JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course
RACE: Pennzoil 150 (62 laps / 151.22 miles)
DATE: Saturday, July 4, 2020
Michael Annett
No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet
• Michael Annett will return to one of his favorite tracks this weekend, albeit on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. In five starts on the oval, Annett has two top-10 results, the best a sixth-place effort in 2012.
• The Iowa native enters the weekend on a bit of a run, having finished fifth at Pocono in the previous event.
• Annett is always around at the finish on road courses. In 1,447 laps of competition in the NASCAR Xfinity Series on current road courses, Annett has completed all but 10 laps.
• In 21 starts on road courses, Annett’s second-place run at Road America in 2017 is his best road course finish. He’s also amassed three top-10 results in that span.
Jeb Burton
No. 8 LS Tractor Chevrolet
• Jeb Burton makes his third start this season behind the wheel of the No. 8 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports at Indianapolis.
• Saturday will mark Burton’s first start on a road course in the NXS. Burton has made four combined starts on road courses across the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series.
• Burton does have a best finish of fourth at the hallowed Indiana speedway, but that came on the oval in 2019.
• This will be the third primary race of 2020 for LS Tractor, one of the fastest growing tractor companies in North America.
Noah Gragson
No. 9 Switch Chevrolet
• Gragson has four starts in the NXS at road courses with a best finish of fourth coming in 2019 at Road America.
• On road courses in the NXS, Gragson has an average finish of 5.8 with three top fives and four top 10s.
• In two previous starts on road courses in the NGROTS, Gragson has recorded one top five and two top 10s.
• After 12 races in the 2020 season, Gragson leads the way for JRM with two wins, seven top fives, nine top 10s and is currently second in the championship standings.
• The Switch colors are back on the No. 9 car this weekend for its first race of the 2020 season.
Justin Allgaier
No. 7 Klondike Chevrolet
• Justin Allgaier has proven to be stout on road courses, having accumulated three wins, nine top fives and 19 top 10s in 28 NXS starts.
• Since joining JRM in 2016, Allgaier has earned two victories on road courses (Mid-Ohio 2018, Road America 2018) and has finished inside the top 10 in 11 of his 14 starts.
• The 34-year-old driver is looking to become the first NXS driver with both a victory on Indy’s road course as well as the oval. Allgaier scored a win at the historic track on its oval in 2018 after leading 41 laps.
• Allgaier earned his fifth stage win of the season last weekend at Pocono.
Driver Quotes
“I always like going back to Indianapolis, and after Pocono we feel really good about our Pilot Flying J Chevrolet. Racing on the road course will be a challenge, of course, but it’s Indy, and that means something. At least we’ll have some practice this week to get used to the course. Our Chevrolet has been fast all year, and we are putting together complete weekends. That’s what we have to do.” – Michael Annett
“This is going to be a big weekend for our series. I think anytime you run on a new track everybody wants to be the first one to win and there are a lot of guys that are going to be gunning for that opportunity. There are also going to be a lot of unknowns, so good equipment and having a lot of experience on road courses is going to be important. This No. 7 team has been very strong on road courses and I think we have a great shot of going there and being successful with our Klondike Camaro.” – Justin Allgaier
“I’m really looking forward to getting to Indianapolis this weekend with our LS Tractor Chevrolet. It’s going to be different for sure since we are racing on the road course but I think that puts everyone on an even playing field since this is the first race for all of us on this version of the track. I feel really confident that Taylor (Moyer, crew chief) and all of the guys on the JR Motorsports No. 8 team will give me a great car when we unload on Friday for practice.” – Jeb Burton
“We ran really well at Indianapolis last year so I was excited to get back there, but since they changed the Xfinity Series over to running the road course, I’m as happy as can be. Road courses seem to fit my driving style really well and they are just a lot of fun overall. You are able to drive it so many different ways and since none of us have ever been on this track, it’s going to add a bit of skepticism for the weekend. Luckily we will get some practice on Friday, but I can’t wait to get out there and hopefully be contending for the first win on this layout for us. ” – Noah Gragson
JRM Team Updates
• JRM on Road Courses: In 113 previous NXS starts at road courses, JR Motorsports has scored four wins, 28 top fives and 58 top 10s. Ron Fellows recorded the organization’s first victory on a road course in 2008 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, with Justin Allgaier earning the most recent victory at Road America in 2018.
• JRM at The Brickyard: JRM enters this weekend at Indianapolis as two time victors on the historic oval with William Byron and Justin Allgaier taking the checkered flag in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Overall, JRM has earned two wins, 10 top fives and 15 top 10s in 25 starts at Indianapolis.
• The Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation: In celebration of Independence Day, the Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation will be placed on the quarter panels of Jeb Burton’s red, white and blue No. 8 LS Tractor Chevrolet this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. A passion for the outdoors and its conservation has long been a family affair for the Burtons. In addition to working with the American Heroes Veteran Outreach Program and the Army Compatible Use Buffer (ACUB) Program, the non-profit organization’s mission is to conserve land and wildlife through wise stewardship and to educate children and adults concerning the natural resources that will shape America’s future. For more information and ways to donate, please visit www.twbwf.org.
