JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Chicagoland Speedway
RACE: Camping World 300 (200 laps / 300 miles)
DATE: Saturday, June 29, 2019
Michael Annett
No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet
• Michael Annett’s best NASCAR Xfinity Series finish at Chicagoland Speedway is fifth, coming in 2012.
• The Iowa native will have the familiar colors of primary partner Pilot Flying J on his No. 1 Chevrolet at Chicagoland.
• Following his ninth-place finish at Iowa, Annett is on a streak of five straight top-10 finishes dating back to Dover in May. His average finish over that span is a solid 7.2, which includes a third-place run at Michigan.
• On 1.5-mile tracks so far this season, Annett has finished fifth, sixth twice and 12th for an average of 7.3. His best result was fifth at Las Vegas in the third race of the season.
Justin Allgaier
No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet
• Justin Allgaier is a two-time NXS winner at his home track of Chicagoland. He visited Victory Lane in 2011 and 2017.
• The Riverton, Illinois native’s average finish in 11 NXS starts at Chicagoland is an impressive 7.5, his best among current tracks on the NXS circuit.
• This season on tracks measuring 1.5-miles in length, Allgaier has two top-three finishes including a second-place result at Charlotte Motor Speedway last month.
• Following his third-place run at Iowa, Allgaier moved up one position to fourth in the NXS point standings, 122 markers outside the lead.
Zane Smith
No. 8 Canadamark / BN3th Chevrolet
• Zane Smith will get behind the wheel of JRM’s No. 8 Chevrolet for the sixth time in 2019 this weekend at Chicagoland. He’s claimed one top five and three top 10s in his five starts this season.
• Smith is coming off his first career top-five finish, earned in his most recent race for JRM at Iowa.
• Smith has made one previous start at Chicago in the ARCA Menards Series in 2018, scoring a fourth-place finish.
• This weekend marks the first race for Canadamark, the leading brand of diamonds mined in Canada, and BN3TH, the first to produce men’s underwear with a patented MyPakage Pouch Technology™.
Noah Gragson
No. 9 MagnaFlow Chevrolet
• Noah Gragson will make his first NXS start at Chicagoland this weekend.
• Gragson has earned one top five, two top 10s and one pole position in two previous starts in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series at Chicagoland, with a best finish of fourth coming in 2018.
• Gragson has also made one previous start in the ARCA Menards Series at the facility in 2017, recording a fourthplace finish.
• MagnaFlow, the Oceanside, Calif. car exhaust manufacturer, is on board the No. 9 Chevrolet at Chicagoland for the first time this season.
Driver Quotes
“We’ve been pretty consistent here lately, and stringing together top-five and top-10 finishes is a good way to keep building for the Playoffs. The last race of the regular season is on a 1.5-mile oval and there are four of them in the Playoffs, so what we learn now is going to help us then, when it really counts. Our Pilot Flying J team is clicking on all cylinders, and I look forward to another race in the Midwest on a track I’ve done well on in the past.”– Michael Annett
“This is a weekend I always look forward to. There’s nothing like racing at your home track in front of all your family and friends. Chicagoland Speedway not only has a special meaning for me, but for my long-time sponsor BRANDT Professional Agriculture as well. It’s their home track too and they always have a big crowd. I’ve been fortunate enough to celebrate with them twice in Victory Lane here in the past and I’d love to get them back there again on Saturday.”– Justin Allgaier
“It’s great to get back behind the wheel of the No. 8 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports during consecutive races, especially since we are coming off of a strong run in Iowa. I’m really confident we can keep building off of that and come home with another good day in Chicago. We’ll have a lot of guests here from Canadamark and BN3TH that should be in for a great day on Saturday. I can’t wait to see what Taylor (Moyer, crew chief) and all the guys on this No. 8 team can do.” – Zane Smith
“Chicago should be a lot of fun this weekend. We have a ton of positive momentum on our side right now and I am really looking forward to trying to keep that going with Dave (Elenz, crew chief) and everyone on this JR Motorsports team in Chicago. Plus, we have a new partner on board our No. 9 Chevrolet for this weekend with MagnaFlow. I can’t thank them enough for their support and hopefully we can give them a great run on Saturday.” – Noah Gragson
