JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Dover International Speedway
RACE: Use Your Melon Drive Sober 200 (200 laps / 200 miles)
DATE: Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019
Michael Annett
No. 1 TMC Transportation Chevrolet
• Michael Annett enters the final race in the Round of 12 for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs in eighth, 11 points above the cutoff line.
• Annett’s best finish at Dover is third in 2012, and he’s coming off a 10th-place run there earlier this season.
• The 1-mile oval at Dover is one of Annett’s best tracks, as he has an average finish of 13.1 in 15 starts. The only track better than Dover is New Hampshire, another 1-mile oval, at 13.0.
• The next top-five or top-10 finish for Annett this season will tie his career-best marks in each category, set in 2012.
Justin Allgaier
No. 7 Northeastern Supply Chevrolet
• Heading into the final race in the Round of 12, Justin Allgaier is currently fifth, 40 markers above the cutoff line for the Round of 8.
• In 17 NXS starts at Dover, Allgaier has one win (Spring 2018), seven top fives and 10 top 10s, with 147 laps led.
• The Illinois native has finished inside the top four in six of his last seven starts at “The Monster Mile.”
• This weekend, Northeastern Supply, one of the MidAtlantic’s fastest growing plumbing, HVAC, and water system wholesalers, will be on the hood on the No. 7 Camaro. This marks the first race that the long-time JRM associate partner will serve as the primary sponsor.
Zane Smith
No. 8 PatientPop Chevrolet
• Zane Smith returns behind the wheel of the No. 8 for his second NXS start at Dover on Saturday.
• Smith finished ninth in his first start at Dover earlier this season.
• Overall, Smith has earned one top five and five top 10s in eight starts in 2019, with a best finish of fifth coming at Iowa Speedway in June.
• PatientPop, a Santa Monica, Calif.-based company providing a complete practice growth platform that delivers measurable improvements for medical providers, returns to the No. 8 as primary partner for Dover.
Noah Gragson
No. 9 PUBG Mobile Chevrolet
• Noah Gragson enters this weekend seventh in the championship hunt, 15 points ahead of the eighth and final cutoff position with one race remaining in the Round of 12.
• The Las Vegas native has a best finish of seventh (Spring 2018) in two previous NXS starts at Dover.
• In 12 starts on tracks between one and two miles in length in NXS competition, Gragson has scored two top fives, nine top 10s and an average finish of 8.5.
• In two starts in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series at Dover, Gragson has led 60 laps, earned one pole and recorded a best finish of ninth.
Driver Quotes
“Getting back to Dover for the cutoff race to the Round of 8 was key for our No. 1 team. We have a cushion over the cutoff, which is what we needed, and Dover is a good track for us. We were 10th in the spring there and could have had a few more positions at the end had we not restarted on the bottom for the final restart. We’re going to Dover with the idea of being fast, being smart and advancing to the Round of 8, and our TMC Transportation Chevrolet certainly has the speed to do all of that.” – Michael Annett
“Dover is a place that really seems to suit my driving style and our team has really excelled there. I think, for us, it’s a good place to wrap up the Round of 12. We just need to go there and run a smart race and not have any major issues. If we can do that, then we’ll be in great position to advance to the next round of the playoffs.” – Justin Allgaier
“I’m really pumped to get back behind the wheel of this PatientPop Chevrolet this weekend in Dover. We had a good run here earlier this year and I feel like we can only build off that on Saturday. I definitely want to go out on a strong note and give these guys the best day possible.” – Zane Smith
“Dover is such a fun track to race on and I am really looking forward to getting back there with PUBG Mobile on the hood of our No. 9 Chevrolet. We’ve done what we needed to do so far in these playoffs and if we can just execute like that again on Saturday, I am extremely confident that we can move on to the next round. We all know what the end game is and that is to keep this momentum going to enter the next round as strong as possible.” – Noah Gragson
JRM Team Updates
• JRM at Dover: In 63 NXS starts at Dover International Speedway, JR Motorsports has scored three wins, 20 top-five and 37 top10 finishes. Brad Keselowski scored the organization’s first victory at “The Monster Mile” in May 2009 with Regan Smith and Justin Allgaier following suit in October 2015 and May 2018, respectively.
• Annett Media Availability: Michael Annett will be stopping by the media center at Dover International Speedway for media
availability on Friday, Oct. 4 from 2 – 2:15 p.m. EST.
• Allgaier, Smith, Gragson NXS Autograph Session: Teammates Justin Allgaier, Zane Smith and Noah Gragson will be participating in the NXS autograph session in the DE Office of Highway Safety Display at Dover International Speedway on Saturday, Oct. 5 from 10 – 10:45 a.m. EST.
• JRM Xfinity Zone Appearance: JRM teammates Michael Annett, Justin Allgaier, Zane Smith and Noah Gragson will be stopping by the Xfinity Zone at Dover International Speedway on Saturday, Oct. 5 from 11:05 – 11:25 a.m. EST.
