Watkins Glen, N.Y. (August 4, 2010) – Following a seventh place finish last week at his home track, Iowa Speedway, Nationwide Series driver Michael Annett will be modifying his on-track technique this weekend by not only steering left, but making right hand turns as well. In their second road course race of the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series season, Annett and Germain Racing’s No. 15 Pilot Travel Centers team will compete at Watkins Glen International’s 11 turn course in Saturday’s Zippo 200 at the Glen.
Annett won’t be the only team member altering his routine, the No. 15 Pilot Travel Centers pit crew will have to make an unfamiliar change on pit road. With cars entering pit road from the left side rather than the normal right side, crew members have used daily pit practices to rehearse pitting on the opposite side. Watkins Glen is one of two races this season where the pit stop is reversed, with the other being Road America.
As the team travels to Watkins Glen International located in upstate New York, two members of the Germain Racing family will visit their home state. Crew chief Ryan Fugle and general manager Mike Hillman Sr. both hail from the Empire State.
Fugle grew up in Livonia, N.Y. before moving to North Carolina to get his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from UNC Charlotte and to pursue a career in racing. The 26-year-old crew chief quickly climbed the ranks, being named crew chief of the No. 15 Pilot Travel Centers Toyota Camry in 2009. Annett and Fugle are in their second season together in the Nationwide Series after finishing 10th in the championship point standings in 2009.
Hillman Sr. is a native of Lockport, N.Y. and has served as general manager for the Germain Racing organization since it’s inception in 2004. He prides himself in the team’s 2006 championship victory in the Camping World Truck Series and the growth of Germain Racing to include all three of NASCAR’s top-ranked series.
In his second career start on Watkins Glen International’s 11 turn, 2.45 mile road course, Germain Racing driver Annett will hit the track for practice on Friday from 2-4 p.m. Road course qualifying gears up on Saturday at 9:10 a.m., and the green flag drops for the Zippo 200 at the Glen at 2 p.m. For live race coverage, tune to ESPN and MRN Radio at 1:30 p.m. Practice and qualifying can be seen live on ESPN 2. All times are ET.
For more information on Michael Annett and Germain Racing’s No. 15 Nationwide Series team, check out www.MichaelAnnett.com and www.GermainRacing.com. Get live updates on Twitter @MichaelAnnett.
For more information on sponsors of the No. 15 Toyota Camry, please visit www.pilottravelcenters.com and www.Germain.com.