TRACK: Darlington Raceway
RACE: Toyota 200 (147 laps / 200.8 miles)
DATE: Tuesday, May 19, 2020
TV: 6 p.m. ET on FS1
RADIO: 5:30 p.m. ET on MRN and SiriusXM Ch. 90
Quotes:
Michael Annett: “It’s a huge relief to get back on the track with this Pilot Flying J Chevrolet. It has been a long stretch without racing, and I am looking forward to getting back out there and establishing some consistency. It will be good for everyone to have some NASCAR racing back in our lives, and I am looking forward to helping get things started with a solid run at one of the sport’s iconic speedways.”
Justin Allgaier: “I am beyond ready to get back to the track. We proved at the start of the season that we were strong but just didn’t quite get the finishes we deserved, so I know this No. 7 team is ready to get back out there. Our goal is to put on a great show for all the fans who will be tuning in on TV and go after the win in our Precision Build Camaro.”
Daniel Hemric: “It’s going to be great to get back behind the wheel of this No. 8 Poppy Bank Chevy when we get to the track on Tuesday in Darlington. Hopefully we can go out there and give everyone watching at home some quality entertainment during these times. I feel really confident that we can have a really strong run and get some positive momentum on our side. I just can’t wait to get back going and get to work with Taylor (Moyer, crew chief) and all the guys on this No. 8 team.”
Noah Gragson: “To come back racing at Darlington after a two month break is definitely going to be a challenge. This isn’t a track that is easy to drive. You add the abrasiveness of the surface that causes some of the highest tire wear, and it lends even more drama to our return. It’s going to be weird experiencing a race without fans, but we plan to put on a great show so that everyone watching on TV has something to be excited about.”
Notes:
• Michael Annett will seek to earn his second top-10 finish of the season as the NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to action at Darlington Raceway on Tuesday.
• His first top 10 of the year was a seventh-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the second race of the season.
• In seven starts at Darlington in the NXS, Annett has recorded a best finish of 10th in 2018.
• Consistency is king for the Iowa native at the famed South Carolina oval, as he’s completed 94 percent of the laps run there in his NXS tenure.
• In nine NXS starts at Darlington, Justin Allgaier has two top fives and six top 10s with 31 laps led.
• Last season, Allgaier started fourth and ran as high as second at the historic track, coming home with a ninth-place finish.
• Through the first four events of the 2020 season, the Illinois native has led a series-high of 140 laps and currently sits ninth in the NXS point standings.
• This weekend, Allgaier’s No. 7 Camaro will carry the colors of Precision Tank and Tampa Tank-Florida Structural Steel, two companies who have newly merged to become Precision Build Companies, LLC.
• In two previous NXS starts at Darlington, Daniel Hemric has earned a best finish of 11th which came in the 2018 event.
• Hemric has also made a combined three starts at “The Track Too Tough To Tame” between the NASCAR Cup Series and the NXS.
• In 35 NXS starts on tracks between 1 and 2 miles in length, Hemric has 10 top fives, 20 top 10s and two poles.
• Poppy Bank returns to the No. 8 Chevrolet for the second time this season on Tuesday evening. Poppy Bank has been a long-running partner of Hemric’s, dating back to his 2018 NXS campaign.
• Noah Gragson will make his second NXS start at “The Lady in Black” on Tuesday evening.
• The Las Vegas native started eighth and finished eighth during his lone NXS appearance at Darlington in 2019.
• At tracks that are between one to two miles in length in the NXS, Gragson has an average start of 9.5 and an average finish of 9.3.
• After four races in the 2020 season, Gragson sits sixth in the NXS standings with one win, two top fives, three top 10s and has led 44 laps.