The Headlines:
Michael Annett Tallies 100th NNS Start: Saturday’s 200 mile race at Dover International Speedway marks 25-year-old driver Michael Annett’s 100th career Nationwide Series start. This weekend’s OneMain Financial 200 will be the Des Moines, Iowa native’s sixth career start on Dover’s one-mile oval. Annett has completed 1,008 of 1,014 (99.4 percent) of laps contested there. His best finish on the Monster Mile was a 13th place Rookie of the Race finish in September 2009, and his best qualifying effort at Dover was 11th in September 2010.
Rusty Wallace Racing at Dover: Rusty Wallace Racing has earned five top-five and eight top-10 finishes in 31 combined starts at Dover International Speedway. Rusty Wallace Racing entries have led 58 laps of competition on the one-mile oval and have completed 5,808 of the 6,255 (92.9 percent) of laps contested in those events.
Annett Makes Special Visit to St. Jude: Following the race weekend at Dover International Speedway, Annett will visit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital on Monday, October 3. The driver will meet and greet with patients at the Memphis, Tenn. pediatric cancer research center prior to making a special race-related announcement with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital on Friday, October 7.
Pilot Flying J Hosts Transportation Forum: Next week, Annett and his team owner, Rusty Wallace, will attend Pilot Flying J’s annual Transportation Forum at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn. on Monday, October 3 and Tuesday, October 4. Wallace will serve as a keynote speaker during the Transportation Forum’s general session presented by Goodyear on Tuesday.
Annett Pumps for Charity: Following the forum, Annett will travel to Pilot Flying J’s hometown to serve as a celebrity pumper at the Pilot Travel Center location at 7686 Northshore Drive in Knoxville, Tenn. as part of Pilot Flying J’s annual Celebrity Pumpers event benefitting the United Way of Greater Knoxville. The yearly fundraiser includes local media personalities, elected officials and other celebrities who pump gas and greet the community. During the promotion, Pilot Flying J donates to United Way five cents from every gallon of gas sold and 10 cents of every dollar spent inside all of its Knoxville-area stores. In 2010, the event raised $62,080 and included more than 70 celebrity pumpers.
Cast Your Vote: Nationwide Series Most Popular Driver voting is still underway on NASCAR.com. Fans can cast their vote for Michael Annett once per day by visiting www.NASCAR.com/nnsmpd. Voting runs from now until November 17. The winner of the Nationwide Series Most Popular Driver award will be announced at the year-end banquet on November 21.
For the latest updates on Michael Annett, visit www.michaelannett.com.
From the Cockpit:
Michael Annett on the remainder of the 2011 season:
“The off-week was great for us to get a good mindset for these final races in 2011, but I’m really excited to get back to the race track this weekend. We’ve only got six races left in the season, and we’ve really got a chance to prove ourselves in these final events. Not only will these last six races be crucial, but we’ve got some really cool sponsor-related initiatives coming up as well. I’m really excited to give back to Pilot Flying J both on and off the racetrack in the coming weeks.”
Talking Shop:
Crew Chief Rick Viers on the off-week before the final six races of the season:
“We spent some time at TRD during the off-week working on the seven-post, making our cars better. Michael has done a great job this summer helping us improve our cars with some good feedback during practice and the races, and during this off-week we really focused on doing all we could as a team to be prepared for Dover and the final races before the season comes to a close.”
Rick Viers on Dover:
“I grew up about an hour-and-a-half from Dover International Speedway in Darlington, Md., so it’s always been a track that I enjoy visiting. It’s a great racetrack, and brings back good childhood memories for me. I remember going to Dover with my dad as a kid and sitting in the grandstands cheering on Richard Petty. I’m excited to head back there this weekend.”
The Machines:
Team 62 Primary: RWR-061 – The No. 62 Pilot Flying J team’s last outing with this chassis was at Bristol Motor Speedway in August where they notched a sixth place finish on sponsor Pilot Flying J’s home track.
Team 62 Back-Up: RWR-051 – The No. 62 Pilot Flying J team’s last race competing with this chassis was at Bristol Motor Speedway in March.
Pilot Flying J Locations on Your Way:
Pilot Flying J provides five convenient locations within a 100 mile radius of Dover International Speedway. For more information on Pilot Flying J and to map their nearest locations along your route, please visit www.pilotflyingj.com.
Pilot Travel Center
I-295, Exit 2B NJT
600 Pennsville-Auburn Road
Carneys Point, NJ 08069
Flying J
I-95, Exit 109A
221 Belle Hill Road
Elkton, MD 21921
Flying J
I-295, Exit 2C
326 Slapes Corner
Carneys Point, NJ 08069
Flying J
I-95, Exit 100
1 Center Drive
Northeast, MD 21901
Pilot Travel Center
I-95 and MD 222 Exit 93
31 Heather Lane
Perryville, MD 21903
About Pilot Flying J:
Pilot Flying J is headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, and has more than 550 locations in North America. The company employs more than 20,000 people and is the largest retail operator of travel centers in North America. Follow Pilot Flying J on Twitter at @pilottravel.
Broadcast Info:
Final Practice
Friday, September 30, 12:30 p.m. ET
ESPN2
Qualifying
Saturday, October 1, 12 p.m. ET
SPEED
OneMain Financial 200
Saturday, October 1, 3:30 p.m. ET
ESPN2
