Michael Annett: From Brake Pedal to Full Throttle for Rusty Wallace Racing
Michael Annett, driver of the No. 62 Pilot Flying J Toyota for Rusty Wallace Racing, is moving from stepping hard on his brake pedal at the Nationwide road course race last weekend to the upcoming full throttle action of Daytona International Speedway in this weekend’s race.
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[/media-credit]And on his way, he just happened to score the best finish of his season so far, seventh place on Wisconsin’s 4.048 mile Road America course.
Annett was Rusty Wallace Racing’s top finisher, earning his second top-10 finish and the team’s fifth top-10 finish for the year.
“It was definitely unexpected and I consider myself a survivor of that race,” Annett said. “We were down in the 20’s in the timing charts and I felt if we kept the fenders on the car and stayed on the track, we’d have a chance for a top-15 and then get to the end, and maybe have a chance for a top-10.”
“And we did and it was definitely exciting and good for our whole team.”
In spite of getting a top-10 finish, Annett still does not consider himself an accomplished road course racer.
“I definitely don’t consider myself a road course racer, but pit strategy and steering clear of trouble on the track brought us to another well-deserved top-10 finish,” Annett said.”My crew chief, Rick Viers, made some great calls, and working our way around the mayhem during the three attempts at a green, white, checkered there at the end was to our benefit.”
“We’ve got a great group of guys assembled for our No. 62 team, and their hard work really paid off this weekend,” Annett continued. “We made smart moves throughout the race, and bringing home a car with no damage and a seventh place finish is pretty awesome.”
“I’m excited to give Pilot Flying J and Rusty Wallace Racing another top-10.”
As excited as he was, Annett admitted that he was disappointed for his teammate Steve Wallace, who had what looked to be a potential winning car. Wallace was caught up in an accident later in the race and finished 26th.
“I definitely knew that he deserved a better finish than what he got,” Annett said of Wallace. “He had a really good car and he is a really good road racer. He surprised me this weekend I’ll be honest with you.”
En route to the road course race this weekend, Annett also celebrated another milestone, his 25th birthday.
“I flew on a plane from Concord Airport to Wisconsin for my birthday,” Annett said. “We landed and my mom went to a very good Italian restaurant in Elkhart Lake and her, myself and Reed Sorenson had pasta and pizza and cheese bread.”
“We were all full and then she whipped out an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen for dessert,” Annett continued. “It worked out very nice.”
After his birthday celebration and his great top-10 run, Annett was also very excited for his best friend Reed Sorenson’s victory at Road America.
“As soon as he finished, I pulled up next to him to be the first to congratulate him,” Annett said. “I ran down to Victory Lane and congratulated him there too.”
“He told me the odds would have been a thousand to one for him to win that race,” Annett said. “Better yet, me finishing seventh was even longer odds than that.”
Annett is now ready to move from pumping the brake pedals to running full throttle on the high banks of Daytona. While he has high hopes, he is not so fond of the two-car tandem draft that has become the norm at the superspeedways.
“To me, I enjoyed the chess match being in the big group in the draft, with the driver making the decision about what line to be in and where to be,” Annett said. “I really do not like the racing the way it is now. I don’t like relying on someone else to have success and that’s where we are right now.”
“I am fortunate enough that I have a teammate and we work really well together,” Annett continued. “Going to Daytona we have the same plan to work together. I don’t like it but having a teammate is fortunate going into it.”
While Annett felt that he had some control at the road course, he most certainly feels that it is just a roll of the dice at Daytona.
“I am looking at a top-10 finish to keep this momentum going,” Annett said. “But it’s always a crap shoot at Daytona.”
“I got taken out on lap 15 at Daytona this year and in the last few laps of Talladega,” Annett continued. “It’s really a crap shoot but we definitely have the potential to have both cars in the top-10 at the end. We’re going into the weekend planning on that.”
Annett heads to Daytona in the 10th position in the Nationwide Series championship point standings. He has a win at that track from back in his days with the ARCA Racing Series.
Kevin Harvick Incorporated Goes All-In For Nationwide Series Race at Daytona
With the idea of the two-car dance coming into play at the restrictor plate track, it’s no surprise that some teams are putting their forces together to make sure that they’ve got it set up.
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[/media-credit]One of those teams is Kevin Harvick Incorporated as they’ll be entering four cars instead of their typical three for a restrictor plate.
Driving the No. 2 Chevrolet will be Elliott Sadler, who has driven the car all year long.
“At Daytona, it’s either feast of famine for me,” Sadler said. “We had a really fast car there in February, but got caught up in a wreck early and finished 38th. Of course, my team owner Kevin Harvick will be in another OneMain Financial car, so I’m sure that we will find each other and help each other throughout the whole race. I’m thrilled for the opportunity to help OneMain Financial to celebrate their brand launch this weekend, and I hope that we can bring home a victory for everyone! Daytona is a special place to a lot of people because it is the France family’s birthplace and where the roots of NASCAR started. I always look forward to going down there on the Fourth of July weekend. It’s a special race that kind of marks the middle of the season. When you leave Daytona, you have a feeling of how the rest of the season will go. It’s going to be a great race.”
The Emporia, Virgina native has had the least success of the group at Daytona as he has competed in the Nationwide Series there four times with a best finish of 15th in 1997. Though he’s not inexperienced by any means following 24 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Daytona with four top-fives and nine top-10s.
Sadler is hoping to dance with his experienced teammates to jump from second to first in points as he sits second, five points behind Reed Sorenson.
Driving the No. 4 will be team owner Kevin Harvick, who is looking for more success in his own equipment. Harvick has captured two poles, one victory, 12 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes in his previous 17 starts at the 2.5-mile oval.
“It’s is going to be interesting heading into the race at Daytona because there are so many factors that play into your success at this track,” he said. “Racing Daytona in July is a lot different than racing there in February. The track gets hot and slick and the handling characteristics become exaggerated. With the new racing surface you also need a good drafting partner. KHI is fielding four cars for this race, so finding a partner shouldn’t be too difficult. I’m excited about our chances of success at this race, not only as a driver but as a team owner.”
Driving the No. 9 will be Tony Stewart, who returns back to the seat of a Kevin Harvick Incorporated car after his win back in February at Daytona.
“It’s a small team size-wise,” Stewart said. “But as far as equipment and everything, Kevin and DeLana [Harvick] prepare cars that are some of the best cars in the Nationwide Series.”
Stewart is the secret to KHI’s Daytona success it may seem as he has scored them all four of their wins.
“I think it’s because of the attention to detail that Kevin and DeLana put into their racecars. You see it in their Truck Series program,” he added. “You see it in their Nationwide Series program. They just do everything first class. I always have the confidence when I get in one of their cars that I’m in just as competitive a car as I could be with any other organization out there. They’re first class, and that’s the kind of group that you want to be with when you do a one-off race like this. You have that confidence. You don’t worry about anything. You know that they’re giving you the best equipment that you can get in that series. It’s always fun. It’s fun to drive for one of your good friends like Kevin and DeLana, but at the same time knowing that they’ve got really good racecars just tops it all off.”
Lastly, driving the No. 33 will be Clint Bowyer, who has also ran some races in the past with KHI. Back in February, it was Bowyer who finished second to Stewart’s win, only by the third closest margin in the series at 0.007 seconds.
“Daytona is what NASCAR is all about,” he said. “It started there, and it means so much to be able to go and compete and it’s just such an awesome race track. We were so close to winning in February with this No. 33 KHI team. We had some tough breaks and got involved in accidents while running up front at Talladega [Superspeedway] in April, and then at Dover [International Speedway] in May. I’m looking forward to being back with the KHI guys, and I really want to get this Menards Chevy in victory lane and get another win at Daytona.”
Bowyer is not a driver to underestimate as he has eight top-five and 10 top-10 finishes and won the race in 2009 after leading 48 laps for Richard Childress Racing.
Kevin Harvick Incorporated’s success at Daytona International Speedway is impressive as since 2005, KHI has four wins, two poles, eight top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. So as the race nears conclusion, don’t be surprised if one of the two KHI pairs are fighting their way for the lead.
Some Comments Deserve To Be Repeated
During the days that preceded and followed the NASCAR weekend at Infineon Raceway and Road America there were some eyebrow raising, and in some cases very funny, comments made regarding current NASCAR news stories and what happened during the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series road course weekend. Many of those comments bears repeating. The following is a list of my personal favorites observations from well known NASCAR personalities.
Let’s begin with Mr. Excitement. That of course would be SPEED Channel analyst Jimmy Spencer who makes regular appearances on the network’s “Race Hub” program. Spencer’s main gimmick on the show is the awarding of cigars, if a driver impressed him, or crying towels, if he’s not that impressed. The result is often some hilarious comments.
But there’s another element here that makes Spencer’s commentaries both interesting and funny. It’s that chalk board hanging on the wall behind him. Commenting on recent announcements that said Red Bull Racing is planning to leave NASCAR at the end of this season, Spencer’s chalk board said: “all you can drink Red Bull-going out of business sale !”
It was delightfully tacky and very funny. It was also one of the reasons Spencer adds so much to SPEED’s “Race Hub” program.
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[/media-credit]Then there was the matter of “Smoke”, better known as Tony Stewart. He had every reason in the world to feel a little on the cranky side following his road rage adventures during the Sprint Cup race at the Infineon Raceway.
However, Stewart’s cranky levels actually began to rise the day before the race during a press conference. A reporter asked him: “how does the heat inside of the race car affect you?” Perhaps perturbed with a question he answered a thousand times over the years, Stewart replied “it doesn’t” and then added “if you guys would get out of the media center, and away from the buffet table, once in awhile you’ll learn what it’s like to be in the heat.”
Sadly, there may actually be an element of truth to that statement. But the media should look on the bright side. At least Stewart didn’t chide them about their frequent, and sometimes over abundant, use of hair care products as he has so many times in the past.
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There were, of course, some observations regarding the double dose of road rage, during the Infineon event, between Stewart and Brian Vickers. The tire smoke from Stewart’s wrecked race car had barely settled when TNT Network analyst Kyle Petty told the fans ” contact NASCAR at have at it boys dot com.”
Once the Stewart car was towed to the garage area, his team immediately went into the repair mode. While the master plan was obviously about salvaging any championship points possible, there was a lot of speculation that said Stewart was planning a return to race with the intent of locating Vicker’s #83 Red Bull Toyota. TNT pit reporter Ralph Sheheen was covering the repair process and, when Stewart climbed back into his battered car, said “it looks like he’s out to open a Red Bull can of whoop ass.”
Later in the day Darrell Waltrip, three time Sprint Cup champion and Hall Of Fame inductee, sent a “Twitter” message that read: “racing is a beautiful thing when it’s done right, then there’s boys, have at it.”
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The other big issue, we’re all still debating, occurred during the Nationwide Series race at Road America in Wisconsin. It took three green-white-checker attempts, and a video review before it was determined that Reed Sorenson, and not road race ringer Ron Fellows, won this event.
Following the first green-white-checker restart, driver Jaques Villeneuve, another road race ringer in this event, made a dive bomber move from his fourth starting position in an effort to steal the win. Many observers felt this move was unnecessary because the result was hard contact that sent one driver spinning into a gravel pit while another driver slammed head on into a retaining wall.
Following this accident, Kevin and DeLana Harvick immediately grabbed their cell phones and fired up their “Twitter” accounts. They had every right to do so because the Max Papis driven car that was sent into the wall was owned by, you guessed it, Kevin Harvick Inc.
Harvick’s “Tweet” read: that’s why Villeneuve should just quit driving in NASCAR. No sense. I hope Max Papis punches this dumb ass in the mouth.” Kevin Harvick’s second “Tweet” read: “no respect here in NASCAR for Villeneuve. Same reason they kicked his ass out of F1”, (Formula 1 racing).
Meanwhile DeLana Harvick’s “Tweet” read: “I learned today: the 22, (Villeneuve’s car number), is a bonehead, fuel mileage races on road courses suck and U should NEVER congratulate yourself before crossing the start/finish line.”
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The final comment comes from “Race Central’s Whine Cellar,” an extremely popular racing forum hosted by Stickshift Transmissions headquartered in San Bernadino-California.
Using the keyboard name “Help”, the comment’s writer said: “does anyone have the racing attorney’s phone number? I need to sue all of you who can’t pass without taking someone else out. I would be in the Sprint Cup by now if it were not for all you fools.”
You just have to love something like that. It’s also why some comments deserve to be repeated.
Team Moore Racing Happy With Pair of Top Fives at Iowa Speedway
While the focus has been on Andretti Autosport and the win in the IZOD IndyCar Series, the Team Moore Racing teammates are also happy about their results at the Sukup 100 at Iowa Speedway last Saturday night in the Firestone Indy Lights division.
Gustavo Yacaman scored his best career finish of second after starting on the front row.
“This was the hardest frigging race I’ve ever driven, so close on so many occasions,” Yacaman said. “Between Bryan (Clauson) and I, a fly couldn’t be able to be there. We were running so close.
The second place finish marks his first Podium finish since Toronto last year where he finished third. The race wasn’t easy, though, for Yacaman after having to survive an early race incident with pole sitter Esteban Guerrieri, which almost sent him into the turn three wall.
“I was either going to go for the lead or go for the wall,” Yacaman said. “I told everyone on the team I wasn’t going to lift. You know, I didn’t lift. That’s what happened. I’m sure next time he’ll give me a little bit more space, maybe a foot or two instead of just chopping me right off. He knows I’m not afraid of taking both of us out. It’s how it works. You know, you’ve got to earn your respect. That’s what I did.
“Yeah, it was a lot of risk, but hey, it paid off. I’m pretty sure not even just on ovals but also on road courses he’s going to know I’m there and I’m not going to lift, and we’re not here to make friends, we’re not here to be careful. This is racing, and like they say, rubbing is racing, right?”
Guerrieri wasn’t as luck as he had to retire with damage several laps later.
For Yacaman, he says the thanks goes to his crew, and also team owner Mark Moore, who is working as the team’s engineer/strategist also.
“It was a pretty tight finish, and I really want to thank Mark (Moore),” Yacaman said. “We worked so hard. We’ve had a strong car so many times, but it’s really good to capitalize on that equipment he’s given me. We’ve just had so much bad luck at Indy, Barber. Long Beach was all right, but we want more, we want podiums, we want race wins. I’m working really hard with the team, and here we are, first podium, and I’m going to keep working just as hard to keep them coming.”
Meanwhile, Victor Garcia finished fourth in the race, despite starting at the back of the pack due to a fuel pump issue. The finish for Garcia also allowed him to move back up to third in the championship standings.
“We knew we had a car capable of being at the top but (in qualifying) we had a fuel pump problem,” Garcia said. “My team was telling me to relax and go faster and faster each lap. At the end I was catching people and overtaking.”
“I’m really happy for the team after they worked so late (June 24),” he added. “I have to thank everyone for all the hard work they did. I’m really happy because we are third in the championship now.”
NCAT: Jarred Whissell Scores Best Career Finish of 12th at Mosport
For some drivers, its about going for the wins while for others, its accomplishing those smaller goals. For Jarrad Whissell, he accomplished the lather of the two as he scored a best career finish of twelfth at Mosport International Raceway near Bowmanville, Ontario this past weekend.
“With all the little issues we had this week twelfth would seem like a pretty good finish, but when you’re running tenth and fighting for another spot or two it’s a bit frustrating too,” he explained.
The Calgary, Alberta native struggled in practice with his No. 44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford with mechanical issues as the team worked on diagnosing an engine miss.
“One of the fuel lines to the carburetor wasn’t hooked up properly,” Whissell explained. “We expected to be better in qualifying but never got the opportunity to try things out.”
Qualifying wouldn’t be an issue as it was rained out with the field lined up according to NASCAR rule book, which set Whissell in the 23rd starting position. Whissell knew he had to begin his march early, though ran into more mechanical issues.
“The car had a pretty bad vibration right from the start of the race,” he said. “We made a couple of pit stops and the team figured out it was a wheel bearing. Unfortunately we lost a lap while they made repairs.”
The problems would continue throughout the race as, “The car was a handful to drive throughout the race. The power steering would come and go as the wheel was turned and post race we found a loose tie rod end.”
Though Whissell would continue to work his way through and a caution came out, which allowed Whissell to get back on the lead lap, with another quick caution bunching the field up so he could try to gain more positions. Whissell kept working his way up through the field, though a battle with Howie Scannell, Jr. slowed his progress.
“I got a run on him and was looking to make the pass up the inside but he kind of pushed me onto the grass,” he explained after the race. “Instead spinning him out I gave way. When I tried again on the final lap he came across the nose of my car and to avoid him I spun and couple of cars got by me so we wound up finishing twelfth.”
Jarrad Whissell will be ready to tackle the next Canadian Tire Series race next weekend on July 9th at Exhibition Place in Toronto.
For more information on Whissell, check out www.jarradwhissell.com and follow him on twitter, @jarredwhissell. All of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races will once again be shown on TSN.
