Thomas Annunziata, one of the country’s most promising young racers, will take on Pocono Raceway’s Tricky Triangle this weekend with the support of one of the nation’s leading automobile dealerships.
In Saturday’s Explore The Pocono Mountains 225 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Pocono, Annunziata will ride with the colors of Criswell Chevrolet Buick GMC, a nationally recognized and respected dealership located in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Annunziata, who turned 19 June 14, will be in the JD Motorsports No. 4 Chevrolet in his first Xfinity Series start at Pocono, a very fast triangular track that poses some of the toughest challenges in the world of oval racing.
“With the backing of Criswell Chevrolet and the solid support of the Criswell family, we’re expecting a lot at Pocono,” said Annunziata, a successful driver in Trans Am and ARCA racing who’s knocking on the door of NASCAR’s top series. “I’ve never had a partnership as strong as this one with Criswell. They bring their best every day at their dealership, and I’m sure we’ll represent them well at Pocono.”
Although Criswell is located in Maryland, north of Washington, D.C., its reputation is nationwide. Customers across the country depend on Criswell for the best pricing and inventory that offers a multitude of choices. Criswell, family owned since 1972, has been named GM Dealer of the Year every year since the inception of the award. It is one of the largest commercial truck dealers in the Mid-Atlantic and the third largest Corvette dealer in the U.S.
“Everybody in the car business knows about Criswell,” said Johnny Davis, JD Motorsports owner and a veteran of the Xfinity Series. “We’ve raced Chevrolets forever, and it’s an honor for us to have the Criswell name associated with our team and the No. 4 Chevrolet. This is a big boost for us and for Thomas, one of the brightest young drivers in the country. It’s a pairing and partnership that should result in big things.”
Annunziata, a native of Colts Neck, New Jersey, has joined JD Motorsports and its Gaffney, South Carolina-based operation with plans to use his background in Trans Am and ARCA racing to build a new foundation in NASCAR. He raced in early June with JDM at Sonoma Raceway in California, finishing 34th after transmission problems. In three ARCA races this year, he has scored a pair of top-five finishes, including a close second place at Daytona International Speedway in February.
“We hope to keep building on what we’ve done already this year,” Annunziata said. “Racing for me at the moment is about getting in the track time and piling up the laps and learning everything I can. With Criswell’s support, we can go further faster.”
JD Motorsports has been effective in helping young drivers reach their dreams. Among those who have piloted JDM cars are Ross Chastain, Landon Cassill, Sheldon Creed, Jeremy Clements, Mike Wallace and Joe Nemechek.
“Thomas clearly has what it takes to make it big in stock car racing,” Davis said. “He’s young, but he understands race cars and what it takes to push them to the next level. With the help this week of Criswell Chevrolet, we’re looking to give him a great ride.”
Qualifying for the 90-lap race is scheduled at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, with the race to follow at 3 p.m.
JD Motorsports
Team Owner Johnny Davis first began fielding the No. 4 car in what is now the Xfinity Series in 1983, with Joe Henry Thurman as the driver. From 1983-1985, Davis and Thurman competed in 41 races and put the JD Motorsports name on the map. Although JDM has seen a sharp rise in on-track performance in the past few years, success is nothing new to this team. Years of good drivers and excellent runs have paved the way for what JDM is today. www.teamjdmotorsports.com
