JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: ISM Raceway
RACE: Whelen Trusted to Perform 200 (200 laps / 200 miles)
DATE: Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018
Elliott Sadler
No. 1 Hunt Brothers Pizza Chevrolet
• With one race before the Championship 4 is determined, Elliott Sadler sits third in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff standings, 13 markers above the cutline.
• At ISM Raceway, the veteran driver has collected one victory (March 2012), five top fives and 10 top 10s in 19 career NXS starts.
• On tracks measuring 1 mile in length this season, Sadler has scored a runner-up finish (Dover) and three top 10s in four starts.
• With the end of the season in sight, Sadler continues to hold the best average finish among series regulars. Currently, Sadler’s average finish is 8.5.
Michael Annett
No. 5 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet
• Michael Annett’s best finish at ISM Raceway in 12 NXS starts came in the fall of 2012, when Annett drove to a solid seventh-place result.
• Throughout the Iowa native’s Xfinity Series career at ISM, he has claimed four top-10 finishes. Annett’s highest finish while driving for JR Motorsports is ninth (March 2017).
• Annett has been solid and consistent at ISM Raceway, completing 98 percent of the laps he’s attempted there.
• Tracks measuring 1 mile in length are good for Annett. His average finish is 14.1 across all three 1-mile ovals on the schedule, with two top-five and seven top-10 finishes in 33 NXS starts.
Justin Allgaier
No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet
• Justin Allgaier heads to Phoenix as the fifth seed in the NXS Playoffs, just 12 points below the cutoff line for the Championship 4.
• ISM Raceway is a strong track for the Illinois native. He has one win (March 2017), six top-five and 11 top-10 finishes in 16 NXS starts.
• Earlier this season, Allgaier claimed the pole at the 1-mile track and finished second after leading 76 laps.
• In all, the 32-year-old driver has led 180 laps at ISM Raceway and has an average finish of 7.8, his third among active NXS tracks.
Tyler Reddick
No. 9 BurgerFi Chevrolet
• Tyler Reddick will make his third career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at ISM Raceway this weekend.
• Reddick earned a 10th-place finish earlier this year in the March event at the 1-mile track.
• The Corning, Calif. native enters the final race of the Round of 8 as the second seed with an average finish of 7.4 to date in the NXS Playoffs. He sits 20 points above the cutline with one race remaining before the Championship 4 is set.
• Reddick has made three previous starts in the Truck Series at Phoenix, recording one top-five and two top-10 finishes with a best finish of fifth coming in the 2015 event.
Driver Quotes
“This weekend, we’ve got to perform from the moment we unload on Friday to when we take the checkered flag on Saturday. All year, we’ve had our eyes on Homestead and a strong run at Phoenix is our last step in making that happen. I know this team is capable of it and deserves to be apart of the Championship 4, running for the title at
Homestead-Miami.” – Elliott Sadler
“We had a great run going last week at Texas, we qualified well and practiced well, so our Pilot Flying J team is looking for another weekend just like last weekend at ISM Raceway. We’ve been working hard these last few weeks to get a good jump on 2019, and it is paying off. ISM Raceway is a solid track for us and we are looking to make some noise.” – Michael Annett
“We’re not giving up. We know that of all the race tracks we go to, Phoenix might be the best option for us having a shot to win as we’ve had all year. We sat on the pole and finished second there in the spring and so I feel confident that our BRANDT Professional Agriculture team can go there this weekend and have a good, solid day and possibly a win and lock our way in. That’s the goal. Our goal right now is to put three cars in the final four at Homestead.” – Justin Allgaier
“We are definitely looking forward to this weekend in Phoenix. We all know what we need to do with our BurgerFi Chevy in order to successfully advance into the Championship 4. That’s what we’ve all been working toward this year and if we can just have one more solid run here in Phoenix, we will be in great position to race for a championship in Homestead.” – Tyler Reddick
JRM Team Updates
• JRM at Phoenix: In 56 NXS starts at ISM Raceway, JR Motorsports has claimed two wins, 14 top fives and 31 top 10s. In just the last three events at Phoenix, the organization has brought home two victories, sweeping the 2017 races with wins by Justin Allgaier and William Byron, respectively, and two pole awards with Byron qualifying fastest in March 2017 and Allgaier in March 2018.
• NXS Playoffs Championship 4 Scenarios: With one race remaining until the cutoff for the Championship 4, JRM currently has three teams in contention. Below are the respective clinch scenarios for Tyler Reddick, Elliott Sadler and Justin Allgaier (via NASCAR):
• Tyler Reddick would clinch with 46 points and a new winner. If there is a repeat winner (or a win by Elliott Sadler, Daniel Hemric or a non-playoff driver), Reddick would clinch on points with 35 points. With a win, he would clinch.
• Elliott Sadler would clinch with 54 points and a new winner. If there is a repeat winner (or a win by Tyler Reddick, Daniel Hemric or a non-playoff driver), he would clinch on points with 43 points. With a win, he would clinch.
• Justin Allgaier would be guaranteed a Championship 4 spot if he wins. Allgaier could also clinch on points, but would need help depending on the winner.
