Have you ever wondered what NASCAR, pizza and an interstate truck ship have in common? They promote themselves together.
Prior to the NASCAR weekend at Talladega Superspeedway spanning Oct. 23-25, Sprint Cup Series driver Michael Annett and the No. 46 HScott Motorsports race team were giving back to the hard working community in Lincoln, Alabama at a Pilot Flying J truck stop.
“Pretty much, what we’re doing is turning this truck stop into a pit stop,” Annett said of the event. “It gives our customers the chance to have a professional race team fill-up their cars, wash their windshield and get to meet everybody.”
That is exactly what occurred at the service area. However, this one was a bit more special because it was the unveiling of the PJ Fresh Pizza paint scheme as the company opted to feature it on the No. 46 car at the 2.66-mile track.
As recently as March, PJ Fresh Pizza stores around the United States began to sell pizza at Pilot Flying J service stops. The “Unexpectedly Awesome” pizza was also handed out at the service area that Annett attended.
“It’s a cool deal with the PJ Express brand and its 100 percent mozzarella cheese, 100 percent baked dough each morning throughout the day for each pizza they make,” Annett said. “It gives us the chance to unveil this new pizza and get a chance to meet our customers.”
This is the second time that Annett and crew have provided service at a truck stop, the other coming at Daytona back in early July.
“The Pilot Flying J’s up and down the interstate are the reason we get to do what we do and to tie it in to the race weekend is awesome,” Annett said. “It’s just a special deal.”
Annett’s history with Pilot/Flying J goes back to his ARCA days in 2007 and 2008. When he moved to the Camping World Truck Series, he took Pilot with him, serving as the primary sponsor for eight races with Bill Davis Racing, expanding to the Xfinity Series in 2009 with Germain Racing in 27 of the 35 events.
As Annett matured, bouncing from Germain to Rusty Wallace Inc. to Richard Petty Motorsports, the company continued to find success in its marketing program. Evidently, it led to a partnership with Tommy Baldwin Racing in 2014. When he departed from that organization for HScott Motorsports, with Pilot/Flying J‘s help, he was able to sign a multi-year deal in the Cup Series, securing a ride for the immediate future.
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