MOORESVILLE, NC.: After a racing career spanning more than a decade and a half, Michael Annett announced today his retirement from full-time driving duties at the conclusion of the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series season at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway next month.
He competed in his first full-time season in 2009 and has made more than 430 starts across NASCAR’s top three series.
Collectively, he has made 106 NASCAR Cup Series starts, 316 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts and nine NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start.
The highlight of his NASCAR career came in 2019 when he won the season-opening NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway driving for JR Motorsports.
The triumph is his only NASCAR national series win. He finished a career-high fifth in the Xfinity Series championship standings in 2012 driving for Richard Petty Motorsports.
Annett, 35, also competed in the NASCAR-owned ARCA Menards Series from 2007 to 2009 competing in 10 races. He won two races at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in 2007 and the ARCA season-opener at Daytona in 2008 driving for Bill Davis Racing. He recorded eight top-10 overall.
“I’m just so grateful for the opportunities I’ve had,” Annett said. “Being able to drive racecars for a living is honestly a dream come true for me. It’s been a privilege to work with some great teams and alongside some of the most talented folks in the garage.
“None of this would have been possible without the support of my partners, and I am happy to call them life-long friends. It’s those relationships and friendships that are the most rewarding.”
Annett has been with the Mooresville, N.C.-based JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series since 2017. So far, he has missed eight races this season because of a leg injury.
He is not scheduled to drive the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro in Saturday’s Drive for the Cure 250 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway ROVAL.\
Josh Berry who won substituting for Annett at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway last month has been tapped as the driver for this weekend’s final road course race of the season.
Annett, a native of Des Moines, Iowa, has been a staple in NASCAR with the familiar colors of Pilot Flying J, TMC Transportation, Allstate Peterbilt Group, WEX EFS and others sponsoring his entries over the years.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
