Former NASCAR driver Michael Annett passes away at age 39

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Michael Annett, the former NASCAR driver who became a mainstay with 14 seasons of racing for some of the biggest owners and winning on one of the sport’s biggest stages, has died. He was 39.

Multiple sources confirmed Annett’s death Friday, including his former team — JR Motorsports and the management company — teamRSG — that represented him at the time of his death.

Michael Annett Through the Years in NASCAR

Photo by Cheri Eaton/TRE

Michael Annett was born June 23, 1986, in Des Moines, Iowa. His father, Harrold Annett, founded TMC Transportation, a major flatbed carrier in the U.S. The company had ties to Pilot Flying J, which would become pivotal in the younger Annett’s career.

Annett grew up racing but also played hockey in school. Eventually, racing won out and laid the groundwork for his 436 starts in the top three NASCAR national series:

• NASCAR Cup Series: 106 starts in 2014-16
• NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series: 321 starts in 2008-13 and 2017-21
• NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Eight starts in 2008, nine in 2014

Before he came to NASCAR, Annett showed his stripes in the ARCA Menards Series in 2007 and 2008.

In 2007, he won the pole in his series debut, which happened June 2 at his hometrack of Iowa Speedway. Three starts later, at Talladega that fall, he earned his first career win.

Annett’s very next start, at Daytona in 2008, saw him get his second career win that helped propel him into NASCAR.

Annett had a fast start in NASCAR with eight Truck starts for Bill Davis Racing, posting a top-five finish and two top-10 finishes in 2008. That boosted him to NOAPS with Germain Racing and a top-10 points finish in 2009 and an improved average finish in 2010.

The next two seasons after that were the most pivotal of Annett’s career. In 2011, he joined Richard Petty Motorsports and finished ninth in points. Then, he improved to fifth in points, with six top-five finishes and 17 top-10 finishes in 2012 as he was primed to become a Cup Series prospect in 2013.

While an injury derailed his 2013 season, he made it to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2014. Although he ultimately came back to NOAPS with JR Motorsports in 2017, he had three ninth-place points finishes (2017, 2019-20) and earned:

• His first career win at Daytona in February of 2019
• Average finish of 10th in 2019
• 94 laps led in 2019
• 22 top-10s in 33 races in 2020

While 2021 saw him miss seven races due to an injury, he went out on his own terms with his final full-time race that season at Phoenix Raceway.

Photo: Jonathan Fjeld/TRE

After stepping away, he remained close with industry members, including current NOAPS driver Sammy Smith who followed in his footsteps with his series debut in 2022 and backing from the Annett family’s partner, Pilot Flying J.

Annett was just 39 years old at the time of his death, making his death unexpected to many — including Smith.

“Very sad to lose someone who meant so much to me and my family. Michael was a great person to so many and we’ll miss him a lot,” Smith said.

JRM also mourned Annett’s passing:

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Annett family with the passing of our friend Michael Annett. 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.”

There is no word on the cause of Annett’s death.

Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.

A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.

Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick’s final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen’s stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers’ stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.

Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com