MOORESVILLE, North Carolina: Michael Annett has died. He was a race car driver who made 436 starts across NASCAR’s three national racing series. He was 39 years old.
One of Annett’s old teams, JR Motorsports, shared the news on social media on Friday. There was no word on what caused the death.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Annett family with the passing of our friend Michael Annett,” they wrote. Michael was a key member of JRM from 2017 until he retired in 2021 and was an important part in turning us into the four-car organization we remain today.
NASCAR says Annett did 321 starts in the Xfinity Series, and 158 of those were with JRM.
Annett won the first race of the 2019 season at Daytona International Speedway in the No. 1 JRM Chevrolet. It was his only win at the national level.
ARCA Menards Series winner Annett, who was born in Des Moines, Iowa, also won twice in that series. In 2007, he won at Talladega Superspeedway, and in 2008, he won the first race in the series at Daytona.
A statement from NASCAR said, “NASCAR is deeply saddened to learn of the death of former NASCAR driver Michael Annett.” “Everyone in the garage could feel Michael’s drive, professionalism, and good mood. He was a well-liked competitor.” During his career, he spoke for our sport with honesty and the fire of a real driver. NASCAR is sorry for Michael’s family and many friends’ loss.
Early Life
After high school, Annett started racing at nearby tracks like Hawkeye Downs in Iowa. He had already raced in a few mini-cups and a few times in the American Speed Association series. He used to be a center for the Waterloo Black Hawks in the USHL and won the Clark Cup and “Most Improved Player” awards in 2004.
Before he started racing, his family owned a dirt track team with drivers like Sammy Swindell. Harrold, his late father, was CEO of TMC Transportation and paid for his early work.
Career in Racing
Annett made his name in the ARCA Menards Series by winning at Talladega in 2007 and Daytona in 2008. He then made his start in NASCAR Trucks (2008), with a best finish of second place at Kentucky.
He drove for teams like Germain Racing (10th in points in 2009), Rusty Wallace Racing (9th in 2011), Richard Petty Motorsports (5th in 2012), and JR Motorsports (2017–2021). At the 2019 Daytona opener, he won his only national race and finished in the top five or ten several times.
From 2014 to 2016, he raced full-time in 106 Cup races for Tommy Baldwin Racing and HScott Motorsports. The best finish of his career was 13th in the 2015 Daytona 500. Annett stopped racing full-time after 2021 because she hurt her leg.
Achievements and Records of Note
- Xfinity Series: 321 starts, 1 win (Daytona 2019), multiple top-5s (for example, 2nd at Road America in 2017), and points scores as high as 5th (2012).
- Cup Series: 106 starts, best finish 13th (Daytona 500 2015), points 33rd to 36th.
- ARCA: Two wins in ARCA (Talladega 2007 and Daytona 2008).
- Trucks: Limited starts, best 2nd (Kentucky 2008).
| Series | Starts | Wins | Top-5s | Top-10s | Best Points Finish | Best Single Race Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | 321 | 1 | Multiple | Multiple | 5th (2012) | 1st (Daytona 2019) |
| Cup | 106 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33rd (2014) | 13th (Daytona 500 2015) |
| Trucks | Handful | 0 | 1 | ? | 30th (2008) | 2nd (Kentucky 2008) |
| ARCA | Multiple | 2 | ? | ? | 35th (2008) | 1st (Talladega/Daytona 2007-08) |
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