JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Road America
RACE: Henry 180 (45 laps / 182.16 miles)
DATE: Saturday, July 3, 2021
Broadcast Information – TV: 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC / Radio: 2 p.m. ET on MRN and Sirius XM Ch. 90
Michael Annett
No. 1 Allstate Peterbilt Group Chevrolet
• Michael Annett heads back to Road America this weekend with the hope of matching—or exceeding—his previous best finish there, which was second in 2017.
• Annett will carry a special red, white and blue paint scheme this weekend on his No. 1 Chevrolet, honoring Allstate Peterbilt Group’s 50th anniversary. Allstate Peterbilt Group has been a long-time sponsor on Annett’s racing cars.
• In three road-course starts so far in 2021, Annett’s best finish was seventh at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, the most recent road-course race the series has run.
• Annett’s recent surge has him 10th in the playoff standings, 56 points above the cut line to advance.
Sam Mayer
No. 8 QPS Employment Group Chevrolet
• Sam Mayer will make his first NXS start at his home track of Road America this weekend in the No. 8 QPS Employment Group Chevrolet.
• A native of nearby Franklin, Wisconsin, Mayer competed at Road America during the 2020 Trans-Am season. He qualified fifth and finished second.
• Mayer has competed at road course tracks a combined five times between the ARCA Menards East Series and Camping World Truck Series with a best finish of third (three times) coming at COTA earlier this season, Daytona Road Course (2020) and Watkins Glen (2019).
Noah Gragson
No. 9 Bass Pro Shops / TrueTimber / Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet
• Noah Gragson earned a fourth-place finish in the last race at Pocono Raceway, giving him three straight races with a top-10 result.
• In two career starts on the big road course at Road America, Gragson has finished fourth and sixth for an average of 5.0.
• In five of his last eight road-course starts, dating back to 2019, Gragson has earned finishes of second, third twice, fifth and sixth. The best (second) came at the Charlotte Roval last season.
Justin Allgaier
No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture
• Justin Allgaier is a previous victor at the road course at Elkhart Lake, having gone to Victory Lane in this event in 2018 after leading 14 laps.
• In nine previous starts at Road America, Allgaier has earned one win, two top fives and five top 10s.
• With 35 starts in his NXS road course career, Allgaier has amassed three wins, 10 top fives and 22 top 10s.
• In three starts on road courses in 2021, Allgaier has earned a best finish of third, coming at Circuit of the Americas in May.
• Through 16 races in 2021, Allgaier has scored two wins, seven top fives, nine top 10s and sits fourth in the NXS championship standings.
Driver Quotes
“I’ve always liked Road America and we came darn close to winning up there in 2017. It’s a fast place with a lot of technical corners, and I always like going up there. I’m very happy to have a special Allstate Peterbilt Group scheme for this weekend’s race. The home office is fairly close (Eagan, Minn.) and this is a good way to help them celebrate 50 years.“ – Michael Annett
“I’m really looking forward to getting to Road America this weekend with our BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet. We’ve had some good speed with our road course cars this season, just haven’t had the best of luck. However, I have all the confidence that we will unload with another fast Chevrolet on Friday for practice. Hopefully we can keep our car clean all weekend long and be in contention for the win when it counts on Saturday. I’m ready to get going.” – Justin Allgaier
“Road America is a really fun place and it’s nice to be able to race at my home track. I raced the TA2 cars there last year and finished second and I will be running them again this year after the Xfinity race on Saturday. That extra seat time learning the track will be huge along with the added practice in the Xfinity car on Friday. Hopefully we can put this QPS Employment Group Chevrolet in Victory Lane and celebrate with the hometown crowd.” – Sam Mayer
“We’ve had really strong runs the two times we have been to Road America in this No. 9 Chevrolet and I expect more of the same this year. We had a good run last weekend in Pocono so we are slowly gaining momentum. I know Dave (Elenz, crew chief) and this entire No. 9 group is working hard to put this Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Camaro in Victory Lane to secure our way into the playoffs.” – Noah Gragson
JRM Team Updates:
• JR Motorsports at Road America: JR Motorsports has competed at Road America a combined 33 times in the NXS, tallying one win, nine top fives and 18 top 10s while pacing the field at the 4.048-mile road course for 55 laps. JRM’s lone win came during the 2018 season with Justin Allgaier taking the checkered in the BRANDT Professional Agriculture Camaro.
• 50th Anniversary Allstate Peterbilt Group: Michael Annett’s No. 1 Chevrolet will carry sponsorship this weekend from Allstate Peterbilt Group in honor of its 50th anniversary. Established in 1971, Allstate Peterbilt Group started with just one dealership location in South Saint Paul, Minnesota, and has since grown into an award winning one-stop resource for truckers with over 20 locations across the Upper Midwest serving Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Their secret? Never losing sight of what made these last 50 years possible…serving their customers.
• Courage really is beautiful: We’re so proud of Unilever’s brands to be taking home 24 awards from the 2021 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Check out this multi-award winning ad from Dove. Frontline workers were a pinnacle of strength in the pandemic — and they had the markings to prove it. Dove’s “Courage Is Beautiful” campaign compiled images of doctors and nurses with PPE outlines indented into their faces. Click here for more.
