HScott Motorsports NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race Preview
Michael Annett
No. 46 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet
Atlanta Motor Speedway
March 1, 2015
The “Real Season” Begins…Following a hectic weeklong format leading into last Sunday’s Daytona 500, Michael Annett and his No. 46 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet team travel to Hampton, Ga.’s Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend, embarking on the type of weekend schedule more typical for teams in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Atlanta marks the first of 11 races scheduled at 1.5-mile racetracks this season.
A Strong Track Type…Annett’s average finish at the quad-oval racetracks like Atlanta last year was 1.3 positions better than his average finish at all tracks. In fact, Annett scored a 21st-place finish in last year’s Atlanta race, scheduled then during Labor Day weekend, advancing over four positions from his average running position in the race (25.2).
Fresh Off of a Career-Best Finish…Annett finished a career-best 13th-place result in the Daytona 500. He was also given the Ingersoll Rand Power Move of the Race Award, which will award Annett a check for $5,000 and crew chief Jay Guy a set of Ingersoll Rand tools.
Michael Annett on Atlanta Motor Speedway:
“This weekend will be a good indicator of what we have, package-wise, initially and what else we need to work on. We didn’t have the opportunity to test in the offseason, so practices early in the weekend will be crucial just for me to get a feel for HScott’s intermediate package and for Jay (Guy, crew chief) to get a feel for me. These intermediates are places that I really took to last year and Atlanta was a really good, hard race where different grooves worked for different cars. It could end up being a lot different. Last year’s race was toward the end of summer and this year it sounds like the temperature will be very cold. We have to be prepared for everything.”
No. 46 Pilot Flying J Team Members:
Driver:
Michael Annett
Crew Chief:
Jay Guy
Car Chief:
Steve Gassman
Engineer:
J. Cooper King
Engineer:
Nick Ollila
Engine Tuner:
Michael Brown
Shock Specialist:
Marcos Castro
Truck Drivers:
Barry Collins, Terry Lynch
Mechanic/Tire Specialist:
Craig Dalton
Interior:
Evan Harding
Front End Mechanic:
Michael Hubert
Spotter:
Dave Ramsey
Mechanic:
Michael Thomas
Get Up to Date on Michael Annett…Follow Annett on his very own Twitter and Facebook accounts and get live updates from the track by following @PFJRacing and @TeamHSM46 on Twitter. For a detailed bio and updated in-season statistics, please visit www.michaelannett.com.
About Pilot Flying J…Pilot Flying J, the largest operator of travel centers and travel plazas in North America, is committed to making life better for professional drivers. Headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn., Pilot Flying J has more than 650 retail locations. The Pilot Flying J network provides drivers with access to more than 65,000 parking spaces for trucks, 4,400 showers and more than 4,500 diesel lanes offering DEF at the pump. Pilot Flying J, along with its subsidiaries, employs more than 24,000 people. Pilot Flying J is currently ranked No. 7 on Forbes’ list of America’s Largest Private Companies. Visit www.pilotflyingj.com for more information.
About HScott Motorsports…HScott Motorsports, which was established in 1989 as Phoenix Racing, is owned and operated by Harry Scott Jr. and competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with technical support from Hendrick Motorsports. The team competes full time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Justin Allgaier driving the No. 51 BRANDT Chevrolet and Michael Annett driving the Pilot Flying J Chevrolet. Scott also owns HScott Motorsports with Chip Ganassi, which fields the No. 42 Camaro in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and is the co-owner of HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks, which fields five entries in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. His vision is to build a championship contender by developing talented young drivers, partnering with dedicated sponsors and competing hard every week. For more information, visit HScott Motorsports on the web at: www.hscottmotorsports.com.
