TRACK: Watkins Glen International
RACE: Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey 200 (82 laps / 200 miles)
DATE: Saturday, August 7, 2021
TV: 4 p.m. ET on CNBC
RADIO: 3:30 p.m. ET on MRN and SiriusXM Ch. 90

Quotes:

Michael Annett: "It will be good to get back in the car at Watkins Glen this weekend. This is crunch time for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs and we need to get off on the right foot during this stretch. This Pilot Flying J Spicy Chicken Sandwich Chevrolet has been good on road courses this year, and we were third last time out at Road America. Bummy (crew chief Mike Bumgarner) and our No. 1 team are up for this challenge, and it starts this weekend."

Justin Allgaier: "It's going to be great to get back to Watkins Glen this weekend. It's definitely a track that I've always enjoyed going to, and we have had some really solid runs here over the last couple of years. If we can just be smart and take care of our car all day long, I feel like we will have a great shot to contend for the victory with our hellowater Chevrolet on Saturday. This two-week break has been great, but I am ready to get back to the track and get going again."

Sam Mayer: "The two off weeks were great for me to get refocused as we head into the last half of the season. The year hasn't started off the way we planned, so it's a good refresher for our team. I'm really confident heading into Watkins Glen as I have put a lot of focus on road-course racing. I'll be racing ARCA and Trucks before the Xfinity race, too, so I will get to learn the track before hopping into the No. 8 Saturday afternoon."

Noah Gragson: "I've only been to Watkins Glen once in the Xfinity car since we didn't get to race there last year. Road courses have been our strong suit and they really fit my driving style. I have a lot of confidence in this No. 9 team that they will give me another fast Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Camaro this weekend and hopefully we can put this car in to Victory Lane at the end of the day."

Notes:

• Michael Annett returns to the No. 1 Pilot Flying J Spicy Chicken Sandwich Chevrolet this weekend at Watkins Glen International after missing two races due to injury.

• Annett will carry a special paint scheme again this week featuring Pilot Flying J’s entry into the chicken-sandwich game. The new sandwich comes in Southern and Spicy varieties, which are available seven days a week at more than 300 Pilot and Flying J travel centers across the country

• In nine NXS starts at Watkins Glen, Justin Allgaier has earned three top fives, six top 10s, and a best finish of third, coming in each of the two most recent events in upstate New York.

• In his NXS road course career, Allgaier has amassed three wins, 10 top fives and 22 top 10s in 36 starts.

• In four road course starts in 2021, Allgaier has scored a best finish of third, coming at Circuit of the Americas in May.

• This weekend, hellowater returns as the primary partner on board the No. 7 Chevrolet. hellowater is part of Hello Beverages, LLC, a manufacturer of enhanced functional waters, and is designed to deliver quality wellness benefits in digestive health, immune defense, and pH balance.

• Sam Mayer will make his second NXS start on a road course this weekend in the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. The 18-year-old’s only other start at a road course in the NXS came at his home track of Road America. Mayer started 23rd and finished 35th after being collected in a multi-car incident.

• Mayer will be pulling triple duty this weekend for the first time in 2021 as he is entered in both the ARCA Menards Series and Camping World Truck Series races.

• Throughout the 2021 season, the No. 8 team has earned one win, four top fives, eight top 10s and is currently 17th in owner point standings.

• Noah Gragson has been very good on road courses in his NXS career. In 2020, the young driver finished second, third twice and sixth in the road circuit events. He was third at both Daytona and Indianapolis in the inaugural races for both tracks.

• In his previous start at Watkins Glen in 2019, Gragson earned a ninth-place result on the legendary 2.45-mile course in upstate New York.

• In 2019, his first full season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Gragson emerged as a road-course warrior with three top-five and four top-10 finishes in road events that season. His average finish in the four races was a stellar 5.8.