay Guy
Car Chief:
Steve Gassman
Engineer:
J. Cooper King
Engineer:
Nick Ollila
Engine Tuner:
Michael Brown
Shock Specialist:
Marcos Castro
Truck Drivers:
Barry Collins, Terry Lynch
Mechanic/Tire Specialist:
Craig Dalton
Interior:
Evan Harding
Front End Mechanic:
Michael Hubert
Spotter:
Dave Ramsey
Mechanic:
Michael Thomas
Get Up to Date on Michael Annett…Follow Annett on his very own Twitter and Facebook accounts and get live updates from the track by following @PFJRacing and @TeamHSM46 on Twitter. For a detailed bio and updated in-season statistics, please visit www.michaelannett.com.
About Pilot Flying J…Pilot Flying J, the largest operator of travel centers and travel plazas in North America, is committed to making life better for professional drivers. Headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn., Pilot Flying J has more than 650 retail locations. The Pilot Flying J network provides drivers with access to more than 65,000 parking spaces for trucks, 4,400 showers and more than 4,500 diesel lanes offering DEF at the pump. Pilot Flying J, along with its subsidiaries, employs more than 24,000 people. Pilot Flying J is currently ranked No. 7 on Forbes’ list of America’s Largest Private Companies. Visit www.pilotflyingj.com for more information.
About HScott Motorsports…HScott Motorsports, which was established in 1989 as Phoenix Racing, is owned and operated by Harry Scott Jr. and competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with technical support from Hendrick Motorsports. The team competes full time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Justin Allgaier driving the No. 51 BRANDT Chevrolet and Michael Annett driving the Pilot Flying J Chevrolet. Scott also owns HScott Motorsports with Chip Ganassi, which fields the No. 42 Camaro in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and is the co-owner of HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks, which fields five entries in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. His vision is to build a championship contender by developing talented young drivers, partnering with dedicated sponsors and competing hard every week. For more information, visit HScott Motorsports on the web at: www.hscottmotorsports.com.
