DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Michael Annett won a numerologist’s delight on Saturday at Daytona International Speedway.
After an offseason change from No. 5 to No. 1 on the sides and roof of his JR Motorsports Chevrolet, Annett held off teammate Justin Allgaier in the NASCAR Racing Experience 300 at the 2.5-mile superspeedway to claim his first victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in his 230th start.
“Eight years in the series—this is amazing. I couldn’t have done it without these guys (the crew). They’ve stuck with me through the hard times when everybody counts us out and wonders why I get to drive this car, and I think we showed it today—they worked their tails off on this.
“We got the 1 in Victory Lane. Our slogan this year is ‘One team, one dream, one goal.’ This was one of them, so we’re starting off good.”
Michael Annett – JR Motorsports, who struggled through a 2018 season that failed to produce a single top-five finish.
Brandon Jones ran third in his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Supra in the debut race for that model. Ryan Sieg ran fourth, followed by Austin Cindric and Christopher Bell.
Allgaier tried to pair up with Jones on the final lap but couldn’t mount a sustained run on his teammate, who held the lead for the final 45 of 120 laps.
“I followed Michael a few years ago in an ARCA race, and I remember seeing that Pilot/Flying J (sponsor logo) on the back bumper. I could beat him them, and I couldn’t do it today. I tried really hard there at the end.
“First of all, hats off the everybody back at JR Motorsports. To see a car that was that strong… all four of our Camaro SS’s were strong today. To see Michael get his first win… he’s tried so hard, and to see the time and the effort he’s put in, especially this offseason, it’s really, really cool. I was disappointed I couldn’t make a run, but a great way to start the season.”
Justin Allgaier – JR Motorsports
The victory was also the first for crew chief Travis Mack, who was released from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team at Leavine Family Racing (with driver Kasey Kahne) in midseason last year. He teamed with Annett for the last 14 races of 2018.
“It’s been a tough road for Travis Mack. It’s been an equally tough road for Michael Annett. This was redemption for both those guys.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr – Team Owner at JR Motorsports
The first caution of the race not for a stage break came on lap
That particular piece had broken on lap one, and the Team Penske crew had spent the cautions at the ends of the first two stages trying to secure it—in vain. After the hatch went flying, Keselowski took his car to the garage and retired in 37th place.
“I felt like I was back in the ‘50s running a convertible here on the beach. That was interesting. The roof, escape hatch, whatever it’s called, looks like there was a defect from the factory on the body and just nothing we could do. The guys tried to fix it, but it’s in a spot where you can’t get to it and work on it.
“It’s made the way it’s made. It’s one of those things outside your control, and sometimes that’s just how things go… I know we had a car that could win today. It broke on lap one, turn one, and we did everything we could to fix it for the last hour or so, but it is just not something you can fix.”
Brad Keselowski – Team Penske
Notes: In his first drive in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Jeffrey Earnhardt led the first 29 laps, finished fourth in Stage 1, fifth in Stage 2 and 15th at the checkered flag. …Ross Chastain won Stage 2 in his first trip in the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet before finishing 13th. His teammate, Justin Haley, won the first stage and came home 17th. …2000 series champion Jeff Green ran seventh, followed by John Hunter Nemechek, pole winner Tyler Reddick (who started from the rear because of a pre-race tire change) and Chase Elliott. … Noah Gragson finished 11th in his first run in the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Race – 38th Annual NASCAR Racing Experience 300 at Daytona
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach, Florida
Saturday, February 16, 2019
1. (3) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 120.
2. (15) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 120.
3. (16) Brandon Jones, Toyota, 120.
4. (8) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 120.
5. (13) Austin Cindric, Ford, 120.
6. (11) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 120.
7. (21) Jeff Green, Chevrolet, 120.
8. (14) John Hunter Nemechek #, Chevrolet, 120.
9. (1) Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet, 120.
10. (7) Chase Elliott(i), Chevrolet, 120.
11. (18) Noah Gragson #, Chevrolet, 120.
12. (10) Chase Briscoe #, Ford, 120.
13. (6) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 120.
14. (38) Cole Custer, Ford, 120.
15. (2) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Toyota, 120.
16. (30) Joey Gase, Toyota, 120.
17. (4) Justin Haley #, Chevrolet, 120.
18. (28) Brandon Brown #, Chevrolet, 120.
19. (22) Timmy Hill, Toyota, 120.
20. (32) David Starr, Chevrolet, 120.
21. (17) Scott Lagasse Jr, Chevrolet, 120.
22. (24) Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 120.
23. (20) Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 120.
24. (26) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 120.
25. (29) Vinnie Miller, Toyota, 120.
26. (31) Matt Mills, Toyota, 120.
27. (35) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet, 120.
28. (34) Max Tullman, Toyota, 120.
29. (12) Caesar Bacarella, Chevrolet, 119.
30. (33) Ray Black II, Chevrolet, 119.
31. (19) Chris Cockrum, Chevrolet, 118.
32. (37) John Jackson, Toyota, 118.
33. (27) DJ Kennington, Toyota, 113.
34. (5) Gray Gaulding, Chevrolet, 110.
35. (36) Mike Harmon, Chevrolet, 108.
36. (25) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, Engine, 90.
37. (9) Brad Keselowski(i), Ford, Roof Hatch, 71.
38. (23) Stephen Leicht, Chevrolet, Overheating, 24.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 151.664 mph.
Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 58 Mins, 41 Secs. The Margin of Victory: 0.116 Seconds.
Caution Flags: Four for 19 laps.
Lead Changes: 13 among nine drivers.
Lap Leaders: T. Reddick 0;J. Earnhardt 1-29;J. Haley # 30-32;R. Chastain 33;C. Bell 34-37;A. Cindric 38-39;B. Jones 40-41;R. Chastain 42-63;B. Jones 64-67;T. Reddick 68-70;B. Jones 71-72;T. Reddick 73;B. Brown # 74-75;M. Annett 76-120.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Michael Annett one time for 45 laps; Jeffrey Earnhardt one time for 29 laps; Ross Chastain two times for 23 laps; Brandon Jones three times for eight laps; Tyler Reddick two times for four laps; Christopher Bell one time for four laps; Justin Haley # one time for three laps; Austin Cindric one time for two laps; Brandon Brown # one time for two laps.
Stage #1 Top-Ten: 11,10,23,18,19,9,39,20,2,22
Stage #2 Top-Ten: 10,19,22,8,18,20,7,2,1,11