Michael Annett Nashville 2 News and Notes
The Headlines:
Previous Race Recap: Michael Annett and the No. 62 Pilot Flying J team head to Nashville Superspeedway with another hard-earned top-10 finish under their belts. Annett notched a seventh place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last weekend and received the Mobil 1 Performance Driver of the Race award for his respectable run. Rusty Wallace Racing teammates Annett and Steve Wallace sit eighth and ninth in the Nationwide Series championship point standings. Annett (ninth) is positioned just five points behind Wallace (eighth). The pair’s seventh (Annett) and ninth (Wallace) place finishes at New Hampshire powered the Rusty Wallace Racing organization to nine top-10 finishes in 2011.
Annett and Viers are on a Roll: Since Rick Viers first assumed the crew chief role for the No. 62 team at Charlotte in May, Annett’s assault on the driver point race is astounding. The duo has five top-10 finishes in the last six races, and since Viers starting calling the shots just seven races ago, Annett has earned the third most driver points of all Nationwide Series points eligible drivers. Since the Charlotte race, Annett has earned 209 points with only two drivers ahead of him, points leader Elliott Sadler (221 points) and second place Reed Sorenson (216 points).
Rusty Wallace Racing at Nashville Superspeedway: Rusty Wallace Racing totals 21 NASCAR Nationwide Series starts at the Lebanon, Tennessee track since 2005. The organization has one top-five, six top-10s and one pole at Nashville Superspeedway. Annett’s best finish on Nashville’s 1.33 mile oval is ninth in April 2010. With their recent string of top-10s, the No. 62 Pilot Flying J team has another strong finish on the horizon heading into Music City.
Trip to Pilot Flying J Territory: Annett and his Volunteer State sponsor, Pilot Flying J, entered the sport together in the ARCA Racing Series in 2007 and have continued their relationship through the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and currently into the NASCAR Nationwide Series. 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.
For the latest updates on Michael Annett, visit www.michaelannett.com.
Talking Shop:
Michael Annett on the team’s momentum heading into Nashville:
“We’re very pleased with the gains our team is making. Our goal is to contend weekly with the frontrunners, and we were right there with them at New Hampshire last week. As a team, we’re continuing to focus on top-five finishes, and we’re working really hard to achieve these results each week. We’re heading to Nashville looking to bring Pilot Flying J another strong finish in their home state.”
Rick Viers on the No. 62 team’s recent success:
“Michael is a talented driver, and I really believe in him. I’ve been providing him with as much experience and knowledge as I can, and things have just clicked. We’ve got strong communication as a team, and I think these solid finishes have really given Michael and the whole team the confidence that they needed. We’ve learned a lot in the last several races, and we feel good about going to Nashville this weekend and being very competitive like we were in New Hampshire.”
The Machines:
Team 62 Primary: RWR-061 – Rusty Wallace Racing’s No. 62 team’s last outing with chassis 061 was at Kentucky Speedway where they secured a seventh place finish.
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 the Way:
Pilot Flying J provides 63 Pilot Travel Centers and Flying J locations along the roads of their founding state of Tennessee. Six of these locations are conveniently positioned near Nashville Superspeedway. 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-40 Exit 238
921 Murfreesboro
Lebanon, TN 37090
Pilot Travel Center
I-24 Exit 64
535 Waldron Road
Lavergne, TN 37086
Pilot Travel Center
I-24 Exit 81
2441 South Church Street
Murfreesboro, TN 37127
Pilot Travel Center
Hwy 155 Exit 26
6418 Centennial Blvd.
Nashville, TN 37209
Flying J
I-65 US Hwy 31W Exit 2
4380 Nashville Road
Franklin, KY 42134
Pilot Travel Center
I-65 Exit 6
2929 Scottsville Road
Franklin, KY 42134
Broadcast Info:
Qualifying
Saturday, July 23, 3:35 p.m. ET
ESPN 2
Federated Auto Parts 300
Saturday, July 23, 7:30 p.m. ET
ESPN
