Michael Annett knew what he had to do on Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway. He had to run a smart race, take care of his No. 5 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet and make sure he qualified for the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs.

After 200 laps and 300 miles of racing on the 1.5-mile speedway, it was mission accomplished on all accounts. Annett ran in the...

Michael Annett’s best finish in eight starts at Chicagoland is fifth, coming in the fall race in 2012. He has a total of three top-10 finishes there.

Annett is currently 10th in series points, but 11th on the playoff grid. He has to outpoint Brendan Gaughan by one point to maintain 11th in the standings if there is a new NXS-eligible winner. If not,...

The important thing about Michael Annett’s 15th-place finish in Friday night’s Virginia529 College Savings 250 for NASCAR Xfinity Series machines at Richmond Raceway was that he and his No. 5 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet finished ahead of both his main rivals for the final spots in the playoff standings. The Iowa native ended the day still in the 11th spot,...

In 10 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Richmond, Annett has one top five and three top 10s, with a best finish of fifth (fall 2012).

Earlier this season, Annett finished eighth in his first JRM start on the .750-mile D-shaped oval.

Over his last four starts at Richmond, Annett’s average finish is a stout 8.5, with his top-five run plus two top...