JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Talladega Superspeedway
RACE: Ag-Pro 300 (113 laps / 300.58 miles)
DATE: Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020
Broadcast Information – TV: 4:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN / Radio: 4 p.m. ET on MRN and Sirius XM Ch. 90
Michael Annett
No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet
• Michael Annett will go to Talladega Superspeedway 10th in points, just 10 markers out of the top eight following race one of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs.
• Talladega’s 2.66-mile oval is where Annett earned his first career NXS pole position, doing so in 2019.
• With six races remaining in the season, Annett has 17 top10 finishes and three in the top five.
• This season, Annett has a top 10 and two finishes in the top 12 on restrictor-plate tracks, finishing seventh at the second Daytona race. His average finish in three starts at Daytona and Talladega this year is 10.0, and he led 11 laps at Talladega earlier this year.
Daniel Hemric
No. 8 Poppy Bank Chevrolet
• Daniel Hemric and the No. 8 team currently sit ninth in the playoff grid for the owners championship, one point behind the eighth and final cutoff position with two races remaining in the Round of 12.
• In six combined starts across the NXS, NASCAR Cup Series and the Truck Series at Talladega, Hemric has recorded a best finish of fifth, earned in the April 2019 Cup event.
• In seven combined NXS starts on the superspeedways of Daytona and Talladega, Hemric has scored a best finish of eighth in the July 2018 event at Daytona.
• Through 17 NXS starts in 2020, Hemric has earned a season high finish of second at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Noah Gragson
No. 9 Bass Pro Shops / TrueTimber / Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet
• Noah Gragson currently sits third in the playoff standings, just 34 points behind leader Chase Briscoe.
• Gragson has just one finish outside of the top 10 in three previous starts at Talladega in the NXS, with a best finish of fourth coming in 2018.
• At tracks that are 2 miles or greater in length, Gragson holds an average finish of 11.8 with one win, four top fives, six top 10s and 66 laps led. Gragson’s lone victory came in the 2020 season-opening event at Daytona.
• In his last 10 series starts, Gragson has amassed nine top10s, including a streak of five straight.
Justin Allgaier
No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet
• Justin Allgaier heads to Talladega fourth in the NXS Playoffs standings, 28 points above the cutoff line for the Round of 8.
• In 10 NXS starts at the superspeedway, Allgaier has three top fives and six top 10s, including a runner-up finish in 2016.
• The Illinois native has proven to be strong at Talladega, having led laps in each of the last four events there and a total of 78 laps across his 10 NXS starts.
• Allgaier is currently the series leader in stage wins this season, taking the green-and-white checkered flag in the top spot on 12 different occasions.
Driver Quotes
“Travis Mack and the No. 1 team prepares great restrictor plate cars for me, and we’ve had a lot of success at both Daytona and Talladega. This is a big weekend for everyone as Talladega is a wild-card in the playoffs, and we want to go there, run well and set ourselves up to advance to the Round of 8. We’ve been fast and led laps, but we’re really looking for a victory this weekend. I know we have the Pilot Flying J Chevrolet to do that, and I can’t wait to get there and get started.” – Michael Annett
“Talladega is definitely a make it or break it when it comes to advancing to the Round of 8 in these playoffs. It’s a race that you don’t necessarily have much control over the outcome. We have a strong restrictor-plate program here at JR Motorsports and I know we’ll have a BRANDT Professional Agriculture Camaro capable of winning, we just need to execute and hopefully we can avoid all the chaos, earn stage points and be there at the end of the day.” – Justin Allgaier
“I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can do this weekend at Talladega with our Poppy Bank Chevrolet. JRM has always unloaded with a lot of speed on the superspeedways and I felt like we had a really fast Camaro at Daytona a few weeks back. If we can just keep ourselves out of trouble and execute the way I know this team is capable of, I feel extremely confident that we can be up front and fighting for the victory on Saturday.” – Daniel Hemric
“We started off the playoffs strong and I don’t expect any less going into Talladega. All four of our JRM cars have worked really well at superspeedways and we’ve proven that we are the ones to beat as long as we aren’t caught up in any wrecks. We have a solid plan going into this weekend and hopefully it plays out in our favor and get the No. 9 Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Camaro in Victory Lane Saturday.” – Noah Gragson
JRM Team Updates
• JRM at Talladega: In 41 NXS starts at Talladega Superspeedway, JR Motorsports has scored two wins, 12 top-five and 23 top-10 finishes. Regan Smith earned the organization’s first victory at the 2.66-mile superspeedway in 2013 with Elliott Sadler following suit in 2016.
• JRM on Superspeedways: In 125 NXS starts at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, JRM has earned a combined nine wins, 36 top fives and 60 top 10s. Elliott Sadler scored the organization’s most recent victory at Talladega in 2016 while Noah Gragson visited Victory Lane at Daytona earlier this season. Overall, JRM has won seven times at Daytona, more than any other track on the NXS circuit.
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