JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Richmond Raceway
RACE: GoBowling 250 (250 laps / 187.5 miles)
DATE: Friday, Sept. 20, 2019
Michael Annett
No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet
• By virtue of his season-opening victory at Daytona, Michael Annett will begin the Round of 12 in the NXS Playoffs at Richmond Raceway as the seventh seed, 46 points behind the lead.
• Annett’s best NXS finish at Richmond came in the fall of 2012, when he logged a fifth-place result.
• In 14 starts on the .750-mile oval, Annett has logged one top-five and three top-10 finishes, leading four laps.
• On tracks measuring less than a mile so far this season, Annett has four top-10 finishes and an average result of 9.8 in five starts.
Justin Allgaier
No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet
• This weekend Justin Allgaier will make his 300th career NASCAR Xfinity Series start. Allgaier made his debut in the series in 2008 and has 10 wins, 80 top fives and 170 top 10s to his credit.
• The Illinois native enters the playoffs at Richmond as the sixth seed, 43 points behind the leader.
• In 17 NXS starts at Richmond, Allgaier has four top-five and seven top-10 finishes, with a best effort of second in 2017.
• During the series’ most recent race at the Virginia short track earlier this year, Allgaier drove to a third-place finish after leading 86 laps.
Zane Smith
No. 8 PatientPop Chevrolet
• Zane Smith returns behind the wheel of the No. 8 for his second NXS start at Richmond on Friday night.
• Smith finished sixth in his first start at the short track earlier this season.
• Overall, Smith has earned one top five and four top 10s in seven starts in 2019.
• PatientPop, a Santa Monica, Calif.-based company providing a complete practice growth platform that delivers measurable improvements for medical providers, is on board the No. 8 as primary partner at Richmond.
• In Smith’s four short track starts this season for JRM, he has earned a best finish of fifth at Iowa in June.
Noah Gragson
No. 9 Superior Essex Chevrolet
• Noah Gragson enters the opening round of the 2019 NXS Playoffs as the eighth seed, just 50 points shy of the series lead.
• Gragson will make his third NXS start at Richmond on Friday. In two previous NXS starts at the Virginia track, Gragson has earned a best finish of second (April 2018).
• In six career NXS starts on short tracks, Gragson has recorded two top fives and four top 10s.
• Superior Essex, a global leader in the design, manufacturing and supply of wire and cable products, serves as the primary partner for the No. 9 Chevrolet this weekend.
Driver Quotes
“The playoffs are finally here, and we can’t wait to turn up the wick and go get them this weekend at Richmond. After we won at Daytona, we knew we were in, and we have been working all season long to get to this weekend. The key for us and the No. 1 Pilot Flying J team is to be fast, be solid and advance to the Round of 8. That starts Friday night. We’ve had fast cars and a lot of good strategy, so we’re going to step it up and focus on advancing. That’s all that matters now.” – Michael Annett
“This No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture team is ready to get the playoffs underway this weekend at Richmond. I feel like we’re peaking at the right time and Jason Burdett (crew chief) and the guys have been working hard preparing for these upcoming races. Our goal is to have strong consistent runs and be there at the end in Homestead fighting for the championship.” – Justin Allgaier
“I am fired up to get back behind the wheel of the PatientPop Chevy this week in Richmond. We had a good run here back in the spring and I feel like Taylor (Moyer, crew chief) and I can build off of those notes to have a really solid night on Friday. I can’t wait to get going.” – Zane Smith
“I’m ready to get the playoffs started this weekend in Richmond. I’ve always really enjoyed racing there and we came close to getting the win there last year and had good speed with our Superior Essex Chevrolet earlier this year. Hopefully we can unload with that same speed on Friday and keep this positive momentum going. We all know what’s on the line now so we just need to go out and execute and do our jobs.” – Noah Gragson
JRM Team Updates
• JRM at Richmond: In 69 NXS starts at Richmond Raceway, JR Motorsports has scored three wins, 21 top-five and 39 top-10 finishes. JRM’s three victories at Richmond came in three consecutive years with Kevin Harvick in April 2014, Chase Elliott in September 2015 and team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. in April 2016.
• NXS Playoff Media Day: JRM teammates Michael Annett, Justin Allgaier and Noah Gragson will be participating in media day for the 2019 NXS Playoffs on Thursday, Sept. 19. The day’s events include an autograph session at Brown’s Island, a parade through downtown Richmond and concludes with media breakout sessions in the media center at Richmond Raceway.
• NXS Autograph Session: JRM teammates Michael Annett, Justin Allgaier, Zane Smith and Noah Gragson will be participating in the NXS autograph session in the Old Dominion Building at Richmond Raceway on Friday, Sept. 20 from 2 – 2:45 p.m. EST.
• Allgaier Q&A: Justin Allgaier will be participating in a fan Q&A at the Markel Entertainment Plaza in the FanGrounds on Friday from 3 – 3:15 p.m. EST.
