TRACK: Daytona International Speedway
RACE: NASCAR Racing Experience 300 (120 laps / 300 miles)
DATE: Saturday, February 15, 2020
TV: 2:30 p.m. ET on FS1
RADIO: 2:00 p.m. ET on MRN and SiriusXM Ch. 90
Quotes:
Michael Annett: “We set a lot of goals for ourselves (in 2019) and we met a lot of them, but we’re competitors, and when you don’t reach all of those goals, there’s still a lot to strive toward. That is kind of our mindset going into this season. Our goal was to be in the Championship 4 and we didn’t quite get there. We’re even more confident this year, we have our heads on straight and we’re going to obtain those goals. (Winning at Daytona) is definitely special and something I’ll never forget, being my first win and at such an iconic race track. We are going to have a Hendrick engine under the hood and all kinds of confidence.”
Justin Allgaier: “After how strong this No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture team finished the season last year, I know all of us are ready to get back to the track. JR Motorsports as a whole has been so good at Daytona and last year I was able to help push my teammate to a victory. If we can avoid the chaos, work with our teammates and be up front at the end of the day on Saturday, I think we’ve got a great shot at getting JRM another win.”
Jeb Burton: “I can’t wait to get to Daytona with this No. 8 team and JR Motorsports. We had a ton of really strong runs last season and I am extremely confident that Taylor (Moyer, crew chief) and myself can grow on that heading into this season. I also can’t thank LS Tractor for coming back and supporting everything that we do. Hopefully we will give them a good show on Saturday and come away with the win. I can’t wait.”
Noah Gragson: “My confidence is high as we head into Daytona because all of my guys from the 2019 season are returning for 2020. I had a career year and I owe it all to these guys at JR Motorsports, so I am glad we get to get another go at it this season. With a couple restrictor-plate races under my belt in the Xfinity Series, I know what to keep an eye on as the race gets going and hopefully that experience rewards us at the end of the race and we keep JRM as the defending season-opening race winner.”
Notes:
• Michael Annett returns to Daytona International Speedway as the defending race champion, having led the final 45 laps a year ago to earn his first career NXS victory.
• Annett heads into the 2020 season fresh off a strong 2019 campaign that saw the JRM driver earn one win, tie a career-high in top fives (six) and set a career-high in top 10s (19). Annett also qualified for the NXS Playoffs.
• On superspeedways last season, Annett was a force. Not only did he win at Daytona, but he also earned the pole at Talladega for his first in the series and was battling for the lead before getting collected in a multi-car incident.
• Justin Allgaier kicks off his fifth season with JRM this weekend at Daytona. In his first four years with the organization, the Illinois native accumulated eight wins, the most of any driver in JRM history.
• In 18 NXS starts at Daytona, Allgaier has four top fives and eight top 10s. Last year, the 33-year-old driver finished second in the season opener behind teammate Michael Annett. It was his second runner-up finish at the historic track.
• On traditional restrictor-plate tracks, the veteran driver has 27 NXS starts, with seven top-five and 14 top-10 finishes.
• Jeb Burton returns behind the wheel of the No. 8 Chevrolet for JRM to kick off the 2020 NXS season this weekend in Daytona.
• In seven starts for JRM in 2019, Burton scored two top fives and six top 10s with a best finish of fourth coming at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
• In five combined starts at “The World Center of Racing” across NASCAR’s three major touring series, Burton has earned two top fives and three top 10s.
• This will be the first primary race of 2020 for LS Tractor, one of the fastest growing tractor companies in North America.
• Noah Gragson enters 2020 looking to improve upon a career year that saw nine top fives and 22 top 10s in his first full-time season in the NXS.
• Bass Pro Shops, TrueTimber and Black Rifle Coffee Company are on board the No. 9 for Gragson this weekend in the first of three races.
• In two NXS starts at Daytona, Gragson has completed 99.5 percent of the laps (219 of 220) and has an average finish of 13.
• Dave Elenz, crew chief of the No. 9 Camaro for JRM, has led his teams to three wins, four top fives, seven top 10s and an average finish of 9.2 at Daytona.