Michael Annett needs a two-way plan of attack this weekend at Iowa Speedway.
First wave: Annett, from nearby Des Moines, is seeking that holy grail-type win at his home track. Two drivers have picked up home wins this year – Denny Hamlin (Chesterfield, Va.) at Richmond and Justin Allgaier (Riverton, Ill.) at Chicagoland.
Second wave: He’s one of four eligible drivers to claim the $100,000 NASCAR Nationwide Series “Dash 4 Cash” bonus. The eligible drivers for the second Dash 4 Cash round: Allgaier, Jason Leffler and Reed Sorenson and Annett. The highest finisher among those four nabs the cash.
Annett’s average finish at Iowa is 10.3, including seventh last year. A slow start to his season gave way to a crew chief change that has helped change his luck. Before Rick Viers came on board, his average finish was 21.0. Since Viers took over, Annett finishes at a 12.4 clip and is in the top 10 in points.
Iowa represents the second of four “Dash 4 Cash” races on the year. Last month at Daytona, Reed Sorenson took the $100,000 bonus that was up for grabs between him, Allgaier, Elliott Sadler and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. The eligibility for those four drivers for that first event was set by series driver championship points coming out of Road America. The Iowa field of four was set by the highest race finish at Daytona among the top four drivers who receive NASCAR Nationwide Series points. The field for Race No. 3 at Richmond in September will be set coming out of Iowa – the four highest-finishing drivers who receive NASCAR Nationwide Series driver points.
Iowa is hosting its fourth NASCAR-sanctioned event since May, and its second NASCAR Nationwide Series race of the season. Sellout crowds have been the norm at Iowa and this race is expected to be no different.
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