JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: ISM Raceway
RACE: Arizona 200 (200 laps / 200 miles)
Michael Annett
No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet
• Michael Annett is coming off his second top-five finish in three races this season, placing the Iowa native fifth in the NASCAR Xfinity Series point standings.
• The Pilot Flying J driver’s best finish at ISM Raceway is seventh coming in November 2012. In Annett’s first start there with JR Motorsports, he finished ninth (March 2017).
• Phoenix is a solid stop for Annett, as he ranks fifth overall and second among NXS regulars in quality passes (175). The only regular ahead of him is teammate Justin Allgaier.
• After the first three races of the season, Annett has averaged a finish of 6.0, his best opening sequence in seven seasons as a full-time NXS driver.
Justin Allgaier
No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet
• In 17 NXS starts at ISM Raceway, Justin Allgaier has one win (March
2017), six top fives and 11 top 10s. He’s also led 249 laps there, the most among NXS regulars.
• Last spring, the Illinois native captured the pole in Phoenix and finished second. It was the final race before the new configuration.
• In five starts on 1-mile tracks last year, the 32-year-old driver led 272 laps and scored three top-five finishes, including a win at Dover (May).
• Allgaier currently sits seventh in the NXS point standings, 43 markers outside of the lead.
Ryan Truex
No. 8 Martin Truex Jr. Foundation / Sherry Strong / Catwalk for a Cause Chevrolet
• This marks Ryan Truex’s initial start behind the wheel of the No. 8 Chevrolet with JR Motorsports and first in NXS competition since the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2018.
• In five NXS starts at ISM Raceway, Truex has one top-10 finish with 99.6 percent of laps completed.
• Truex has made 13 NXS starts on racetracks measuring 1 mile in length, earning a best finish of second at Dover International Speedway in 2012.
• The teal and gold ribbons on Truex’s Camaro represent cancer awareness. The colors are specific to ovarian (teal) and childhood (gold) cancers.
• Noah Gragson will make his first career NXS start at ISM Raceway this weekend.
• In three previous starts in the Truck Series at Phoenix, Gragson has recorded a best finish of second in 2018. Among those starts, the Las Vegas native has led 98 total laps.
• The 20-year-old driver currently ranks 10th in the NXS championship standings following a top-three effort last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
• In the NXS Rookie of the Year standings, Gragson sits in second place, only 13 markers outside of the lead.
Noah Gragson
No. 9 Switch Chevrolet
• Noah Gragson will make his first career NXS start at ISM Raceway this weekend.
• In three previous starts in the Truck Series at Phoenix, Gragson has recorded a best finish of second in 2018. Among those starts, the Las Vegas native has led 98 total laps.
• The 20-year-old driver currently ranks 10th in the NXS championship standings following a top-three effort last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
• In the NXS Rookie of the Year standings, Gragson sits in second place, only 13 markers outside of the lead.
Driver Quotes
“After a great weekend at Las Vegas, it’s good to be heading to
Phoenix. Our Pilot Flying J team has had a great start to the season
and ISM Raceway is one of those tracks that I enjoy racing on. We were
in the top 10 all day at Las Vegas, and that’s the pace we need to be
running every time out. Our whole team, from (crew chief) Travis Mack
on down, is confident in each other and our cars, and we are looking
forward to seeing what we can do here this weekend.” – Michael Annett
“We were really fast last fall at Phoenix on the new configuration, we
just had some bad luck there at the end. We led a lot of laps with our
BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevy and swept the first two stages,
so I’m definitely looking forward to getting back there for sure.
Hopefully we finish the weekend out strong and have a shot at getting
to Victory Lane.” – Justin Allgaier
“I’m excited to get back into an Xfinity car this weekend, especially
the teal and gold No. 8 (Martin Truex Jr. Foundation / Sherry Strong)
Catwalk for a Cause Chevrolet with JR Motorsports. This team has had
good runs the past few weeks, so hopefully we can build on that. JRM
has a really good history at Phoenix, and it’s one of my favorite
tracks. I feel like I run well there and have had decent success – I
have confidence going into Saturday.” – Ryan Truex
“I’ve always enjoyed racing at ISM and am really looking forward to
getting there this weekend with our Switch Chevrolet. We’re coming off
of a great finish last weekend in Las Vegas and we have some good
momentum on our side right now. Hopefully we can continue to build off
of that once we unload on Friday and come away with another smooth,
solid weekend.” – Noah Gragson
JRM Team Updates
• JRM at Phoenix: JR Motorsports has collected two victories, 14 top
fives and 32 top 10s in 60 NXS starts at ISM Raceway. Last March, the
organization led 82 of the 200 laps and brought home three top 10
finishes. In 2017, JRM swept the Phoenix events with drivers Justin
Allgaier and William Byron, respectively, each bringing home a win.
• Catwalk for a Cause: Catwalk for a Cause, co-founded by Sherry
Pollex and Martin Truex Jr. along with their organizations, is on
board the No. 8 Chevrolet in Phoenix. The upcoming event on Wednesday,
May 15 raises awareness and funds for underfunded cancer research
initiatives specific to ovarian and childhood cancers. To celebrate
its 10 year anniversary, the organizations have set a goal of
collecting $10 from 100,000 donors, totaling $1 million in donations.
You can support the event through ticket purchases or donations at
www.catwalk4acause.org.
• Allgaier, Gragson Appearance: Teammates Justin Allgaier and Noah
Gragson will be participating in a Q&A session at the Infield stage
behind ISM Raceway’s Victory Lane on Saturday, March 9 at 9:25 a.m.
local time
