JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Kentucky Speedway
RACE 1: Shady Rays 200 (134 laps / 200 miles)
RACE 2: Alsco 300 (200 laps / 300 miles)
DATE 1: Thursday, July 9, 2020
DATE 2: Friday, July 10, 2020
Michael Annett
Race One: No. 1 TMC Transportation Chevrolet
Race Two: No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet
• Michael Annett has a pair of top-five finishes among six in the top 10 in 11 starts at Kentucky Speedway. His average finish of 12.5 is his best among all tracks in the series.
• Annett will carry a special decal above the right-side door this weekend at Kentucky. Longtime friend Mitch Benskin, 35, passed away recently and Annett will honor his memory with the special tribute.
• TMC Transportation, the Des Moines, Iowa-based trucking company, makes its 2020 debut as a primary sponsor on Thursday, with Pilot Flying J returning for Friday’s event
Jeb Burton
Race One: No. 8 Rocky Boots Chevrolet
• Jeb Burton is set to make his fourth start this season behind the wheel of the No. 8 Chevrolet in the first race at Kentucky on Thursday night.
• Burton has recorded a best finish of eighth in two previous starts in the NXS at Kentucky. The eighth-place result came in the September 2013 event.
• Burton has also scored two top-10 finishes in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series at the 1.5-mile oval.
• The colors of the Nelsonville, Ohio footwear company, Rocky Boots ,will be onboard the No. 8 for the first time in 2020.
Justin Allgaier
Race One: No. 7 Thank You Team BRANDT Chevrolet
Race Two: No. 7 BRANDT “Thank You Farmers” Chevrolet
• Justin Allgaier has 13 NXS starts at Kentucky, with a best finish of third coming in 2017 and has a total of 62 laps led.
• In his six starts with JRM at the 1.5-mile speedway, the Illinois native has finished inside top 10 five times.
• So far in the 2020 season, Allgaier has led 319 laps and earned five stage wins. Of those laps led, 64 have been on mile-and-a-half tracks.
• Special hoods will return on Allgaier’s BRANDT Camaro for this week’s doubleheader to show appreciation for the world’s farmers and BRANDT’s employees.
Daniel Hemric
Race Two: No. 8 Poppy Bank Chevrolet
• Daniel Hemric will be piloting the No. 8 Poppy Bank Chevrolet for the second of two NXS events at Kentucky on Friday evening.
• In three previous NXS starts at Kentucky, Hemric has one top five and three top 10s with a best finish of second coming in 2018.
• Hemric has made a combined six starts at the 1.5-mile oval between the NASCAR Cup Series, NXS and the Truck Series, recording a combined two top fives and four top 10s.
Noah Gragson
Race One & Two: No. 9 Switch Chevrolet
• Noah Gragson has made one start at Kentucky in his young NXS career, driving to a sixth-place finish last season after starting third.
• The Las Vegas native has also made two starts in the Truck Series at the 1.5-mile track, earning one top five and two top 10s. He led in each of the two events for a combined total of 94 laps.
• In five NXS starts on 1.5-mile ovals in 2020, the 21-year-old driver has an impressive four top-five finishes, including a runner-up effort at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Driver Quotes
“There’s just something about Kentucky that I like, and I’ve run well there every time we go. We’re on a roll these past two weeks, and the thing is, we had chances to improve on those finishes at the end. That’s all you can ask for, and our TMC Transportation / Pilot Flying J Chevrolet team is hitting on all cylinders. We have great strategy and our performance is solid, so I’m looking for good things this weekend.” – Michael Annett
“I’m really looking forward to this week’s doubleheader at Kentucky. Jason (Burdett, crew chief) and this entire BRANDT team have been working hard to prepare us a fast Camaro. We’ve had some tough luck lately, but I know we’re close to breaking through that and getting this team to Victory Lane. We have two chances to do that this weekend. We just need to be smart, minimize our mistakes and we’ll have a great shot at getting it done. We’re ready to go.” – Justin Allgaier
“Kentucky should be a lot of fun on Thursday night. I feel really confident in Taylor (Moyer, crew chief) and all of the guys on this No. 8 team that we will unload with a lot of speed come race time. I’m also really excited to have Rocky Boots come onboard for this race. Hopefully we can give them a great show and fight for a victory on Thursday.” – Jeb Burton
“I’ve always enjoyed racing at Kentucky. We’ve had some strong runs there in the past and I’m confident we can do that again on Friday night. Hopefully Jeb (Burton) will have a great run on Thursday and we can learn a few things that can translate over to Friday night. I’m ready to get back behind the wheel and I feel like we will have a great shot to battle upfront and race for a win.” – Daniel Hemric
“I’m ready to see what we can do with both races at Kentucky. We were really fast there last year and we have had some great runs this year on the mile-anda-half tracks so I have a ton of confidence we can back that up again beginning on Thursday. I know that Dave (Elenz, crew chief) and all of my guys on this Switch team will give me a car capable of getting the job done, all we need to do is just do our jobs and execute, and it should be a great two races. ”– Noah Gragson
