JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Richmond Raceway
RACE: GoBowling 250 (250 laps / 187.5 miles)
DATE: Friday, Sept. 21, 2018
Elliott Sadler
No. 1 OneMain Financial Chevrolet
• Elliott Sadler will take the green flag at his hometrack of Richmond Raceway as the third seed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff standings, the first event of the Round of 12.
• In 30 NXS starts at the Virginia short track, Sadler has claimed six top-five and 15 top-10 finishes, along with 108 laps led.
• The Emporia, Va., native has an average finish of 4.4 in his last five starts at the track, all with JR Motorsports.
• On short tracks measuring 1 mile or less this season, Sadler has earned three top fives and seven top 10s. The veteran driver’s best finish is second at Dover.
Michael Annett
No. 5 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet
• Michael Annett has a top-five (fifth) and three top-10 finishes in 12 Xfinity Series starts at Richmond, with his best finish coming in the fall race of 2012.
• Annett has completed 98.6 percent of the laps contested in his 12 starts at Richmond. He finished 15th in this race last season on the .75-mile oval.
• Pilot Flying J is back on the No. 5 this week, with the company’s familiar red, yellow and white scheme. Nine of Annett’s 12 Richmond starts have seen Pilot Flying J on his machine.
Justin Allgaier
No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet
• After claiming the NXS regular-season title last week, Justin Allgaier will enter the playoffs as the top seed at Richmond Raceway. He leads by seven points over Christopher Bell.
• In 15 NXS starts at Richmond, the Illinois native has three topfive and six top-10 finishes, with a best effort of second (April 2017). He’s led 158 laps at the Virginia short track.
• This season on tracks measuring 1 mile or less, Allgaier has an average finish of 4.0, with two wins (Dover and Iowa).
• Allgaier wrapped up the regular season with a career-high five wins, 15 top fives and 575 laps led.
Tyler Reddick
No. 9 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Chevrolet
• Tyler Reddick will make his third career Xfinity Series start at Richmond Raceway this weekend.
• The Corning, Calif. native earned an 11th-place finish earlier this season at the Virginia short track.
• In nine career starts on short tracks in the NXS, Reddick has one top-five and four top-10 finishes, with a best finish of third in the June 2017 event at Iowa Speedway.
• Reddick enters the NXS Playoffs as the fifth seed, four points ahead of the eighth and final cutoff position
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
No. 88 Hellmann’s Chevrolet
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. is back behind the wheel in NXS competition for the first time since stepping away from fulltime racing at the conclusion of 2017.
• In seven NXS starts at Richmond, Earnhardt Jr. has earned four victories, five top fives and six top 10s, along with one pole award and a personal series high of 733 total laps led.
• Earnhardt Jr.’s 2016 win at Richmond was his first driving a JRM Chevrolet. He paced the field for 128 of the 149 laps en route to his most recent series victory.
• Earnhardt Jr.’s average NXS finish at the Richmond is 6.7.
Driver Quotes
“This weekend is going to be emotional for me. I’ve been fortunate enough to call Richmond Raceway my hometrack the last 22 years of my racing career. To race there one last time, in front of all my family and friends, is going to be special. I wouldn’t want anything more than to drive into Victory Lane this Friday night. Not only would it be huge for me, but it would be huge for my team and our run at the championship.” – Elliott Sadler
“This weekend, we’re going to concentrate on getting some momentum over the next seven races, and that starts Friday night. We have a chance to set the stage for next season and a return to the NXS Playoffs. We ran very well at Richmond in the spring before we got caught in a couple of accidents, and we expect to do that again on Friday.”– Michael Annett
“It was awesome to get the regularseason title, but now we need to set our sights on keeping that momentum going through the playoffs and making it to Homestead. Richmond is a place where we’ve had a lot of success at in the past with our BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevy and we’ve been strong on short tracks this year, so if we can stay out of trouble, we’ve got a good shot at starting the Round of 12 off on the right foot.” – Justin Allgaier
“Richmond has been a challenge for me in the past but I feel like Dave (Elenz, crew chief) and I built a good baseline here in the spring that will get us where we need to go once we unload Friday morning. With this being the first race in the playoffs, it’s really important that we have a smooth night and come home with a solid finish with our Nationwide Children’s Hospital Chevrolet.” – Tyler Reddick
“I am looking forward to driving the Hellmann’s Chevy at Richmond. It’s a short track and I love short-track racing. I don’t get to do a ton of that, so it’s going to be a fun weekend. The car is ready, I’ve been in and out of it getting the headrest right. I’m ready to go.” – Dale Earnhardt Jr.
JRM Team Updates
JRM at Richmond: In 60 NXS starts at Richmond Raceway, JR Motorsports has three wins with 725 total laps led, 19 top fives and 34 top 10s. The organization’s three victories by Kevin Harvick, Chase Elliott and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were all earned in consecutive seasons between 2014 and 2016.
• Five JRM Cars Return to Richmond: For the second straight year, and only the second time this season, JRM will enter five Chevrolets into a single NXS event at Richmond Raceway. Last season at the short track with five fielded cars, the organization brought home four top-10 finishes, while earlier this season at Daytona, JRM won after competing with five Camaros in the race.
• Allgaier, Sadler Media Availability: Driver Justin Allgaier is scheduled to stop by the Richmond Raceway media center on Friday, Sept. 21 at 12:30 p.m. ET for an availability. Virginia native, Elliott Sadler, will also make a stop at 2:30 p.m. ET on race day.
• NXS Autograph Session: All four JR Motorsports drivers w
