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,” said Annett, who struggled through a 2018 season that failed to produce a single top-five finish. “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.”
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,” Allgaier said. “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.”
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,” said team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. “It’s been an equally tough road for Michael Annett. This was redemption for both those guys.”
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