JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Circuit of the Americas
RACE: Pit Boss 250 (46 laps / 156 miles)
DATE: Saturday, May 22, 2021
Broadcast Information – TV: 4 p.m. ET on FS1 / Radio: 3:30 p.m. ET on PRN and Sirius XM Ch. 90
Michael Annett
No. 1 No. 1 Pilot Flying J/myRewards Plus™ Chevrolet
• Michael Annett will be going for his third straight top-10 finish this weekend as the NASCAR Xfinity Series visits Circuit of the Americas for the first time. The Iowa driver has five such finishes in 10 races this season, including three of the last five events.
• On road courses in 2020, Annett logged three top-10 finishes in four starts, with a pair of ninth-place results at Indianapolis and the Charlotte Roval as his best.
• The Iowa native’s best road-course finish is second, at Road America in 2017 during his first season as driver of the Pilot Flying J Chevrolet for JR Motorsports.
Miguel Paludo
No. 8 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet
• Miguel Paludo will make his second NXS start with JRM at Circuit of the Americas this weekend in the No. 8 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet.
• Paludo’s first race with JRM came at the Daytona Road Course. He started 35th and finished eighth in his first NXS start since 2012.
• In three road course starts in the NXS, Paludo has an average finish of 16.3 and has paced the field for eight laps. Paludo has also competed in one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on a road course where he started fifth and finished third at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park during the 2013 season.
Noah Gragson
No. 9 Bass Pro Shops / TrueTimber / Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet
• Noah Gragson will enter this weekend’s inaugural race at Circuit of the Americas having only one finish outside of the top 10 on road courses. Last season he finished second, third (twice) and sixth in the road circuit events.
• In 2019, his first full season in the NXS, Gragson had three
top-five and four top-10 finishes on road courses.
• In the two inaugural road courses that were added onto the 2020 schedule at Daytona and Indianapolis, Gragson scored respective finishes of fifth and third.
Justin Allgaier
No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet
• In 33 previous starts on road courses in the NXS, Justin Allgaier has scored three wins, nine top fives and 21 top 10s.
• Two of Allgaier’s three road course victories came in 2018 with JRM at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and Road America. Allgaier had previously gone to Victory Lane at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal in 2012.
• Allgaier’s No. 7 Camaro will have a different look for this weekend. As one of two BRANDT Chevrolets on the road course at COTA, the Illinois native’s paint scheme will have a white base with the familiar bright red accents.
Driver Quotes
“Going to Circuit of the Americas for the first time will be interesting, never having raced there before. Our road course program has been very strong over the years here at JR Motorsports, and I don’t expect anything different this weekend. The key to success on a road course in a stock car is to keep it on the pavement, and that is what we’ll do. Our No. 1 team has had a couple of good runs in a row and we want to keep that momentum building.” – Michael Annett
“COTA is going to be very interesting this weekend for sure. With it being a new track, I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can learn during practice on Friday. It’s such a unique road course that has a lot of variables to it, but I feel extremely confident that we will unload with not one, but two fast BRANDT Professional Agriculture Camaros as we have Miguel (Paludo) back this weekend as my teammate in the No. 8 car. Hopefully we can both have smooth days and be in contention at the end to get BRANDT back to Victory Lane.” – Justin Allgaier
“I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel of this No. 8 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet this weekend at COTA. We had a really fast car earlier this year at Daytona and I know that we will have that same kind of speed when we get to the track on Friday. I just can’t say thank you enough to BRANDT and JRM for this opportunity. It’s really special to get the chance to do this and to have the opportunity to race with my teammate Justin (Allgaier) and everyone in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. I’m ready to go.” – Miguel Paludo
“Going to COTA is going to be tough since we’ve never been to this track but luckily we will have a full round of practice in order to learn the place. Road course racing really fits my style of driving so I am looking forward to getting out there and seeing what this Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Camaro can do. Dave (Elenz, crew chief) and the No. 9 team will bring a fast car like usual, so that has our confidence at a high level as we head into this weekend.” – Noah Gragson
JRM Team Updates:
• JRM on Road Courses: JRM has competed on road courses a total of 133 times and has totaled four wins, 32 top fives and 69 top 10s. The most recent winner for JRM on a road course was Justin Allgaier, who won at Road America during the 2018 NXS season.
• Circuit of the Americas: For the first time in NASCAR history, all three National Touring Series will make an appearance at the 20-turn, 3.41-mile long road course in Austin, Texas. Opened in October of 2012, COTA hosted its first Formula 1 race that same year, and has since hosted IndyCar, MotoGPm and Endurance Races. Now, the facility welcomes the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Xfinity Series and Cup Series.
• 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 has exclusive offers to find the best places to stop and save along the road with clean, fast and friendly service at Pilot Flying J Travel Centers.
