DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY RACE PREVIEW
Michael Annett• No. 43 Pilot Flying J Ford Mustang
Annett has seven career starts in the Nationwide Series at Daytona
Annett enters this weekend’s event in seventh-place in the Nationwide point standings
Annett’s best finish (sixth) at the famed 2.5-mile superspeedway came in 2011
Michael Annett on Racing in Daytona: “The night race at Daytona in July is always exciting, but it’s even more exciting this weekend because we are celebrating ‘The Kings’ 75th Birthday. Richard is such a legend and icon in our sport. I really want to bring home a great finish for him this weekend. We’ve got momentum going into Friday night’s race after our fourth-place run in Kentucky last weekend. If I can keep the Pilot Flying J Ford out of trouble and make it to the end of the race in one piece, we’ll be in good shape. We need to avoid getting caught up in someone else’s mess, and if we can do that, I think we’ve got a great shot to win this weekend”
Crew Chief Philippe Lopez’s Thoughts on Racing in Daytona: “I really enjoy superspeedway racing and I especially enjoy going to Daytona. I’ve had success in the past as a crew chief at restrictor plate tracks, and I hope to continue that success this weekend.
“I was really impressed with how Michael ran in Daytona in February, it was just unfortunate we got caught up in someone else’s mess and didn’t get a finish that did our run justice. I feel like our Pilot Flying J team is improving each and every week, and we have a ton of momentum going into this weekend after getting our first top-five finish of the year at Kentucky. If we can avoid ‘The Big One’ I feel confident we’ll be in good shape on Friday night and come home with another top-five finish.”
Chassis History: The No. 43 RPM NASCAR Nationwide Series team has prepared chassis No. 641 for the 250-mile race at Daytona. This Pilot Flying J Ford Mustang was run previously this season at Daytona.
Notes: Annett has seven NASCAR Nationwide Series starts at Daytona International Speedway. His best finish (sixth) at the 2.5-mile tri-oval came in 2011. His best start (ninth) at the superspeedway came in 2009. Annett has completed 658 of 784 laps attempted at Daytona.
Can’t get enough of Annett? Michael will visit the Ford Display at Daytona International Speedway on Friday at 1 p.m. for a 15 minute Q-and-A session.
Don’t miss out on your chance to meet Michael! Annett will participate in the NASCAR Nationwide Series autograph session on Friday from 4:30-5:30 p.m. The session is located in the Sprint FanZone under the Goodyear Legends overhangs in the infield.
Last Friday night’s fourth-place finish and stellar performance at Kentucky Speedway earned Annett the Featherlite Most Improved Driver Award.
Looking for a Pilot or Flying J store near Daytona? There are 10 Pilot or Flying J stores within 100 miles of Daytona International Speedway. The nearest store is 45 miles away from the race track. (Flying J (I-95 Hwy 206 Exit 305) 950 State Road 206 West, St. Augustine, FL, 32086.) There are 27 stores within 250 miles of the track. Go tohttp://www.pilotflyingj.com/locationsfind the nearest locations.
Race Information
Track: Daytona International Speedway
Laps: 100 Laps/250Miles
Track Size: 2.5-Miles
TV Information: 7 p.m. ET on ESPN
Radio Information: 7 p.m. ET on MRN
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