The Headlines:
Heartland Hockey History: As a former ice hockey defenseman for Team Illinois, Rusty Wallace Racing driver Michael Annett previously called Chicago home during his junior year of high school. Leading the league in penalty minutes, Annett led Team Illinois to the 2002 Calgary Mac’s AAA Hockey Tournament championship before joining the United States Hockey League (USHL) sanctioned Waterloo Blackhawks back in his home state of Iowa where he was part of the Clark Cup championship winning team.
From the Rink to the Racetrack: Now off the ice and behind the wheel of a stock car, Annett will hit Chicagoland Speedway for his third start on the Windy City’s one and a half mile oval. Knocking on the door of the top-10 in the championship point race, Midwest native Annett enters this weekend’s event 11th in point standings, just five markers away from the top-10. Returning to America’s Heartland, Annett will make his 85th career Nationwide Series start in Saturday’s Nationwide Series STP 300 at Chicagoland Speedway.
RWR Crewman Visits Home State: Rusty Wallace Racing’s Brian Gainey, hails from Moline, Illinois. A jackman and underneath mechanic on the No. 62 Pilot Flying J Toyota Camry, the 28-year-old father of two spent the first 24 years of his life in the Prairie State before moving to North Carolina in 2006 to pursue a career in NASCAR. Following in his father’s footsteps, Gainey comes from an open-wheel background where he raced USAC and Silver Crown cars at tracks throughout the Midwest. Now residing in Troutman, North Carolina, he enjoys coaching baseball when he’s not following the Nationwide Series circuit with Rusty Wallace Racing’s No. 62 team.
Homecoming for Hauler Driver: Born and raised in Southside Chicago, Ken Adams drives the No. 62 Pilot Flying J transporter for Rusty Wallace Racing. With his wife as his co-pilot, Ken and Lori Adams are the only husband-wife transporter driver duo in the Nationwide Series. Ken has been a transporter driver in the motorsports industry for 16 years and began his career in the IndyCar Series. He currently leads the points in the Freightliner Truck Driver Challenge, and his next challenge event coincides with the race weekend at Chicagoland Speedway.
For the latest updates on Michael Annett, visit www.michaelannett.com.
The Machines:
Team 62 Primary: RWR-061 – The No. 62 team’s last outing with this car was at Dover International Speedway in May.
Team 62 Back-Up: RWR-051 – The No. 62 Pilot Flying J team’s last race competing with this chassis was at Bristol Motor Speedway in March.
Pilot Flying J Locations on your way:
Pilot Flying J provides 29 Pilot Travel Centers and Flying J locations along the highways throughout Illinois. Five of these locations are conveniently positioned within a 50 mile radius of Chicagoland Speedway. For more information on Pilot Flying J and to map their nearest locations along your route, please visit www.pilotflyingj.com.
Pilot Travel Center
I-55 Exit 248
23841 West Eames St.
Channahon, IL 60410
Pilot Travel Center
I-80 Exit 122
301 Ridge Rd.
Minooka, IL 60447
Pilot Travel Center
I-57 Exit 335
6002 Monee-Manhattan Rd.
Monee, IL 60449
Pilot Travel Center
I-80/I-94 Exit 2
8150 Indianapolis Blvd.
Highland, IN 46322
Pilot Travel Center
I-80/I-94 Exit 6
2501 Burr St.
Gary, IN 46406
About Pilot Flying J:
Pilot Flying J is headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, and has more than 550 locations in North America. The company employs more than 20,000 people and is the largest retail operator of travel centers in North America. Follow Pilot Flying J on Twitter at @pilottravel.
Broadcast Info:
Nationwide Series Qualifying
Saturday, June 4, 4:30 p.m. ET
ESPN2
STP 300
Saturday, June 4, 8 p.m. ET
ESPN
