JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: New Hampshire Motor Speedway
RACE: Ambetter Get Vaccinated 200 (200 laps / 200 miles)
DATE: Saturday, July 17, 2021
Broadcast Information – TV: 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN / Radio: 2:30 p.m. ET on PRN and Sirius XM Ch. 90
Josh Berry
No. 1 Pilot Flying J Spicy Chicken Sandwich Chevrolet
• Josh Berry will drive the No. 1 Chevrolet at New Hampshire, filling in for the injured Michael Annett, who is expected to return for the Aug. 7 race at Watkins Glen.
• This is Berry’s first appearance on the 1.058-mile oval.
• In six starts on tracks measuring 1 mile or less in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Berry has earned one victory (at Martinsville Speedway), a second-place finish (Dover International Speedway) and two more top-10 results at Richmond Raceway in 2015 and Iowa Speedway in 2016.
• In 15 starts this season, Berry has the victory at Martinsville, four top-five and eight top-10 finishes and has led a total of 151 laps.
Sam Mayer
No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet
• Sam Mayer will make his first NXS start at New Hampshire this weekend in the No. 8 Chevrolet.
• Mayer has competed at tracks measuring 1-mile in length in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series a combined five times with one win coming at Dover in 2020.
• The 18-year-old Franklin, Wis. native comes into New Hampshire after earning his best finish of ninth at Atlanta in only his third NXS start.
• To date in the 2021 season, the No. 8 team has earned one win (Martinsville Speedway), four top fives and eight top 10s while pacing the field for 151 laps.
Noah Gragson
No. 9 Bass Pro Shops / TrueTimber / Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet
• With his third-place run at Atlanta last weekend, Noah Gragson earned his second top-five finish in the last three races and his fifth straight top 10.
• In the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Gragson won the pole and led 40 laps at New Hampshire in 2017 before an accident derailed his bid for victory. He finished 15th in that event.
• In 12 starts on 1-mile tracks over his NXS career, Gragson has a second-place run in the 2020 season finale at Phoenix as his best finish, along with another top five at Dover and eight top-10 results.
• Gragson will celebrate his 23rd birthday on July 15th.
Justin Allgaier
No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet
• Justin Allgaier will be making his 10th career NXS start at New Hampshire this weekend.
• In nine previous starts in Loudon, Allgaier has scored one top five, six top 10s and a best finish of third in 2019.
• Overall, Allgaier has recorded four victories on tracks 1-mile in length in the NXS, with two victories coming at both Phoenix Raceway and Dover International Speedway.
• Allgaier currently sits third in the NXS Playoff Grid with eight races remaining in the regular season by virtue of victories at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Darlington Raceway.
Driver Quotes
“I can’t thank this Pilot Flying J team for giving me the opportunity to fill in while Michael heals. I hope everything goes as planned and Michael recovers quickly. Going to another track I’ve never seen isn’t that big of a deal anymore to me. I’ve had some good runs at places I’ve never raced on this year, and I’m looking forward to seeing what New Hampshire is like. I know that JR Motorsports and Mike Bumgarner prepare excellent Chevrolets every week, and I am eager to see how fast this Pilot Flying J Chevrolet will be.” – Josh Berry
“Loudon should be interesting this weekend. It’s the last race before we hit the two-week Olympic break and hopefully we can enter this break with a lot of momentum on our side. We had a strong run the last time we got to race here back in 2019 and I feel confident that we can take what we learned in that race and apply it to Saturday to have another solid day and be in contention for the win when it counts with our BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet.” – Justin Allgaier
“It felt good to put a complete race together last week and get our first top-10 finish together. This will be my first time at New Hampshire but I know Taylor (Moyer, crew chief) and this entire No. 8 team will unload a fast Chevrolet for me this weekend. It will take a few laps to figure out how it drives, but once we figure that out I think we will have another shot at a great finish this weekend.” – Sam Mayer
“I’ve only run New Hampshire once since we didn’t get a chance to come up here last season during the pandemic, but we finished 10th and had a fast car that weekend. We’ve had a fast Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Camaro as of late and I know this weekend will be no different. We’re going to go out and try to lock ourselves into the playoffs and earn a couple playoff points to help us out.” – Noah Gragson
JRM Team Updates:
• JR Motorsports at New Hampshire: JR Motorsports has competed at New Hampshire a combined 34 times in the NXS. Over the course of these 34 starts at the 1-mile oval, JRM has tallied five top fives and 19 top 10s. JRM has a best finish of third – on four different occasions – with the most recent being Justin Allgaier’s third-place effort during the 2019 season.
• Pilot Flying J Chicken Sandwich: The No. 1 Chevrolet will carry a special paint scheme for the debut of two delicious new chicken sandwiches at more than 300 Pilot and Flying J travel centers across the country. As race fans continue to hit the road to follow their favorite sport, they can visit Pilot Flying J to refuel and fill up with a satisfyingly Spicy or classic Southern chicken sandwich.
• Ride with Dale Jr: Are you ready for the ride of your life? We have the perfect bucket-list item that we know won’t disappoint! Get ready to buckle up and ride shotgun with Dale Jr. for three full-speed laps around Bristol Motor Speedway in the No. 8 Good Humor car. This once-in-a-lifetime experience also includes two tickets to the Xfinity race at Bristol Motor Speedway, a private tour of JR Motorsports and private lunch hosted by Kelley Earnhardt Miller, a five-night hotel stay, two tickets to the NASCAR Hall of Fame and more! Join us in helping fulfill our mission to give back and spread hope to children all across the country. Get your $10 raffle ticket today before this opportunity speeds by you!
