JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Phoenix Raceway
RACE: Call 811 Before You Dig 200 (200 laps / 200 miles)
DATE: Saturday, March 13, 2021
Broadcast Information – TV: 5:30 p.m. ET on FS1 / Radio: 5 p.m. ET on MRN and Sirius XM Ch. 90
Michael Annett
No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet
• The last time Michael Annett raced at Phoenix Raceway, he came away with a fourth-place finish in the 2020 season finale. It was his best finish at the 1-mile oval in 17 starts.
• Tracks measuring 1 mile in the NASCAR Xfinity Series have been good for Annett. In three of his last four races on such tracks, Annett has finished in the top 10.
• At Phoenix, Annett has been fast and consistent, completing 98.6 percent of the laps in his 17 starts with the top-five in 2020 and seven finishes inside the top 10.
• Racing out West agrees with Annett. In his last seven starts west of the Mississippi, Annett has averaged a finish of 6.2 with a pair of top-five finishes and seven top-10s.
Josh Berry
No. 8 Chevrolet Accessories Chevrolet
• Josh Berry will make his first NXS start at Phoenix on Saturday afternoon.
• Berry enters this weekend fresh off a seventh-place result last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which tied his career best.
• In three previous starts in the NXS on short tracks, the 2020 NASCAR Weekly Series National Champion has scored two top 10s with a best finish of seventh coming at Richmond Raceway in September 2015.
• In 10 career starts in the NXS, Berry has recorded four top 10s, including two in three starts this season.
Noah Gragson
No. 9 Bass Pro Shops / TrueTimber / Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet
• Noah Gragson has four starts in the NXS at Phoenix Raceway with a best finish of second coming in the 2020 season finale.
• During the 2020 spring Phoenix race, Gragson led 27 laps en route to a seventh-place finish.
• At tracks that are 1 mile in length, Gragson has an average finish of 8.3 and has paced the field for 67 laps.
• After four races in the 2021 season, Gragson sits 12th in the standings with one top five, one top 10 and 34 laps led.
Justin Allgaier
No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet
• Justin Allgaier is a two-time winner at Phoenix in the NXS. It’s the site of his first of 11 victories since joining JRM in 2016. He took the checkered flag there in the spring of 2017 and most recently in the fall of 2019.
• The veteran driver holds an impressive 8.7 average finish in 21 starts at the track. He’s led 461 laps on the desert oval, including 127 across two starts in 2020.
• Of his 14 career NXS victories, eight have come on tracks measuring 1-mile in length or less. Three of those came in 2020 with a victory at Dover International Speedway and a weekend sweep at Richmond Raceway.
Driver Quotes
“We were pretty good at Las Vegas and got our first top 10 of the season after some pretty awful luck so far. The Pilot Flying J Chevrolet was fast when it counted, the same way it was last year at Phoenix, and we scored points in both segments for the first time this year. That’s a good track for us and we need to do well to keep the momentum building. I’m proud of Mike Bumgarner (crew chief) and all the No. 1 guys for giving me great Chevrolets every week. It’s all about momentum now.” – Michael Annett
“I’m really looking forward to getting to Phoenix. It’s a track that just really suits my driving style and we’ve had a lot of success there as a team. We’ve been fortunate enough to visit Victory Lane twice there and lead a lot of laps with our BRANDT Professional Agriculture Camaro. I have confidence we can go there and have a good, solid weekend and continue our climb up in the points.” – Justin Allgaier
“Phoenix will be interesting this weekend. This is a track that is definitely closer to my background of racing on the short tracks. Hopefully we can continue to build off of everything we have learned over these last couple of weeks and come away with another strong run with our Chevrolet Accessories Camaro. I know that Taylor (Moyer, crew chief) and all the guys on this No. 8 team have been working their tails off this week and I’m ready to go.” – Josh Berry
“Our No. 9 Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Camaro has been fast all year but we haven’t had the finishes to show. We finally had a race go our way last weekend in Vegas and hopefully we can continue the momentum this weekend in Phoenix. We almost walked away with the win last year in the season finale, so hoping to be one position better this time around.” – Noah Gragson
JRM Team Updates”
• JRM in the Valley of the Sun: JR Motorsports has collected three victories, 20 top fives and 42 top 10s in 76 NXS starts at Phoenix Raceway. Justin Allgaier earned the most recent victory at the 1-mile oval, scoring the win after starting fifth and leading 85 laps in the November 2019 event. The organization’s additional two victories came in 2017 when JRM swept both events at the desert track with Allgaier and William Byron.
• Virtual Coffee with Noah: Black Rifle Coffee is offering a special discount for all JR Motorsports fans. Add the code COFFEEDATE20 when purchasing your coffee order March 6th through April 3rd for 20% off at blackriflecoffee.com. It also enters you a chance for a virtual coffee meet-and-greet with Noah Gragson!
• Walmart+: Meet Walmart+ – the membership that helps you save more time and money. Free shipping, no order minimum and free delivery from your store at the low prices you love. Stock up on all your race day favorites like Hellmann’s, Klondike, Good Humor and more at https://www.walmart.com/plus. Give it a try and cancel at any time.
• GREAT OUTDOORS SALE: Save up to 40 percent at Bass Pro Shops now during their GREAT OUTDOORS SALE: now through March 10. Stock up on all your outdoor needs from lures to apparel to rods and reels.
