JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Bristol Motor Speedway
RACE: Alsco 300 (300 laps / 159.9 miles)
DATE: Saturday, April 6, 2019
Michael Annett
No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet
• In his last four NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Bristol Motor Speedway, Michael Annett has averaged a finish of 12.5, with a seventh-place run last fall as his best result.
• Annett is one of four drivers in this weekend’s Xfinity Dash 4 Cash event. With five top 10s to his credit at the short track, Annett seeks another strong finish and the $100,000 prize.
• Should Annett win the Dash 4 Cash, he will become the sixth JR Motorsports driver to do so. The Iowa native, however, has previously won the $100,000 bonus (2012).
• The No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet driver has an average finish of 7.5 through the first six races of 2019.
Justin Allgaier
No. 7 Armour Vienna Sausage Chevrolet
• Bristol is the site of Justin Allgaier’s first career Xfinity Series win. He claimed the checkered flag in 2010 after leading 27 laps.
• In 16 NXS starts on the Tennessee short track, Allgaier has eight top fives and 10 top 10s, including his victory.
• The Illinois native has made six starts at Bristol since joining JRM. In those starts, he’s earned five top-five finishes with 122 laps led.
• Last season in six NXS starts on tracks measuring less than 1 mile in length, Allgaier earned one win (Iowa) and three additional top-three finishes.
Zane Smith
No. 8 The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas Chevrolet
• In his NXS debut at Las Vegas earlier this season with JR Motorsports, Zane Smith raced among the top 10 throughout the 300-mile event. Ultimately, the rookie driver was relegated to a 24th-place finish after being collected in an unavoidable incident on lap 205.
• In 19 starts on short tracks in the ARCA Racing Series, Smith has two wins (Nashville and Toledo), nine top fives and 15 top 10s, with two pole awards and 495 laps led.
• Saturday will be Smith’s first start at Bristol Motor Speedway in any of NASCAR’s top-tier series.
• The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas returns to the No. 8 Chevrolet as the team’s primary partner.
Noah Gragson
No. 9 Switch Chevrolet
• Noah Gragson will make his first career NXS start at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend.
• In Gragson’s lone start on short tracks in the NXS, the Las Vegas native earned a second-place finish after leading 10 laps in the April 2018 event at Richmond Raceway.
• In two previous starts in the NASCAR Truck Series at Bristol, Gragson has scored a best finish of ninth coming in August 2018.
• Gragson currently sits eighth in the NXS championship standings after six events so far this season. The rookie driver is 77 points shy of the series lead.
Driver Quotes
“I have one of those $100,000 checks from 2012, and sure would like another one to keep it company. Having a chance at $100,000 is amazing, and to have it happen at Bristol is even better. We were seventh there in the fall in our No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet, and that was the first top 10 finish we had with Travis Mack as crew chief. There’s a lot of good momentum for our team right now, and winning that Dash 4 Cash prize would add a bunch to that.” – Michael Annett
“When you walk into the infield at Bristol Motor Speedway for the first time, it’s just incredible. I love coming to this track. It’s just one of those places that really suits my driving style. I’ve been fortunate enough to win here before, but I’m ready for another one and I know this No. 7 team is hungry. This weekend also marks the first time we’ll have Armour Vienna Sausage on the hood of our Camaro, so I know we want to get a good finish for them and hopefully end the day in Victory Lane.” – Justin Allgaier
“I’m stoked to get back with the No. 8 team and have The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas with us again. I think this weekend will be a lot of fun for me, with my driving style suited more for short tracks – especially for any type of bullring or high-banked place. Bristol is just awesome, in general. Hopefully we’ll unload again with great speed and have a better end to our race that will show our true finish.” – Zane Smith
“I’m really looking forward to getting to Bristol this weekend with our Switch Chevrolet. Bristol is such a fast short track where you can race from the top to the bottom and carry a lot of speed through the corners. Hopefully we can continue this momentum we’ve had going these last couple of weeks and unload with another really fast JR Motorsports Chevy. I’m ready to get there and see what we can do.” – Noah Gragson
JRM Team Updates
• JRM at Bristol: In 64 NXS starts at Bristol Motor Speedway, JR Motorsports has tallied one win, 19 top-five and 40 top-10 finishes. In the organization’s most recent visit to Bristol, all four cars finished within the top nine. Brad Keselowski drove into Victory Lane in 2008 for the team and also qualified fastest in 2009 to earn the pole.
• Annett Media Availability: Xfinity Dash 4 Cash qualifier, Michael Annett is scheduled to stop by the Bristol Motor Speedway media center on Friday, April 5 at 1 p.m. ET.
• Amour Drivers Autograph Session: Teammates Justin Allgaier, Noah Gragson and Zane Smith will be signing autographs at the Armour Vienna Sausage display located in Hospitality Village on Friday, April 5, following NXS practice at 6:45 p.m. ET.
• Alsco’s 2019 Race Entitlement Kickoff Event: This Saturday is the inaugural Alsco 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway and the first of three entitlement races this
