JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Bristol Motor Speedway
RACE: Food City 300 (300 laps / 159.9 miles)
DATE: Friday, Sept. 18, 2020
Broadcast Information – TV: 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN / Radio: 6:30 p.m. ET on PRN and Sirius XM Ch. 90
Michael Annett
No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet
• Michael Annett hits Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend with three top-five and 13 top-10 finishes in his last 14 races. His average finish over that span is 7.9.
• National Truck Driver Appreciation Week began on Sunday, and Annett’s No. 1 machine will pay homage to the road warriors who make our country work. The TV panel carries a “Thank You Truck Drivers” message as it did this past week at Richmond.
• Annett’s best NXS finish in 16 starts on Bristol’s high banks is sixth, in 2011.
• BMS is also the home track of Pilot Flying J, based in nearby Knoxville, Tenn.
Jeb Burton
No. 8 LS Tractor Chevrolet
• Coming off a career-best finish of second at Richmond last weekend, Jeb Burton will make his fifth NXS start at Bristol on Friday evening.
• The Halifax, Va. native has a best start of seventh and a best finish of 12th in four previous starts in the NXS at Bristol.
• Overall, Burton has made a combined seven starts across the NASCAR Cup Series, the NXS and the NGROTS at the famed .533-mile short track.
• LS Tractor, one of the fastest growing tractor companies in North America, will be on board the No. 8 Chevrolet for the fifth time this season.
Noah Gragson
No. 9 Bass Pro Shops / TrueTimber / Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet
• Noah Gragson returns to Bristol as the defending race winner after going to Victory Lane in the most recent event at “The Last Great Colosseum” in June.
• Overall, Gragson has three previous NXS starts at the .533- mile with an average finish of 9.0 and has paced the field for 60 circuits.
• After 25 races in the 2020 season, Gragson sits fourth in the championship standings with two wins, 11 top fives, 18 top 10s and has led 524 laps.
• At tracks that are less than a mile in length, Gragson has one win, four top fives, eight top 10s and holds an average finish of 8.1.
Justin Allgaier
No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet
• Justin Allgaier is coming off of a weekend sweep at Richmond heading into this Friday’s event at Bristol.
• In 19 NXS starts at the Tennessee short track, Allgaier has one win (2010), eight top fives and 11 top 10s.
• The Illinois native has led a staggering 638 laps at Bristol, more than any other track on the circuit. Of those laps, 425 have been tallied in the last three events at the track.
• Allgaier’s two wins in Richmond catapulted him to third in the projected playoffs standings with just one race left in the regular season. To date in 2020, the veteran driver has collected 25 playoff points from his three victories and 10 stage wins.
Driver Quotes
“Our No. 1 Pilot Flying J team is performing well. We had two good runs at Richmond, clinching a playoff spot on Friday night. We’ve worked hard all season for the chance to race for a championship, and we can race for wins instead of chasing points. We had a really good car earlier this season at Bristol, but got caught in someone else’s mess. We are looking forward to a good run to thank all the truck drivers who keep our country moving as part of National Truck Driver Appreciation Week.” – Michael Annett
“I feel like our No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture team is hitting its stride at just the right time. Last weekend at Richmond was incredible and gives us some great momentum heading to one of my favorite tracks on the circuit. Bristol is a place that really suits my driving style and the past few races I feel like we’ve had the car to beat, but circumstances just didn’t work in our favor. Hopefully we can get it done this weekend and end the regular season on a high note as we look ahead to the playoffs.” – Justin Allgaier
“I can’t wait to see what we can do on Friday night with this LS Tractor Chevrolet. Taylor (Moyer, crew chief) and all the guys on this JR Motorsports team gave me a great car both races last weekend on the short track in Richmond and I feel really confident that we will unload with that same speed this weekend at the short track in Bristol. This is definitely a place that I have always enjoyed coming to and hopefully we can keep this momentum from our second-place finish last Saturday going and fight for the win come Friday night.” – Jeb Burton
“The last time we were at Bristol we came away with the win but it came at a cost. It’ll be nice to go back and get the Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Camaro into Victory Lane to get a few more playoff points before the playoffs begin next week. I know the guys are working hard at the shop and I don’t doubt them a bit that we will unload with a lot of speed on Friday night.” – Noah Gragson
JRM Team Updates
• JRM in Thunder Valley: In 76 NXS starts at Bristol Motor Speedway, JR Motorsports has scored two wins, 20 top-five and 46 top-10 finishes. Brad Keselowski earned the organization’s first victory at “The Last Great Colosseum” in August of 2008 after starting 37th and leading the final 24 laps. The 37th-place starting position is the deepest in the field a winner has ever started for JRM. Noah Gragson scored the organization’s most recent victory at the famed short track in June of this year.
• JRM on Short Tracks: In 232 starts on short tracks in the NXS, JRM has recorded 11 wins, 66 top fives and 141 top 10s. Brad Keselowski earned the organization’s first victory on a short track at Bristol Motor Speedway in August 2008. Justin Allgaier scored the most recent victories on a short track after sweeping last weekend’s events at Richmond Raceway.
• National Truck Driver Appreciation Week: Michael Annett’s No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet celebrates 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
