JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Phoenix Raceway
RACE: Desert Diamond Casino West Valley 200 (200 laps / 200 miles)
DATE: Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020
Broadcast Information – TV: 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN / Radio: 4:30 p.m. ET on MRN and Sirius XM Ch. 90
Michael Annett
No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet
• Michael Annett will seek his third top-10 finish in his last four starts at Phoenix Raceway this weekend and sixth overall in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. His best finish there came in 2012, when the Iowa native finished seventh.
• On tracks measuring a mile or less in length this season, Annett has six top-10 finishes in eight starts.
• Annett has been remarkably consistent at Phoenix, completing 98.5 percent of the laps run in his 16 starts there.
• Annett’s No. 1 Chevrolet will return to the red, white and yellow of primary sponsor Pilot Flying J this weekend.
Daniel Hemric
No. 8 Poppy Bank Chevrolet
• In five previous NXS starts at Phoenix, Daniel Hemric has earned two top fives and four top 10s, with a best finish of second coming in the November 2018 event.
• Hemric has also made a combined five starts in the Valley of the Sun between the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Gander Outdoors & RV Truck Series.
• In 12 starts on tracks one mile in length in the NXS, Hemric has recorded five top fives, eight top 10s and an average finish of 9.3.
• Through 20 NXS starts in 2020, Hemric has earned a best finish of second at both Charlotte Motor Speedway in May and Kansas Speedway in October.
Noah Gragson
No. 9 Bass Pro Shops / TrueTimber / Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet
• Noah Gragson has three starts in the NXS at Phoenix with a best finish of seventh coming in the spring race earlier this season.
• In three starts at tracks that are one mile in length in 2020, Gragson has an average finish of 5.7.
• Gragson currently sits fifth in the championship standings with two wins, 16 top fives, 24 top 10s and has paced the field for 621 circuits.
• In his last 10 series starts, Gragson has accumulated six top fives, nine top 10s and was at the top of the leaderboard for 113 laps.
Justin Allgaier
No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet
• Justin Allgaier punched his ticket to the Championship 4 for the fourth time in the last five seasons after his secondplace finish at Martinsville Speedway.
• The veteran driver has a strong history at Phoenix, with two wins, seven top fives and 12 top 10s in 20 NXS starts. He also has an average finish of 8.8 and 385 laps led.
• Allgaier’s most recent victory at the desert oval came in last fall’s event after leading 85 laps.
• This season on tracks measuring a mile or less in length, Allgaier leads the series with three wins and 685 laps led. He has five top fives and six top 10s across eight starts on those tracks, with an average finish of 6.0.
Driver Quotes
“We were just too loose last time out at Phoenix, and Travis (Mack, crew chief) and I have come up with a solution for that this weekend. We have run well at Phoenix, and I am determined to end the season on a high note and hopefully help my teammate Justin Allgaier celebrate the NXS title this weekend. It’s the best way to end the season, with a good finish and a championship for JR Motorsports.” – Michael Annett
“When NASCAR announced last year that Phoenix was going to be the season finale, I think I may have been the most excited guy out there. That track is just one that this BRANDT Professional Agriculture team seems to perform really well at and we had a great race there last fall. This weekend isn’t going to be easy though by any means and anything can happen. We have three other really strong teams we’re up against for the championship. Hopefully at the end of it all, we’ll be the ones hoisting that trophy and bringing it home for JR Motorsports. I know we have a team capable of getting it done.”– Justin Allgaier
“I’m really looking forward to getting to Phoenix this weekend and ending this season on a strong note for everyone on this Poppy Bank No. 8 team. We have been so close all season long to getting to Victory Lane and I am going to give it everything we can to get that done for all of the guys on this team. They have worked so hard all season long and I can’t thank them enough for everything. It’s a big weekend for JRM as a whole as well and hopefully we can end the day on Saturday with a win for this No. 8 team and a championship for teammate Justin Allgaier.” – Daniel Hemric
“We were knocked out of championship contention last week but this No. 9 team wants to go out and spoil the show by putting this Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Camaro in Victory Lane. We had a great car in Phoenix earlier this year and I think we will be just as fast when we unload this weekend. Hopefully we can bring home the win and my teammate Justin Allgaier can bring the championship trophy back to JR Motorsports.” – Noah Gragson
JRM Team Updates
• JRM in the Valley of the Sun: JR Motorsports has collected three victories, 17 top fives and 39 top 10s in 72 NXS starts at Phoenix Raceway. Justin Allgaier enters this weekend as the defending race winner of the November event in Phoenix, scoring the victory after starting fifth and leading 85 laps. The organization’s additional two victories came in 2017 when JRM swept both events at the desert track with Allgaier and William Byron.
• Model of Consistency: JR Motorsports enters this weekend’s season finale at Phoenix Raceway as the only organization to have qualified for the Championship 4 in each season since the inception of the playoffs in 2016.
• Going for Four: The No. 7 team and driver Justin Allgaier will head to Phoenix Raceway with the goal of scoring the fourth NASCAR Xfinity Series championship for JR Motorsports. JRM has previously won the championship in 2014, 2017 and 2018 with drivers Chase Elliott, William Byron and Tyler Reddick, respectively. Allgaier can earn the championship with a victory or by being the highest finishing driver of the Championship 4.
