JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Darlington Raceway
RACE: Steakhouse Elite 200 (147 laps / 200.1 miles)
DATE: Saturday, May 8, 2021
Broadcast Information – TV: 1 p.m. ET on FS1 / Radio: 12:30 p.m. ET on MRN and Sirius XM Ch. 90
Michael Annett
No. 1 Gatorade Pilot Flying J Chevrolet
• Michael Annett’s best finish on the 1.366-mile oval at Darlington came in the second race there last season, when he finished eighth.
• Annett has earned three top-10 finishes in the last five races, the best being a sixth-place effort at Las Vegas. A seventh-place run at Atlanta and a 10th at Martinsville followed in the next two races.
• In Darlington tradition, Annett will carry the green and white Gatorade colors made famous by Darrell Waltrip and DiGard Racing this weekend. As well, race fans can purchase one Gatorade product and get another free through the Pilot Flying J app through May 9.
Josh Berry
No. 8 Tire Pros Chevrolet
• Josh Berry has made one start at Darlington Raceway in 2016. He qualified 31st and finished 27th.
• Berry has eight starts on tracks between 1-2 miles in length with two top-10 finishes, both of which have come during the 2021 season.
• This throwback weekend Tire Pros pays homage to JRM team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the famed scheme he drove to victory in July 2001 at Daytona International Speedway
• In 2021, Berry has one win, one top five and three top 10s while pacing the field for 95 laps.
Noah Gragson
No. 9 Bass Pro Shops / TrueTimber / Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet
• Noah Gragson has made three starts at Darlington Raceway with an average finish of 6.7 and has not finished worse than eighth.
• Back in 2020, Gragson led 46 laps on the way to a fifthplace finish, his best on the 1.366-mile speedway.
• Gragson, who won the $100,000 NASCAR Xfinity Series Dash 4 Cash bonus at both Martinsville Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, will try for a third straight Dash 4 Cash payday. Should he do so, it would be his fourth overall and the 16th for JR Motorsports.
Justin Allgaier
No. 7 Good Humor Chevrolet
• Justin Allgaier has made 11 previous starts at Darlington, having earned three top fives, seven top 10s and an average finish of 10.7.
• Allgaier’s best finish at “The Lady in Black” came in this event last year. The JRM driver led for nine laps before taking the checkered flag in third.
• Allgaier enters this weekend having recorded one win and three top 10s in the last four starts in the NXS.
• For throwback weekend, Allgaier’s No. 7 Good Humor Chevrolet will be sporting the colors of the popular No. 3 Taz Chevrolet that Dale Earnhardt drove in the 2000 Daytona 500.
Driver Quotes
“Coming back to Darlington with DW’s Gatorade colors means a lot to me and to Pilot Flying J. Last year, in the first race back after the pandemic, we had a really fast Chevrolet, and the second race we were really good and finished eighth. We’re finally into the part of the schedule where we can go to the track every week, and I think that will really help us get some momentum going. Bummy (Bumgarner, crew chief) and the No. 1 team are ready to get to work and Darlington is a great place to kick it off.” – Michael Annett
“I’m really looking forward to getting to Darlington this weekend, especially with this awesome Good Humor throwback scheme. It’s really awesome to be able to run a Dale Earnhardt scheme and I can’t thank Good Humor and Unilever enough for letting us run this really cool design. We’ve had some really good speed here over the past couple of years and hopefully we can unload just as quick on Saturday and be in contention to fight for the win.” – Justin Allgaier
“The off week was great but I am ready to get back behind the wheel of the No. 8 Tire Pros Chevrolet. I know Taylor (Moyer, crew chief) and the entire No. 8 group will bring a fast piece Saturday and with the good runs we have had this year, we have the confidence to string together another strong finish. I’ve run at Darlington once before, so it’ll be nice to get back to a track I have raced at previously. Hopefully we can put this throwback in Victory Lane just like Dale (Earnhardt Jr, team owner) did back in 2001.” – Josh Berry
“When we came back to racing last year at Darlington after a long break, Dave (Elenz, crew chief) and the No. 9 guys brought a really good racecar to Darlington and we ended up fifth. We’ve put together a few solid races after a shaky start, so the momentum is definitely in our favor. We’ve brought home two Dash 4 Cash checks and we’re looking to add a third one this weekend. A big thank you goes out to Xfinity for allowing us to race for this kind of prize, it adds a little more motivation to go win the race and that’s exactly what we strive to do every weekend.” – Noah Gragson
JRM Team Updates:
• Dash 4 Cash Prowess: JRM drivers have claimed the Dash 4 Cash honors on 15 different occasions with more than half of those victories coming since the 2017 season. Noah Gragson most recently took Dash 4 Cash honors at Talladega Superspeedway on April 24th.
• Food Lion Store Appearance: Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 Good Humor Chevrolet, will be appearing for an autograph session at the Food Lion on 110 Express Lane in Darlington, S.C. on Friday, May 7 from 2 – 4 p.m. ET. In order to receive an autograph, a non-perishable food item must be brought in for a donation, social distancing must be observed and a mask must be worn at all times.
• Pilot Flying J myRewards Plus™ App: Save time and money on the road at Pilot Flying J Travel Centers and One9 Fuel Network locations with the myRewards Plus™ app, the rewards program made for drivers™. The app offers more of what matters on the road: more savings, more convenience and more time-saving features to plus-up your next stop. Professional drivers can earn up to four points per gallon only in the myRewards Plus™ app by activating the tiered points program every month. It has a trip planner, which ha
