JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Darlington Raceway
RACE: Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 (147 laps / 200.8 miles)
Broadcast Information – TV: 4 p.m. ET on NBC / Radio: 3:30 p.m. ET on
MRN and Sirius XM Ch. 90
Michael Annett
No. 1 Baby Ruth Chevrolet
• Michael Annett’s best NASCAR Xfinity Series finish at Darlington came last season, when he drove to a solid 10th-place finish.
• Annett’s No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet will carry a special paint scheme this weekend honoring Jeff Gordon’s 1992 Baby Ruth machine. With the Pilot Flying J app, race fans can get a free Baby Ruth bar at any Pilot Flying J location around the country.
• Already qualified for the NXS Playoffs with his season opening victory at Daytona, Annett is currently eighth in series points and riding a streak of 10 top-10 finishes in the past 14 races.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
No. 8 Hellmann’s Chevrolet
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. returns to NXS competition this weekend at “The Lady in Black” for the first time since a fourth-place finish at Richmond Raceway in 2018.
• In four previous NXS starts at Darlington, Earnhardt Jr. recorded one top five and two top 10s, with a best finish of second coming in the September 1998 event.
• Earnhardt Jr. also made 22 starts in the Cup Series at Darlington, scoring four top fives and 10 top 10s.
• Earnhardt Jr.’s throwback Hellmann’s paint scheme for this weekend pays homage to the same classic design Dale Earnhardt Sr. piloted in his first NASCAR Cup Series start on May 25, 1975 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Noah Gragson
No. 9 Adventure Force Chevrolet
• Noah Gragson will make his first NXS start at Darlington this weekend.
• To date, the Las Vegas native has recorded a top-10 finish in 11 of the last 13 NXS races, including five finishes inside the top five during that timeframe.
• Overall in 2019, Gragson has earned six top fives, 14 top 10s and sits seventh in the championship standings, 147 points ahead of the 12th and final playoff position with three races remaining in the NXS regular season.
• In 10 starts on tracks between one and two miles in the NXS, Gragson has scored two top fives and seven top 10s, with a best finish of third coming at Las Vegas earlier this season.
Justin Allgaier
No. 7 Armour Vienna Sausage Chevrolet
• Justin Allgaier has two top fives and five top 10s in eight NXS starts at Darlington. The Illinois native’s average finish at the legendary track is an impressive 9.4 with a best finish of fourth in 2011.
• With his ninth-place finish last weekend at Road America, Allgaier secured a spot in the NXS Playoffs.
• The 33-year-old driver is currently on a streak of seven consecutive top-10 finishes, with 145 laps led during that span.
• Allgaier and the No. 7 Armour Vienna Sausage team will run a special paint scheme for Darlington’s Throwback weekend from Ricky Rudd’s 1979 season.
Driver Quotes
“It’s good to be back at Darlington with this No. 1 Pilot Flying J/Baby Ruth Chevrolet. It’s a great paint scheme for a great race track, and I want to keep being consistent with good finishes on the way to the playoffs. We were good through the road courses and Bristol, but here we are just a few races away from the start of the postseason, and we need to gain momentum. I’m looking for a good run this weekend at Darlington.”– Michael Annett
“I’m really looking forward to running this Ricky Rudd throwback with Armour this weekend. The throwback atmosphere at Darlington each year is so cool and it’s awesome that our No. 7 team gets to be a part of it. I can’t wait to get on the track and see what we can do. Hopefully it’s as fast on Saturday as it looks sitting in the shop.”– Justin Allgaier
“We’ve been working toward this race with the Hellmann’s throwback for months and it’s great to have it all come together. The throwback weekend Darlington puts on is really entertaining and it’s cool to see how involved the teams get. Running this paint scheme and carrying the No. 8 is going to be special. I’ve been looking forward to it for a while. The Xfinity Series has been competitive this year with the young talent that is in the series right now. We’ll see how things go during practice and hope to be running with those guys on Saturday.” – Dale Earnhardt Jr.
“Darlington is so much fun. It’s a place where the groove that is the fastest is the complete opposite of what you would think it is. We tested here earlier this year and I just immediately understood what makes this place so awesome. Now hopefully we can have a nice, smooth day on Saturday and be there at the end. I can’t wait to see what we can do running up by the wall, especially since we have a new partner this weekend with Far Out Toys and Adventure Force. I really appreciate them coming on board our No. 9 Chevrolet and I hope they have a great time.” – Noah Gragson
JRM Team Updates
• JRM at Darlington: In 31previously starts at “The Lady in Black,” JRM has earned two wins, seven top fives and 17 top 10s. Chase Elliott scored the organization’s first victory at the hallowed speedway in 2014 with Elliott Sadler following suit in 2016.
• Gragson Media Availability: JRM driver Noah Gragson will be stopping by the media center at Darlington Raceway for media availability on Friday, Aug. 30, at 4:30 p.m. EST.
• Armour Sweepstakes: Enter Armour Racing’s 2019 sweepstakes for a chance to win a trip to a race and a meet-and-greet with Armour driver Justin Allgaier, plus other great prize packs! Fans can enter at ArmourPitStop.com until Monday, Sept. 30, 2019.
• Hellmann’s Healthy Soil: This weekend at Darlington Raceway, Hellmann’s will be helping race fans learn how to have a stake in American land by demonstrating the importance of healthy soil to the food they consume. The Hellmann’s Booth, located inside the Fan Zone, will include nutritional facts and a crop planter box activation that will demonstrate how cover crops positively affect the overall nutrition and health
