Annett ready for Texas after weekend off

Michael Annett on racing at Texas Motor Speedway: “I’m ready to get back in the Pilot Flying J Ford after having a weekend off. We’ve been really consistent here as of late, bringing home top-10 finishes the last two months. I feel like we are knocking on the door of a win, and I’m hoping this weekend we’ll finally get that door opened. Philippe (Lopez) and the team have worked really hard on our program this year, and I’d really like to get a win for the No. 43 team and everyone involved at RPM before the season is over. We had a great run at Texas earlier in the year, and I like those fast 1.5-mile tracks. I always enjoy racing there, and I’m going into this weekend with confidence knowing my team has prepared a fast Pilot Flying J Ford.“

Crew Chief Philippe Lopez’s Thoughts on Racing in Texas: “We are going to the greatest state in the union this weekend, my home state of Texas. I love racing at Texas Motor Speedway because it’s my hometown track. We ran really well there back in the spring, we showed speed and ran a really smart race. We aren’t expecting anything different and we aren’t planning on doing anything different to the setup of our car. We are just going to go out and concentrate on getting a good finish in our Pilot Flying J Ford this weekend. We are taking a different car this fall than what we had in the Spring. Our Kentucky car has been a great car for us this season, so we feel like it’s a good choice for this weekend. It’s a really good overall machine and responds to adjustments well. One of the biggest challenges we will face this weekend is the drop off in lap times as the tires wear. With tire deterioration we will need to make little adjustments to compensate. Those adjustments will make a big difference on how we finish the race, so we just need a car that is responsive to change this weekend to ensure we get a good finish.”

Chassis History: The No. 43 RPM NASCAR Nationwide Series team has prepared chassis No. 613 for the 200-lap race at Texas Motor Speedway. This Pilot Flying J Ford Mustang has been run previously this season at Las Vegas, Darlington and Kentucky.

Notes: Annett has seven NASCAR Nationwide Series starts at Texas Motor Speedway. His best finish (ninth) came earlier this season and his best start (18th) at the 1.5-mile track came both in 2011 and earlier this year. Annett heads to Texas in the fifth position in the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver point standings. His average finish at the Fort Worth track is 16.3.

Off-Weekend Recap: During his off week, Des Moines, Iowa, native Annett hosted the Tee Off for Hope in conjunction with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (SJCRH) to announce the organization’s inaugural St. Jude Tournament of Hope, a golf event that will be held in Des Moines on August 5, 2013. The evening in Iowa included a silent auction for racing themed items and raffle prizes. The event raised over $36,000, including a generous commitment by Pilot Travel Centers to be the title sponsor for the tournament.

Source: Richard Petty Motorsports