JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Richmond Raceway
RACE 1: Go Bowling 250 (250 laps / 187.5 miles)
RACE 2: Virginia is for Racing Lovers 250 (250 laps / 187.5 miles)
DATE 1: Friday, Sept. 11, 2020
DATE 2: Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020
Broadcast Information Race One – TV: 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN / Radio: 6:30 p.m. ET on MRN and Sirius XM Ch. 90
Broadcast Information Race Two – TV: 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN / Radio: 1:30 p.m. ET on MRN and Sirius XM Ch. 90
Michael Annett
Race One & Two: No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet
• Michael Annett will go to Richmond Raceway this weekend with three top-five and 11 top-10 finishes in his last 12 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts this season. His average finish over that span is 8.1.
• In 15 starts at Richmond, Annett has posted four top 10s and completed 98.9 percent of the laps run in those races. The Iowa native was ninth in the fall race last year on the .750-mile oval and has earned a best finish of fifth in 2012.
• Annett’s Pilot Flying J Chevrolet will carry a “Thank You Truck Drivers” message on the TV panel for both races this weekend in advance of National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, which is set for Sept. 13-19.
Jeb Burton
Race One: No. 8 State Water Heaters Chevrolet
Race Two: No. 8 LS Tractor Chevrolet
• Jeb Burton returns to the No. 8 Chevrolet for this weekend’s doubleheader at Richmond.
• The Halifax, Va. native has a combined six starts at the .750-mile short track across the Cup Series and the NXS.
• Through six starts in 2020 for JRM in the NXS, Burton has scored a best finish of third at Talladega in June.
• State Water Heaters, a leader in the water heating industry, will be on board the No. 8 for the first event of the weekend on Friday evening.
• LS Tractor, one of the fastest growing tractor companies in North America, is on board for the second race on Saturday afternoon.
Noah Gragson
Race One & Two: Bass Pro Shops / TrueTimber / Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet
• Noah Gragson has three NXS starts at Richmond with a best finish of second coming in his first career start in the spring of 2018.
• In the most recent race at Richmond in the fall of 2019, Gragson started eighth and finished seventh.
• After 23 races in the 2020 season, Gragson sits fourth in the championship standings with two wins, 10 top fives, 16 top 10s and has led 508 laps.
• At tracks that are less than 1 mile in length, Gragson has one win, three top fives, six top 10s and holds an average finish of 8.5.
Justin Allgaier
Race One: No. 7 FilterTime Chevrolet
Race Two: No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet
• Justin Allgaier has five top fives and eight top 10s in 18 NXS starts at Richmond Raceway with 281 laps led.
• His two most recent visits to the track in 2019 resulted in top-five finishes, including a third-place result last spring after leading the race for 86 circuits.
• This season on tracks measuring 1 mile or less in length, Allgaier has one victory (Dover) and three stage wins.
• With three races left before the start of the NXS playoffs, Allgaier is currently listed as sixth in the projected playoff standings with 13 playoff points accrued after his victory at Dover and eight stage wins.
Driver Quotes
“Our No. 1 Pilot Flying J team is clicking on all cylinders as the season heads toward the playoffs. We had a solid run at Darlington, which is the latest in a series of good finishes for us, and I think we’re peaking at the right time. Going to Richmond for two races is going to be important, especially with Bristol the next track on the list. We’re pretty solid in points right now and we’re getting ready to make a playoff run. That starts this weekend.” – Michael Annett
“I’m ready to head to Richmond for another doubleheader weekend. The last one turned out well for us at Dover, so I’m hoping for the same result, especially after the bad luck we had last weekend at Darlington. I’m ready to move on from that and get some positive momentum back as we get closer to the playoffs. We have two great partners on the car this week with FilterTime on Friday and BRANDT on Saturday and this No. 7 team has been working hard to prepare a fast Camaro, so I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do.” – Justin Allgaier
“I’m really looking forward to getting to Richmond this weekend and race not one, but two races at one of my home tracks. It’s going to be a fun weekend for sure and hopefully we can come away with two solid runs with our State Water Heaters Chevy on Friday night and our LS Tractor Chevy on Saturday. We’ve just got to be patient and take what the track gives us and I feel like we will be right there in contention for the win. I can’t wait to get there and see what we can do.” – Jeb Burton
“Richmond is a track that I have run pretty good at in the past and I expect more of the same this weekend. My first trip here I ran up front and finished second and then last year I was able to run around the top five but ended up finishing seventh. It’s a doubleheader weekend so we can get a lot of playoff points in a short amount of time, so we’re going to attack this weekend and make the most of it.” – Noah Gragson
JRM Team Updates:
• JRM at Richmond: JRM has scored three wins, 22 top fives and 43 top 10s in 73 previous starts at Richmond Raceway. The organization’s three victories at Richmond came in three consecutive years with Kevin Harvick in April 2014, Chase Elliott in September 2015 and team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. in April 2016.
• JRM on Short Tracks: In 224 starts on short tracks in the NXS, JRM has recorded nine wins, 62 top fives and 134 top 10s. Brad Keselowski earned the organization’s first victory on a short track at Bristol Motor Speedway in August 2008. Noah Gragson brought home the most recent victory, also at Bristol, in June 2020.
• FilterTime Discount: In honor of FilterTime’s partnership with JR Motorsports and the No. 7 team for Friday’s race at Richmond Raceway, new customers who sign up for the company’s subscription-based custom air-filter service can get 20 percent off their first order by using the discount code JRM7. Learn more by visiting FilterTime.com/JRM7.
• National Truck Driver Appreciation Week: Michael Annett’s No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet kicks off National Truck Driver Appreciation Week with an homage to the drivers who make America go. National Truck Driver Appreciation Week is an important time for America to pay respect and thank all the professional truck drivers for their hard work and commitment in undertaking one of our economy’s most demanding and important jobs. These 3.5 million professional men and women not only deliver our goods safely, securely, and on time, they also keep our highways safe. This year it takes on a special significance considering the crucial role truck drivers have played during the COVID-19 pandemic
